Japanese TV Network Fuji Television Launches Investigation into Sexual Misconduct Allegations against Ex-SPMAP Star Masahiro Nakai.
Fuji Television Network Inc. has launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving Japanese TV host Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the now-defunct pop group SMAP. The network claims that one of its employees arranged the meal where Nakai met a woman in June 2023, but it denies any involvement in the incident.
According to reports by the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine, the dinner turned into non-consensual sex and resulted in a 90 million yen settlement between the parties involved. The network has denied any knowledge of the arrangement or its employee’s role.
A shareholder of Fuji Media Holdings Inc., the parent company of Fuji Television, has called for an external investigation into the incident, citing concerns over corporate governance and governance issues. Several major TV networks have suspended programs hosted by Nakai or edited him out of scenes in response to the allegations.
Nakai was a prominent figure in SMAP, which formed in 1988 and gained popularity in Japan and across Asia before disbanding in 2016. The scandal has raised questions about the treatment of women in the entertainment industry and corporate governance practices.
Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/01/e115fefa1e3b-fuji-tv-probing-alleged-role-in-sex-scandal-of-japan-tv-host-nakai.html