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Fuji TV’s Female Announcers Flee After Nakai Masahiro Scandal
The scandal has shaken the faith of many employees — and station insiders say other companies are using the opportunity to poach talent.
By Jay Allen
The Nakai Masahiro scandal at Fuji TV has effectively crippled the station, sullying its public reputation and costing it many of its advertisers. After a string of high-profile resignations, new reports in Japanese media are wondering whether it’s also causing the station to lose some of its top female talent.
Is parenting the real reason they’re leaving?
Nakai Masahiro, a former member of universally-beloved boy band SMAP, torpedoed his career when news broke that he’d settled a sexual assault allegation for a massive sum of money. Subsequent reporting alleged that one or more Fuji TV employees actively coaxed Fuji TV’s female news announcers into private drinking parties at hotels with Nakai and other men.
Alleged victims have testified that they suffered career repercussions after turning down these men’s advances. The scandal has stoked anger at a time when more women than ever in Japan are…
