Japan’s sex scandal-hit Fuji TV holds marathon face-saving news event
The 10-hour briefing that ended at around 2am on Tuesday sought to begin rebuilding a reputation tarnished by the Masahiro Nakai scandal.
Under attack for its handling of a sexual harassment scandal, Japan’s Fuji Media Holdings Inc. sought to begin to rebuild its tarnished reputation by holding a 10-hour press conference in Tokyo, which was attended by hundreds of journalists.
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The event, which ended around 2am on Tuesday morning, came after the company was lambasted for excluding television cameras and most reporters from a previous briefing on the incident. Fuji Media announced in advance that two of its most senior officials would step down to take responsibility for the scandal that has already ended the career of one of Japan’s best-known entertainers and prompted corporations to suspend advertisements.
The shake-up at the television station follows allegations that former J-pop star Masahiro Nakai sexually harassed a woman while he was working for the broadcaster as a television host. A local tabloid reported in December that a Fuji Television employee arranged the meeting between Nakai and the alleged victim at which the incident took place. The company has repeatedly denied the allegation, while apologising for its handling of the matter.
Former boy band member and television personality Masahiro Nakai pictured in 2013. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP
First reported last month, the story burst into Japan’s mainstream media in January after activist investors publicly condemned Fuji Media for a lack of transparency and poor corporate governance in relation to the case. A government minister expressed concern that public trust in the broadcasting industry could be undermined.
Nicholas Benes, chief executive officer of the Board Director Training Institute of Japan, said the press conference had made the situation worse.
“It was a shambolic 10 hours because they did not have clear answers regarding the basis and justification for how the board acted,” he said in an email.
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Fuji Media said on Monday the resignation of the two executives – Koichi Minato, the head of the television business and Chairman Shuji Kano – was a first step, as it begins to consider a new management structure. An independent panel is set to report on the results of an inquiry into the scandal by the end of March.