In December 2024, Japanese magazines such as Josei Seven and Shūkan Bunshun reported on sexual harassment and assault allegations against former television personality Masahiro Nakai. The reports also alleged that executives at Fuji Television (Fuji TV) were involved in covering up the accusations. The scandal resulted in several advertisers ending their partnerships with Fuji TV and led to the resignation of senior executives in January 2025. Due to its scale, the controversy has been referred to as the or the .
Background Following the allegations first reported by Shūkan Bunshun in December 2024, the first press conference was held on January 17, 2025, by then–Fuji Television President Koichi Minato. The conference was criticized not only for being held behind closed doors, but also for allowing attendance only by a limited number of members from the broadcaster's press club. Transcripts and other materials were not permitted to be published by Japanese newspapers, online news outlets, or even Fuji TV itself, nor was live broadcasting allowed. The event coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake.
The company's corporate governance and compliance system came under heavy criticism, leading 75 advertising companies to withdraw their commercials from Fuji TV. Management accountability was questioned, resulting in the resignations of President Minato and Fuji Media Holdings (FMH) and Fuji Television Chairman Shuji Kano.
Although not directly related to the case, questions were also raised about the responsibility of FMH and Fuji Television Director and Advisor Hisashi Hieda and his influence on decisions made by employees and other executives.
Media and public pressure led Nakai to announce his retirement from all entertainment activities on January 23, just days after the first press conference, taking responsibility for the controversy.
On January 27, Fuji Television held a second press conference, which also drew strong criticism from the public for the way some reporters questioned the management team.
Shūkan Bunshun, which had first reported the case, revised portions of its original article on the morning of the second press conference, publishing a correction in its digital edition. This revision caused inconsistencies between the reporters' questions and the management's answers, leading to confusion and resulting in an unusually long press conference lasting more than ten hours.
Public criticism of Bunshun's editorial stance grew, and the issue developed into a wider debate about media ethics in Japan. Bunshun later issued an apology for the corrections.
In a self-examination program broadcast by Fuji Television in July 2025, Director F of the Announcements Department testified that the company's initial response—limiting information sharing to two doctors at the company's health consultation center—should have involved outside experts, calling the approach "inconsiderate." Reflecting on his decision to inform the victim of her removal from the program, he expressed regret, saying, "I wonder if I really had no choice but to cut short her hope of somehow overcoming her painful experience and moving forward."
Minato stated, "I truly apologize for not being able to fully empathize with the woman's feelings and for causing her pain." Ota said, "I didn't intend to protect Mr. Nakai, but looking back, I can't help but think that I did."
History Timeline 2013 A case identified in the third-party investigation involved a Fuji TV executive also named in the Nakai case (not directly related to Nakai).
2021 A "suite room meeting" was held at a foreign-affiliated hotel. The third-party investigation identified this case as involving the same Fuji TV executive connected to the Nakai case (Nakai-related).
2023 May – A barbecue was reportedly attended by Tsurube, Hiromi, Nakai, the executive, and a woman. According to reports, nothing happened on that occasion. June – Nakai, a Fuji TV executive, and a woman allegedly met at a party. When the executive was unable to attend, Nakai and the woman were left alone. Allegations later surfaced that an incident occurred behind closed doors. Nakai and the woman reportedly reached a settlement, with media outlets claiming the payment was approximately ¥90 million.
2024 August – The woman, identified as an announcer, left Fuji TV. December 19 – Josei Seven reported the incident. December 26 – Shūkan Bunshun reported the incident. December 27 – Fuji TV released a statement on its website, denying employee involvement.
2025 January January 8 – Bunshun reported that the woman had consulted with a Fuji TV executive. Fuji suspended broadcasts of Dareka to Nakai. January 9 – Nakai was expected to issue an apology. January 14 – Dalton Investments, a major shareholder, sent its first letter to Fuji Media Holdings (FMH), calling for the establishment of a third-party committee. January 16 – Bunshun reported another alleged incident involving a Fuji TV executive, Nakai, and another woman. January 17 – Fuji TV President Minato held the first press conference, with limited media access and restrictions. Minato acknowledged being aware of the incident since June 2023. A third-party committee was established. The story began receiving international coverage in France, including reports from Le Parisien and Le Figaro. January 18 – Advertisers including Meiji Yasuda Life, Nippon Life, Toyota, and NTT East suspended their commercials on Fuji TV. January 19 – Josei Seven summarized the developments up to that date. January 20 – YouTuber Kanon Aoki alleged sexual abuse by a Fuji TV executive. By this point, approximately 40 sponsors had halted advertising on the network. January 21 – Additional international media outlets began reporting the case. Kikkoman requested the removal of Kuishinbo, a long-running program, which was replaced by a news program. January 22 – Dalton Investments sent a second letter to FMH, referencing the first press conference and requesting an unrestricted second conference. By this date, 75 companies had withdrawn advertisements from Fuji TV and its affiliates. January 23 – Fuji Media Holdings held an extraordinary board meeting, requested by Kiyoto Saito, president of Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, a major FMH shareholder. Nakai announced his retirement from the entertainment industry. January 24 – Fuji TV began replacing commercials with Ad Council Japan public service announcements (PSAs) and informed sponsors they would not be billed for January and February placements. January 27 – Fuji TV held a board meeting before the second press conference. Executives Kano and Minato resigned. Bunshun corrected information previously published on December 26 and later apologized for the confusion. January 30 – FMH announced plans to revise its March earnings forecast, projecting losses of approximately ¥9.8 billion. Twenty-eight affiliates were expected to lose around ¥1.4 billion, with an additional ¥300 million in related losses. Fuji TV stated it was considering legal action against Nakai and Bunshun. Tsurube's Sushiro commercials stopped airing. January 31 – Fuji TV announced the cancellation of the spring edition of the long-running FNS Music Festival scheduled for April.
February February 1–3 – Former Fuji TV announcer Yutaka Hasegawa appeared on Horiemon's YouTube channel on February 1, alleging sexual harassment by two superiors. On February 2, he apologized, claiming his comments were meant as a joke. On February 3, he asked the public to refrain from harassment, stating that as a former Fuji TV employee, he was willing to act as the "bad guy" if it would help bring change. February 3 – Production issues arose due to sponsor withdrawals and denied filming permits. The program Run for Money was affected. Dalton Investments sent a third letter demanding Hieda's resignation. February 4 – The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications stated there was no reason to revoke Fuji TV's broadcasting license. The third-party committee began employee interviews. February 5 – FNS 27-Jikan TV was temporarily suspended. Yoshimoto Kogyo announced self-restraint measures for artists due to possible compliance issues. February 6 – Expo 2025 and Sushiro resumed advertising on Fuji TV. February 7 – Kinliser resumed advertising. February 8 – Women began posting on social media using the hashtag #私が退職した本当の理由 ("The real reason I quit"). February 25 – The number of Fuji TV sponsors stood at 72. February 27 – Adviser Hieda resigned. President Shimizu reported that February broadcasting revenue had declined by about 90%, with PSAs replacing ads from 311 companies by the end of January. Fuji TV announced the establishment of the "Revitalization and Reform Project Headquarters."
March March 27 – Fuji TV and FMH held board meetings and a joint press conference. Decisions included Hieda's June resignation, reducing the number of directors to ten, setting an approximate average director age of 50, and ensuring women would make up 30% of the board. March 31 – Fuji TV received the results of the third-party investigation and held a press conference.
April April 4 – The Kansai TV labor union announced it was considering a strike if management, including former Fuji TV Vice President Ota and adviser Hieda (also an outside director for Kansai TV), did not resign by April 8. Ota subsequently resigned as president of Kansai TV. April 16 – Dalton Investments sent Fuji TV a letter proposing twelve candidates for its Board of Directors.
May May 9 – Nakai provided six hours of testimony to the third-party committee. May 12 – Nakai's legal team disputed the committee's findings. May 22 – Nakai's team received a response letter. May 30 – Nakai's team re-submitted an information request.
June June 5 – Fuji TV announced plans to sue former president Minato and Director Ota. June 14 – Advertisements were scheduled to resume in July at the discretion of sponsors, pending the June 25 shareholder meeting.
August August 18 – Amuse Inc. denied a Josei Seven claim that Masaharu Fukuyama had refused to answer questions from Fuji TV's third-party committee. August 28 – Fuji TV filed lawsuits against former executives Minato and Ota.
September September 10, 12 – Fuji Media Holdings sells overseas market shares of Toei Animation. Profits expected to grow because of the sale, to around 16.5 billion yen, 6.5 billion over the predicted gains. September 27– Mitsubishi Electric and others have announced to return by October's restructuring period.
2026 Mid–July – Company meeting in which new department (A.I. Center), and A.I. tool are revealed to the company, as headed and designed by former programming executive involved in the Nakai incident.
First (un)reported incident In December 2024, reports emerged in Japanese tabloid newspapers alleging that Nakai had engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity with an unnamed woman in her twenties in June 2023.
After the alleged incident, Fuji Television executives were reportedly informed, but the broadcaster took no public action against Nakai, and the matter was not widely covered in the Japanese media. Subsequent reports suggested that although some executives were aware of the issue, Fuji TV's compliance department had not been notified and the information was not shared internally.
The story began to gain wider attention after two Japanese tabloids covered it: Josei Seven on December 19, 2024, followed by Shūkan Bunshun on December 26, 2024. According to Josei Seven, the woman had planned to have dinner with Nakai and a Fuji TV employee in 2023, but when the employee failed to attend, a dispute reportedly occurred.
Fuji TV released a statement on its official website on December 27, 2024:
We have recently received reports in some weekly magazines and other media concerning our employees.