New York Times: MeToo Outrage Leaves Japanese Broadcaster Without a Single Advertiser
MeToo騒動で日本の放送局は1社も広告主を失う
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/world/asia/japan-me-too-sex-scandal.html
A popular TV host admitted trying to conceal a sexual assault complaint. This time, the reaction was swift and harsh, and aimed not only at him but also his employers.
人気テレビ司会者が性的暴行の訴えを隠蔽しようとしたことを認めた。今回は、彼だけでなく彼の雇用主にも向けられた、迅速かつ厳しい反応だった。
It began as a scoop in a weekly tabloid: the allegation that a middle-aged former boy-band star turned top television host had paid hush money to a woman for unspecified wrongdoing.
始まりは週刊タブロイド紙のスクープだった。中年の元ボーイズバンド・スターから一流テレビ司会者に転身した人物が、不特定多数の不正行為に対して女性に口止め料を支払ったという疑惑である。
Other articles followed, asserting that it was a case of sexual assault, and stirring a wave of public outrage not only toward the ex-singer but also his employer, a major TV broadcaster, for how it handled the situation.
On Thursday, the man at the center of the controversy, Masahiro Nakai, announced his retirement, but the episode had already turned into a moment of reckoning. An international investor has criticized the company, Tokyo-based Fuji Television, and Japan’s biggest corporate advertisers have lined up to boycott it. Some 75 companies, including Toyota, SoftBank and the local operator of McDonald’s, have pulled ads and sponsorships.
Not a single commercial now appears on the station’s programming; ad spots are now filled with unpaid public service announcements. Tens of millions of dollars in revenue is at stake as indignant C.E.O.s have called on Fuji TV to address the issue.
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“We will cease placing advertisements with the company until a thorough investigation is conducted, the facts are clarified, and appropriate action is taken,” Takeshi Minakata, president of the drink maker Kirin, said in a statement, which added that the company was acting “based on our human rights policy.”
Experts say the anger reveals a new intolerance for sexual misconduct set in motion by an earlier scandal. Two years ago, it emerged that a top Japanese talent agency’s founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused young men for decades. He died in 2019 without ever facing any charges, and corporate sponsors were accused of having ignored the wrongdoing at the agency, Johnny & Associates.
This time, big corporations are eager to show that things have changed.
“The Johnny scandal marked a turning point,” said Ryu Honma, who has written extensively about the advertising and media industries. “The sponsors were blamed for complicity due to their inaction.”
The current case came to light in mid-December, when a weekly tabloid called Josei Seven reported that Mr. Nakai, of the disbanded but still immensely popular group SMAP, had become embroiled in “serious trouble” with a woman.
The article said that Mr. Nakai, 52, had paid 90 million yen, or almost $600,000, to the woman, who has not been publicly identified. Subsequent stories by other local media more clearly characterized what happened as a sexual assault.
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Earlier this month, Mr. Nakai admitted that an “incident” had taken place and that he had paid to settle it. He said that he had used no violence in the encounter, which took place in June 2023, and that he therefore felt justified in his decision to continue to appear on TV. There have been no official investigations into the case.
Unrelenting criticism and the ad boycott forced him to reverse that decision. On Thursday, Mr. Nakai announced that he was retiring from entertainment and dissolving his talent agency.
“I don’t think that this fulfills all my responsibilities,” he said in a statement, promising to “sincerely cooperate” in any investigation. “I apologize once again from my heart to the other party.”
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Anger has also grown at Fuji TV, where Mr. Nakai was a popular show host. According to the tabloid article, it was a Fuji TV employee who set up the meeting in 2023 between Mr. Nakai and the woman in the case.
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Fuji TV initially issued a vague denial of “reports in some weekly magazines.” But it later said it was creating an in-house committee to investigate the allegation involving Mr. Nakai, as well as other news media reports that it had long rewarded male talent by arranging encounters with female announcers.
Fuji TV has come under criticism for being slow to confront the situation more directly, and also for how it eventually did so: at a news conference open only to select media, at which no livestreaming or cameras were allowed.
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At the news conference, held last week, Fuji TV’s president said his company had learned about the episode right after it happened but did not disclose it.
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“Our decision at the time was not to make the matter public, but to respect the woman’s wish to return to work and to prioritize her physical and mental recovery and the protection of her privacy,” said the president, Koichi Minato.
The news conference also came after an American shareholder, an investment company called Dalton Investments, sent a letter to Fuji TV’s management harshly criticizing the company’s failure to react to — much less fix — its problems.
The situation with Mr. Nakai “reflects not only a problem in the entertainment industry generally, but, specifically, it exposes serious flaws in your corporate governance,” the letter said. “The lack of consistency and, importantly, transparency in both reporting the facts and the subsequent unforgivable shortcomings in your response merit serious condemnation.”
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The day after Fuji TV’s news conference, big Japanese companies began announcing that they were pulling their ads.
On Thursday, Fuji TV’s parent company, Fuji Media Holdings, weighed in. The president, Osamu Kanemitsu, said that it was “imperative that we regain the trust of our employees, sponsors and viewers.” He announced that the company’s board had decided in an emergency meeting to establish an independent committee to examine Fuji TV’s response.
“It took time for the realization to spread that they cannot look the other way,” said Mr. Honma, the advertising and media critic. “When big customers start to leave, it brings action.”
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MeToo /ˌmiːˈtuː/ Me Too（セクハラ被害告発運動）
outrage /ˈaʊtreɪdʒ/ 激怒、憤慨
broadcaster /ˈbrɔːdkæstər/ 放送局、放送事業者
advertiser /ˈædvərtaɪzər/ 広告主
host /hoʊst/ 司会者
admit /ədˈmɪt/ 認める
conceal /kənˈsiːl/ 隠す
sexual assault /ˈsekʃuəl əˈsɔːlt/ 性的暴行
complaint /kəmˈpleɪnt/ 苦情、訴え
swift /swɪft/ 迅速な
harsh /hɑːrʃ/ 厳しい
aim at /eɪm æt/ ～を狙う
employer /ɪmˈplɔɪər/ 雇用主
scoop /skuːp/ スクープ記事
weekly tabloid /ˈwiːkli ˈtæblɔɪd/ 週刊タブロイド紙
allegation /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/ 申し立て
middle-aged /ˈmɪdlˌeɪdʒd/ 中年の
boy-band /ˈbɔɪ bænd/ ボーイバンド
star /stɑːr/ スター
television host /ˈtelɪvɪʒn hoʊst/ テレビ司会者
hush money /ˈhʌʃ ˈmʌni/ 口止め料
unspecified /ʌnˈspesɪfaɪd/ 不明の
wrongdoing /ˈrɒŋduːɪŋ/ 不正行為
assert /əˈsɜːrt/ 主張する
stir /stɜːr/ かき立てる
public outrage /ˈpʌblɪk ˈaʊtreɪdʒ/ 世論の激怒
ex-singer /eks ˈsɪŋər/ 元歌手
major /ˈmeɪdʒər/ 主要な
handle /ˈhændl/ 処理する
situation /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ 状況
center of the controversy /ˈsentər əv ðə ˈkɒntrəvɜːrsi/ 論争の中心
Masahiro Nakai /ˌmæsəˈhɪroʊ nəˈkaɪ/ 中居正広（人名）
announce /əˈnaʊns/ 発表する
retirement /rɪˈtaɪərmənt/ 引退
episode /ˈepɪsoʊd/ 出来事
moment of reckoning /ˈmoʊmənt əv ˈrekənɪŋ/ 審判の時
international investor /ˌɪntərˈnæʃnəl ɪnˈvestər/ 海外投資家
criticize /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/ 批判する
Tokyo-based /ˈtoʊkiˌoʊ beɪst/ 東京に拠点を置く
Fuji Television /ˈfuːdʒi ˈtelɪvɪʒn/ フジテレビ
corporate advertiser /ˈkɔːrprət ˈædvərtaɪzər/ 企業広告主
line up /laɪn ʌp/ 列をなす
boycott /ˈbɔɪkɒt/ ボイコットする
pull ads and sponsorships /pʊl ædz ænd ˈspɒnsərʃɪps/ 広告とスポンサーシップを引き上げる
commercial /kəˈmɜːrʃəl/ 商業広告
ad spot /æd spɒt/ 広告枠
unpaid /ʌnˈpeɪd/ 無給の
public service announcement /ˈpʌblɪk ˈsɜːrvɪs əˈnaʊnsmənt/ 公共広告
revenue /ˈrevənuː/ 収益
at stake /ət steɪk/ 危機に瀕している
indignant /ɪnˈdɪɡnənt/ 憤慨した
CEO /ˌsiː iː ˈoʊ/ 最高経営責任者
address the issue /əˈdres ðiː ˈɪʃuː/ 問題に対処する
cease /siːs/ 中止する
placing advertisements /ˈpleɪsɪŋ ˈædvərtaɪzmənts/ 広告掲載
thorough investigation /ˈθʌrəʊ ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃən/ 徹底的な調査
clarified /ˈklærəfaɪd/ 明確にされた
appropriate action /əˈproʊpriət ˈækʃən/ 適切な措置
drink maker /ˈdrɪŋk ˈmeɪkər/ 飲料メーカー
in a statement /ɪn ə ˈsteɪtmənt/ 声明の中で
based on /beɪst ɒn/ ～に基づいて
human rights policy /ˈhjuːmən raɪts ˈpɒləsi/ 人権方針
expert /ˈekspɜːrt/ 専門家
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ 明らかにする
intolerance /ɪnˈtɒlərəns/ 不寛容
sexual misconduct /ˈsekʃuəl mɪsˈkʌndʌkt/ 性的不正行為
set in motion /set ɪn ˈmoʊʃən/ 引き起こす
earlier scandal /ˈɜːrliər ˈskændəl/ 以前の不祥事
emerge /ɪˈmɜːrdʒ/ 明らかになる
talent agency /ˈtælənt ˈeɪdʒənsi/ タレント事務所
founder /ˈfaʊndər/ 創設者
sexually abuse /ˈsekʃuəli əˈbjuːz/ 性的虐待する
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ 10年間
charge /tʃɑːrdʒ/ 告訴
corporate sponsor /ˈkɔːrprət ˈspɒnsər/ 企業スポンサー
accuse of /əˈkjuːz ɒv/ ～を非難する
ignore /ɪɡˈnɔːr/ 無視する
wrongdoing /ˈrɒŋduːɪŋ/ 不正行為
Johnny & Associates /ˈdʒɒni ænd əˈsəʊsiəts/ ジャニーズ事務所
eager to /ˈiːɡər tuː/ 熱心に～する
turning point /ˈtɜːrnɪŋ pɔɪnt/ 転換点
extensively /ɪkˈstensɪvli/ 広範囲にわたって
complicity /kəmˈplɪsəti/ 共謀
inaction /ɪnˈækʃən/ 無行動
come to light /kʌm tuː laɪt/ 明るみに出る
mid-December /mɪd dɪˈsembər/ 12月中旬
Josei Seven /dʒoʊˈzeɪ ˈsevən/ 女性セブン（雑誌名）
report /rɪˈpɔːrt/ 報道する
disband /dɪsˈbænd/ 解散する
immensely /ɪˈmensli/ 非常に
embroiled in /ɪmˈbrɔɪld ɪn/ ～に巻き込まれる
serious trouble /ˈsɪəriəs ˈtrʌbl/ 深刻なトラブル
subsequent /ˈsʌbsɪkwənt/ その後の
local media /ˈloʊkəl ˈmiːdiə/ 地元メディア
characterize /ˈkærəktəraɪz/ 特徴づける
sexual assault /ˈsekʃuəl əˈsɔːlt/ 性的暴行
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