Fuji TV, Crippled by Scandal, Airs Flagship Anime Without Sponsors

Fuji TV - Sazae-san and Chibi Maruko-chan
Viewers in Japan were shocked this week when both Sazae-san and Chibi Maruko-chan aired without a sponsor placard or commercials.

Want more UJ? Get our FREE newsletter 

Need a preview? See our archives

The scandal surrounding Fuji TV in the wake of allegations against ex-SMAP member Nakai Masahiro shows no signs of abating. Social media users were shocked this past week when the company’s two flagship anime – both staples of Japanese culture – aired without any sponsor support.

Nakai Masahiro has quit the entertainment business after news broke of a large financial settlement he paid to a Fuji TV employee. The settlement seemed to stem from an alleged sexual assault that the victim wished to address privately in order to protect her identity.

Fuji TV has faced a storm of questions after allegations from local tabloid newspapers that one or more of its employees strong-armed female announcers into “meeting” with Nakai at functions that turned into private sex parties. Fuji’s inability to answer these accusations satisfactorily has led to the station losing around half of its sponsors.

That’s led to noticeable changes in Fuji TV’s programs. Many ads have been replaced with ads for the Ad Council of Japan (AC Japan). However, even more dramatic evidence of the impact came yesterday during of Sazae-san.

Sazae-san, a show about an idealized Japanese family, isn’t just any anime. While not well-watched by many Western anime fans, it’s a national treasure in Japan, one of the country’s most-watched anime, and the world’s longest-running animated show.

However, with the drop in sponsors, we’ve noted how many names have disappeared from the show’s sponsorship placard that appears after the theme song.

X post showing how the number of sponsors on Sazae-san dropped from eight to four.
X post showing how the number of sponsors on Sazae-san dropped from eight to four.

On Sunday, it seems the number of sponsors had dropped so dramatically that Fuji eliminated the sponsorship placard altogether. Instead, it showed the family cat, Tama, walking silently in front of the Sazae home.

The sponsorship loss also impacted another long-running anime, Chibi Maruko-chan. According to Sponichi Annex, the show about an elementary schoolgirl who sounds like she smokes two packs a day also aired without a sponsor placard and instead showed a still shot of the characters.

For actual commercial content, Sazae-san contained a mix of ads for the station’s shows and AC Japan commercials. Chibi Maruko-chan showed only Fuji TV advertising.

Fuji has promised a full, third-party investigation into the station’s handling of the Nakai incident and its overall governance policies. Many sponsors are refusing to renew their ads until that comes out.

The loss of income will drive Fuji TV into the red for the first time in its history, according to Nikkei. The station accounts for 70% of the sales of parent group Fuji Media HD, which makes over half of its profits from other businesses such as urban development and tourism.

Support independent media

UJ depends on the support of our readers to keep our content 100% free for everyone. Help us in our mission to create content about the Japan you don’t learn about in anime with a recurring or one-time donation to the UJ Journalism Fund.

What to read next

Want more UJ? Get our FREE newsletter 

Need a preview? See our archives

Japan in Translation

Subscribe to our free newsletter for a weekly digest of our best work across platforms (Web, Twitter, YouTube). Your support helps us spread the word about the Japan you don’t learn about in anime.

Want a preview? Read our archives

You’ll get one to two emails from us weekly. For more details, see our privacy policy