Yesterday, the independent commission investigating allegations of sexual assault by TV talent Nakai Masahiro – and the involvement of Fuji TV staff – released its findings. It found Nakai sexually assaulted a female Fuji TV announcer in what it terms a “serious violation of human rights.” It also revealed that Nakai refused to allow the woman to break the privacy instituted by her settlement – and that Nakai expressed relief when she quit the company.
A months-long investigation
The committee was investigating charges that Nakai, a former member of megagroup SMAP, had sexually assaulted a female Fuji TV announcer. The news came to light when Japanese media discovered that Nakai had entered into a 90 million yen ($580K) financial settlement with A, the alleged victim – an eye-watering sum in Japan.
Further reporting alleged that Fuji TV personnel were involved in arranging the “party” that led to the assault. Shukan Bunshun reported that multiple female announcers at Fuji said they were pressured into attending parties with Nakai and others. Sex was expected – and it was understood that opportunities at Fuji would evaporate if they refused.
In response to these charges, Fuji TV held two terrible press conferences that failed to reassure anyone of anything. It announced it would appoint an independent committee to investigate the allegations. The committee has been working on its report for the past two months.
Topline: Nakai sexually assaulted Fuji TV announcer, engaged in “second victimization”
The committee’s final report, released yesterday, came out to 394 pages. Its top finding, summarized by Asahi Shimbun from the televised press conference, was that Nakai Masahiro sexually assaulted A. That contradicts Nakai’s denial that there was any violence involved. It ruled the act was a “serious human rights violation.”
The committee found that the assault occurred in the line of duty, resulting from A’s work with Fuji TV. It said it couldn’t confirm that other Fuji employees conspired to invite the woman or help Nakai commit the assault. However, it said that Nakai set up a situation that made it difficult for the woman to refuse him.
The report concluded that a barbecue held with Nakai and some employees two days earlier reinforced to the victim that meeting Nakai was connected to her employment. Nakai had asked an employee, B, to invite some female announcers to the BBQ because “having just men is boring.”
When Nakai invited A out to dinner a few days later with him – supposedly as part of a group – she similarly thought of it as a work function and didn’t think anything of it. Nakai told her he’d invite others along and try to find “an out-of-the-way place” to eat. However, the committee found, Nakai didn’t reach out to anyone or search for a restaurant.
The dinner ended up being just the two of them alone at Nakai’s apartment. Despite feeling uneasy, A testified that she felt she “couldn’t refuse” given Nakai’s star status and how much people at the station fawned over him. She testified that she felt refusing would adversely affect her career. At the press conference, the committee specifically called out this “power differential” as a key factor in the assault.
The committee criticized Fuji’s handling of the incident, saying the station refused to form a committee to look into the assault or share information with the company’s compliance division until initial news reports came out. It lambasted Fuji’s top brass for “a paucity of understanding of sexual violence and looking at things through the lens of helping the victim.”
Fuji knew about the incident shortly after it happened, as the victim was hospitalized for PTSD. (She took leave shortly after her hospitalization.) Even after this, the report says, the station did nothing to protect the victim as Nakai and station employees engaged in a “second victimization.” Nakai had a Fuji employee, B, bring the victim a million yen ($6,600) when she was hospitalized, which she refused. B also introduced Nakai to a lawyer to help him negotiate the settlement.
As such, the committee concluded, “Top management, employees, and leadership showed a lack of knowledge, awareness, and ability in appropriate managerial judgment with regards to confirming the facts, considering risks, and viewing the situation from the standpoint of supporting sexual assault victims and bearing responsibility for protecting human rights.
“Through CX [Fuji Television]’s failure to stand by the victim and its casual decision to keep airing Mr. Nakai’s programs, A [the victim] lost the workplace she longed to return to. It appeared to act for Mr. Nakai’s benefit, amounting to a second victimization.”
At a 7pm solo press conference, Fuji TV chairman Shimizu Kenji accepted the report and officially apologized for “not doing enough to help the victim.”
Victim wanted to waive her privacy rights – Nakai did not
A condition of the legal settlement was that both Nakai and A were bound to secrecy. Obviously, that benefited Nakai – but it also benefited his victim, who opted for a legal settlement instead of pressing charges to protect her privacy.
The committee says it heard from both Nakai and his victim. The victim agreed to waive her right to secrecy. However, the committee said they had been told that Nakai did not – and that he didn’t agree to let the victim waive it.
As such, the committee says, they interviewed both under the conditions of the court settlement. This means the committee’s reports don’t contain anything about what happened in Nakai’s room from when the victim entered it until she left. It also means the report doesn’t mention the contents of the settlement itself.
“What a relief,” Nakai responded after victim quit
Both reporters and Internet users are digging through the massive report now for details. One user on X found an especially disturbing tidbit.
As detailed by the user, the entire situation leading up to the sexual assault was planned by Nakai. “We’ll get everyone together for dinner -> no one showed up; I’ll look for a place ->he didn’t; I guess we have to go to my place -> That was the plan all along.”
Months after the incident, Fuji employee B sent Nakai a text message alerting him that the victim had left Fuji TV. “Got it. Thanks. Feels like things are settled for now. You’ve been a lifesaver,” Nakai replied in text messages published in the report.
“If there’s anything else I can do to help, I will!” B responded.
Employee: Need to “cut the rot out”
The social media reaction to the settlement is one of outrage over Fuji’s mishandling, and also over Nakai’s continued resistance to coming clean about what happened.
Some Fuji employees have also expressed outrage over the incident, either privately or publicly. In a segment last night on NTV’s News Zero, one employee, speaking anonymously, expressed their disgust over the committee’s report.
“I’m pretty uneasy about the company continuing like this,” they told the program. “If it doesn’t cut out the rot and the way it’s acted up until today, it won’t be able to recover.”
As we wrote the other day, this incident feels like a watershed moment regarding sexual assault in Japan. One hopes it empowers other victims to speak up – and forces companies like Fuji TV to clean up their acts.
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