Multiple Japanese press outlets are reporting that Nakai Masahiro, the ex-member of boy band SMAP who’s been embroiled in a scandal involving alleged sexual assault, will retire from entertainment. The move ends his lucrative post-SMAP career as a TV and radio host.
The announcement, reportedly made by Nakai via his fan club, marks a stunning fall from grace for the former idol, whose band SMAP is regarded as something akin to a national treasure. The band’s break-up in 2016 led to what can be likened to a national day of mourning for fans.
Even after the scandal surrounding former Johnny’s Entertainment head Johnny Kitagawa, who sexually abused multiple kids under his charge for decades, SMAP remained relatively scandal-free. However, Nakai changed that when it came out he had paid a woman 90 million yen (USD $575K) in a hush money settlement.
Later reports would reveal the alleged victim maintains that Nakai had sexually assaulted her – a charge that fit the amount paid, which is enormous in Japanese litigation terms.
Nakai’s announcement is somewhat inevitable. The entertainer, who had several radio shows and was the MC of multiple Japanese variety TV program, found his shows canceled one after another after his public remarks failed to sway critics. Nakai’s statement that he regarded the matter “settled” and that he anticipated resuming his showbiz career struck the Japanese public as showing a lack of contrition.
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The announcement likely won’t mean the end of the controversy, however. Employees at Fuji TV, which aired Nakai’s program Dareka to Nakai, are accused of pressuring female announcers and other employees into “entertaining” Nakai at private sex parties in order to advance their careers.
Fuji TV’s poor handling of the matter caused it to lose 50 advertisers in about two days. Since then, the station has lost 75 – a full half – of its sponsors.
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