There are a number of steadfast rules in Japan. One of them is that, if you come for SMAP, you better not miss.
The male idol group, formed by Johnny’s Entertainment founder and sex offender Johnny Kitagawa in 1988, performed for over 28 years, achieving a legendary status in Japan. When the group announced it was disbanding in 2016, it sparked an outpouring of grief akin to a national period of mourning.
So, as you can imagine, Japan’s media goes out of its way to treat SMAP with kid gloves – even now when they’re disbanded and pursuing individual careers. The mainstream press already hesitates to go after popular entertainers because agencies freely threaten to cut off access to keep them in lines. (That’s a key reason that sex offender Johnny Kitagawa got away with his crimes until after his death.)
That makes the current story surrounding ex-SMAP member Nakai Masahiro even more interesting. A recent financial settlement involving Nakai is so shocking that even the mainstream press can’t ignore it.
It came out this week that Nakai Masahiro settled a civil court case with an unnamed woman for a sum of 90 million yen, or around $570K USD. That doesn’t sound like much to American ears. However, for those familiar with Japanese civil court cases, you know what an outrageous sum that is. Even journalist Ito Shiori, who won a civil case after being raped, was only awarded 3.3 million yen (USD $21K) of the 11 million yen for which she sued.
A career-ending charge?
Japanese reports are going out of their way to avoid making unfounded accusations. Most refer to the case as a 女性トラブル, or “complications with a woman.” (トラブル, “trouble,” in Japanese carries the sense of a fight, quarrel, or malfunction.)
Nakai’s attorney is telling the press that they can’t talk about the details due to the agreement with the other party. The lawyer will only acknowledge that there was some form of “incident.”
However, the eye-watering amount raised a ton of eyebrows on social media. No one in Japan would pay that much except to resolve a potentially career-ending charge.
“What’d he do?” one poster asked rhetorically, noting the amount paid. “He won’t be able to keep appearing on TV if he doesn’t explain this.”
We may soon find out what happened. Yesterday, in a bold move, sports magazine Sponichi Annex released a bombshell report alleging what many suspected: the money was paid to resolve a sexual assault allegation.
Sponichi says the woman who sued worked for a TV station. In June 2023, she says, Nakai invited her out for dinner. She alleges the sexual assault occurred that night.
She reported the incident to her work, who didn’t take action on the grounds it was a “he said/she said” situation. Soon after, Nakai’s lawyers negotiated the breathtaking settlement.
It’s become increasingly common for female sexual assault victims in Japan whose cases aren’t prosecuted to pursue justice via civil suits. I reported this week on a woman who sued the mayor of Kishidawa City, Osaka, over multiple alleged incidents of assault.
Nakai is still very active with commercials (the bread and butter of most Japanese stars) and as a TV presenter. However, if these reports are true, his time on TV is likely over.
Other stars, such as Kagawa Teruyuki, have disappeared from the airwaves practically overnight in the wake of credible allegations. Comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi also found himself without airtime after a report from Shukan Bunshun alleging multiple incidents of sexual assault against women.
Women’s online magazine Josei Jishin notes it’s rare for an outlet like Sponichi, which is very dependent on star access, to come out with such a report. The willingness of even places like Sponichi to run this information, plus the groundswell of online criticism, means Nakai will likely have to explain, sooner or later, what all that money was meant to cover up.
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