Dozens of Advertisers Remove Ads from Fuji Television after Sex Scandal

 


BY C STONE |STONE NEWS NETWORK

A major sex scandal has broken loose at Fuji Television in Japan, causing dozens of advertisers to pull their money and switch to other competitors. 

This juicy scandal involves Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the boy band SMAP and now a host at Fuji and other Japanese networks.

He's been linked by local media to an alleged sexual assault at a party arranged by one of Fuji TV's staff.

Shukan Bunshun, a weekly Japanese magazine, has revealed a $580,000 USD or 90 million yen payout between Nakai and a woman over sexual assault at a 2023 dinner party.

Multiple publications accused Nakai, 52, a former member of the now-disbanded popular male idol group SMAP, of sexual misconduct toward a woman.

Major advertisers such as Nissan, Toyota, Cosmetics maker Shiseido, Seven & Holding Co, life insurer Meiji Yasuda said they were removing their ads from the network immediately.

About 49 other companies did the same.

According to AP:

Fuji only publicly announced the inquiry after one of its largest shareholders, Rising Sun Management, criticized the company and demanded a full investigation and appropriate action. Rising Sun is an affiliate of the U.S. investment management firm Dalton Investment.

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