The impact of Fuji Television Network Inc.'s loss of advertisers over a scandal between a woman and former TV personality Masahiro Nakai has

Masahiro Nakai, one of Japan's top TV hosts and a former pop star, says he is retiring to take responsibility over sexual assault allegations

The spiralling controversy involves Masahiro Nakai, the 52-year-old media personality who was the leader of defunct male idol group Smap, and mainstream broadcaster Fuji Television. It also highlights the growing role that foreign activist shareholders are playing in compelling change in stuffy Japanese boardrooms.

The allegations concern a 2023 encounter with a woman that involved a closed-door setting and a “sexual act against her will”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The scandal, which included a non-disclosure agreement and allegations of a cover-up, has shaken the Japanese entertainment industry.

Tokyo Broadcasting Television Inc. (TBS) on Jan. 20 said it will scrap a regular TV program featuring Masahiro Nakai, the celebrity entertainer caught up in a sex scandal.

Koichi Minato has been the target of criticism following the revelation that he became aware of the incident involving Nakai right after it occurred in June 2023.

Observers say the former boy band member’s fall from grace echoes music mogul Johnny Kitagawa’s decades of sexual abuse.

Nakai, 52, reportedly paid a woman $791,000 after she alleged sexual misconduct. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Japanese government on Friday called on Fuji Television Network Inc to regain trust from viewers and sponsors following a sexual misconduct scandal involving popular TV host Masahiro Nakai and the Tokyo broadcaster's subsequent handling of the case.

The broadcaster, projecting its ad revenue to total ¥125.2 billion in the year through March, expects to fall into the red.

The Japanese government said Thursday it has pulled advertisements from Fuji Television in the wake of sexual assault allegations lodged against its celebrity host, as the company slashed profit forecasts.