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The president of Fuji Television Network Inc stepped down today, the parent company of the broadcaster said, after allegations that an employee of the broadcaster helped arrange a meal at which Japanese TV host Masahiro Nakai is accused of sexual misconduct.
“I feel deeply the weight of my responsibility for undermining trust in the media,” Minato said at a press conference Monday. “Looking back, I realize there were shortcomings in our response, and I acknowledge my lack of awareness regarding human rights.”
Kenji Shimizu, who is set to replace Minato as the broadcaster’s new president, pledged to “never tolerate acts that violate human rights” while expressing a commitment to implementing measures to prevent a recurrence “starting from scratch.”
In addition to Minato, parent company Fuji Media Holdings Inc. also announced Monday the resignation of its chairman, Shuji Kano, who also chaired Fuji TV.
Fuji TV is facing a backlash over its subsequent handling of the scandal, which has seen Nakai announce his retirement from show business.
Nakai reached a 90 million yen out-of-court settlement with a woman following nonconsensual sexual activity, according to Japanese weekly magazines that also reported that an official of Fuji TV’s programming department was involved in arranging a meal at which they met.
Reports have also emerged that senior Fuji TV officials required female TV presenters to attend gatherings to entertain celebrities.
Fuji TV has been criticized for its response after the scandal surfaced in December, only holding its first press conference on the matter on Jan. 17 at which the number of participants was limited and filming was banned.
It also came to light that Minato had allowed Nakai to continue appearing on programs despite being aware of the incident.
While the broadcaster announced the establishment of an independent third-party investigation panel on Thursday, as well as plans to hold another press conference, it faced intensifying calls within the company for top executives to resign.
Yoichi Ueno, head of public relations at Fuji TV, maintained during the press conference that the broadcaster’s employees were not involved in arranging the meeting between Nakai and the woman.
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