Japan: TV star Masahiro Nakai retires amid sex scandal

Chinese TV host Masahiro Nakai, one of the country’s most recognized eyes on television, has announced that he is retiring after a sexual assault incident that has rocked the government’s entertainment business.

Nakai, who presented for Fuji Television, was accused of sexually assaulting a girl at a 2023 dinner group held by employees.

Lots of companies have pulled their promotions from Fuji Television amid promises that the agency’s personnel had tried to cover up the incident.

Nakai has denied using violence against the girl, and said on 9 January that he had “resolved” the problem with her through a lawsuit. But this did much to suppress public indignation.

In a social media statement posted on Thursday, Nakai said that he was” really sorry for causing problems and loss to so many people”.

” I’m really, really sad for saying good-bye this way. “

His departure comes days after Fuji Television leader Koichi Minato confirmed that the organization did not disclose Nakai’s incident despite being aware of it long before it was reported in the media.

Vehicle manufacturers Nissan and Toyota, as well as financial firm Seven & I assets which runs the financial 7-eleven comfort keep network, were among those that announced they were pulling advertisements from Fuji Television over the incident.

Fuji Television is expected to set up an independent commission to investigate the incident.

Appearances of Nakai have also been scrubbed from schemes.

Nakai soared to fame in the 1990s as the leader of Chinese child group SMAP, one of Asia’s most productive works. The team released more than 50 singles- many of which became table toppers- and launched a regular selection show on prime-time television.

After SMAP disbanded in 2016, Nakai went on to become a television network as well as one of the wealthiest stars in Japan.

Japan’s pleasure industry is facing a reckoning with much unspoken instances of sexual abuse.

In 2023, J-pop professional Johnny Kitagawa, who by then had been deceased for four years, was exposed to had sexually abused plenty of boys and young men for years.

His talent company, Johnny & Associates, had managed SMAP among other boy bands.