Latest news with #FujiTV
Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Asahi Shimbun
Toyota resumes ads on Fuji TV after scandal fallout subsides
Fuji Television Network Inc.'s poor handling of sexual abuse allegations against a celebrity involving its newscaster triggered a mass exodus of corporate sponsors from the broadcaster. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Toyota Motor Corp. has resumed airing commercials on Fuji Television Network Inc. for the first time since suspending them in January, following a sex scandal involving a celebrity associated with the broadcaster. The automaker confirmed on July 29 that its commercials began airing again in late July during Fuji TV's late-night news program "FNN Live News Alfa." Toyota stated that advertisements would be placed in ways approved by its customers and stakeholders. The company did not clarify whether ads would return to other time slots or programs. The withdrawal of major advertisers from Fuji TV began earlier this year following allegations that renowned talk show host Masahiro Nakai sexually abused a Fuji TV news presenter. The scandal sparked a widespread public backlash directed not only at Nakai but also at Fuji TV employees and executives involved, raising questions about the network's governance and crisis management. Consumer goods giant Kao Corp. also announced plans to resume commercials on Fuji TV beginning Oct. 1. Ads are scheduled to return to programs including "Sun! Shine" and "Nep League," as well as the network's Monday 9 p.m. drama slot. Kao explained that its decision was based on sufficient progress made by the broadcaster in addressing the issue, including compensation to the victim, measures to prevent a recurrence, governance reforms and increased transparency. Major food company Meiji Co. will also return to Fuji's commercial lineup, starting Aug. 1 across two programs. The company cited notable corporate reforms and leadership changes as the reason for its renewed confidence in the network. With the industry leaders resuming advertising, momentum may build for other companies to follow suit. (This article was written by Kaname Ohira, Masaki Hashida and Kenro Kuroda.)
8 hours ago
- Automotive
Toyota, Others Resuming Commercials on Fuji TV
News from Japan Economy Jul 30, 2025 00:15 (JST) Tokyo, July 29 (Jiji Press)--Toyota Motor Corp. and other major Japanese companies are resuming advertising on Fuji Television Network Inc., which saw many companies pull their commercials earlier this year over its handling of a sexual assault scandal involving former TV star Masahiro Nakai. Advertisers are beginning to return to Fuji TV, seeing progress in the broadcaster's reform efforts following the scandal that exposed its governance flaws. In late July, Toyota resumed airing its commercials during the motorsports segment of an evening news program, informed sources said Tuesday. The leading automaker had indicated that it would run ads 'in a way that wins the sympathy of customers and stakeholders.' NTT Docomo Inc. placed a commercial during Fuji TV's broadcasts of the Japanese national soccer team's matches on July 12 and 15. The major mobile carrier said it has not decided on future advertising plans. Other companies in the NTT group have not resumed advertising on Fuji TV, with decisions pending based on ongoing improvements regarding legal compliance. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
How the Japanese TV industry is changing
Compliance violations and misconduct in Japanese entertainment had long been overlooked, with the sector placed on a pedestal and many dismissing issues as just 'part of the business.' But a recent wave of scandals involving TV figures may present an opportunity for the industry to make permanent changes. After a series of major scandals in recent years — beginning for many with the sexual abuse allegations against entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa and more recently the 'sexual trouble' involving former boy band member Masahiro Nakai and a Fuji TV announcer — the TV industry appears to be growing more sensitive toward issues of harassment and misconduct. Several major celebrities who were once seen as having permanent star status, including Nakai as well as popular comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto, have been exiled from the industry as victims came forward to speak out about their behavior. More recently, evidence of compliance violations — a phrase used to refer to instances of not abiding by regulations or codes of conduct — has tended to be addressed openly, with the responsible parties suspended from the industry as part of a new approach to policing inappropriate behavior. In a recent example, Taichi Kokubun, a former member of boy band Tokio, was dropped from a Nippon TV program over compliance violations. Within a week, the band went as far as to announce its disbandment after a 31-year career. The speed at which this occurred stands in stark contrast to the Fuji TV incident, in which it reportedly took around a year and a half for management to ask Nakai to step down from his programs after they became aware of the incident with the female announcer — a delay that would make heads shake today. Is this signaling an industrywide shift in how compliance violations are dealt with? Could it finally be time that the Japanese broadcast business, which has historically been entrenched and shaped by hierarchical power dynamics, makes changes for the better? To some extent, the answer is yes, says Mamoru Nishiyama, an associate professor of business management at J.F. Oberlin University. 'Ever since the Johnny's issue I think there is a feeling (in the industry) that things cannot carry on like this,' said Nishiyama. 'However, with the Fuji TV scandal and issues with Taichi Kokubun, we can see that the management was still inadequate. On the other hand, the fact that these issues are coming to light is evidence that they are beginning to be seen as a problem, so I do think things are changing.' What complicates regulating compliance issues in the industry is its deeply entrenched, traditional ways of operating — including the need for those operating in the sector to maintain close ties with major stars. 'The entertainment industry is unique — ultimately, harassment was not considered harassment,' said Nishiyama. 'Big-name celebrities were allowed to do whatever they wanted because they were 'special beings,' and therefore they were not expected to abide by the same common sense as regular office workers.' Nishiyama said he has witnessed this culture firsthand. When he had gigs on TV networks, he saw major male celebrities casually asking female personalities whether they had ever slept with a talent of Johnny & Associates, Kitagawa's agency. No director or producer on the scene would be willing to call out such behavior, he noted, since minor harassment is so normalized. This is not something that is unique to Japan and tends to happen in entertainment industries where certain people hold colossal power, said Nishiyama — as was apparent in the cases involving former film producer Harvey Weinstein and rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs in the U.S. However, the business model in Japan where TV networks have very close and overly reliant relationships with entertainment agencies — such as the former Johnny's — creates a unique power dynamic in which broadcasters avoid challenging celebrities in order to stay in their good books. As such, relationships are directly connected to who appears on certain shows and by extension how much viewership a show can get, and broadcasters have tended to prioritize them even if they come at the expense of others. Nittele Tower, the headquarters of Nippon Television, in Tokyo. Taichi Kokubun, a former member of boy band Tokio, was recently dropped from a Nippon TV program over compliance violations. | getty images 'One of the key points in the Fuji TV case with Nakai was the fact that the incident was (according to a third-party report) said to to have occurred as an 'extension of work,' said Kaname Murasaki, the head of Japan Harassment Association. The case showed a major shift in the way that broadcasters were forced to handle this kind of incident. 'I think until now TV companies had the know-how to create escape routes (for such scandals) where they would say that it was a private issue between a man and a woman and thus they did not have to be accountable for it,' he said. Regarding the shift in the industry, Murasaki says that it could be credited to a growing number of staff working behind the scenes who are in their 20s and 30s — a younger generation that tends to be more aware and sensitive toward issues of harassment. 'Harassment that has been tolerated and normalized for many years is inevitably coming to light as they work with such staff members ... so it's impossible in this day and age for these issues to not become public,' he said. In the past, when people spoke out about harassment, they were often ignored by the public — especially if the allegations involved popular celebrities. However, as audiences are becoming increasingly aware about harassment issues, the public has is starting to take these claims more seriously. More people are supporting those who come forward, to the point that TV networks can no longer ignore the allegations. 'It's coming in order, one by one,' said Murasaki, noting that it most likely started in 2023 when a former member of the Self-Defense Forces came forward using her real name to accuse an ex-colleague of sexual assault. This was followed by allegations surfacing against Kitagawa and the power harassment incident against a deceased member of the Takarazuka Revue. 'One key point is that (these allegations) are happening in major organizations that represent Japan,' Murasaki said. Nishiyama added that the shift in the recognition of harassment as a serious issue, especially among the younger generation, could be a key factor in preventing future incidents. 'You see it when watching TV, and even in my experience interacting with staff behind the scenes, many of them are young, sensible people,' he said. 'The number of women has also increased significantly and so it may seem like things are stuck in the past, but that's a problem with upper management. But the culture among the young people in broadcasting is really changing. That's why having a change in leadership is very important,' he added. However, both Murasaki and Nishiyama stress that lasting change will require systematic regulations and fundamental reforms in how broadcasters operate. While the current situation means that only the networks that have been caught in scandals — such as Fuji TV — are being forced to reassess their corporate governance, one possibility could be a stricter regulatory framework that all broadcasters must follow to handle such incidents. With a background working in the advertisement industry, which faced a lot of scrutiny a decade ago after the suicide of a worker at major agency Dentsu due to overwork, Nishiyama said that there is most likely a lot of low-hanging fruit to improve operations at broadcasters. 'Even if the sticky human relationships and power dynamics are cut out and operations are carried out in a more businesslike and rational way I think that there is ultimately no big issue,' he said. '(TV broadcasters) are going to find that those very Japanese close relations in the entertainment industry are not critical in getting work done ... so I think there will be a growing trend that the nature of work itself should change.' And if meaningful change requires rethinking the very nature of TV as we know it — with new content airing around the clock, creating a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment — then perhaps that, too, needs to change. 'If protecting human rights comes at the cost that broadcast content becomes less substantial and frequent, such major reforms may be necessary,' said Murasaki. 'It will be extremely difficult, but if we don't think seriously about these issues and take drastic measures I don't think we will be able to say that the television industry has really changed. 'I think we are currently going through a time where we can expect quite a lot of reform. It's not a good thing but because so many scandals came to light in such a short span of time, the silver lining is that it could be an opportunity for the TV industry to make a big change.'
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Embattled Japan PM gets unlikely support
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's future is uncertain but an unlikely campaign for him to stay was growing online, including from people who are his natural political opponents. The life raft has emerged since upper house elections on July 20 deprived Ishiba's coalition of an upper house majority, months after it suffered a similar disaster in the lower chamber. Despite Ishiba, 68, insisting that he has not discussed his resignation with members of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), multiple reports say it is just a matter of time. Some conservative members of the LDP are collecting signatures to hold a special meeting to discuss a leadership election to oust Ishiba, Fuji TV reported last Friday. One reported signee is Sanae Takaichi, a hardline nationalist and one-time heavy metal drummer who lost a leadership contest to Ishiba in September. Takaichi, 64, would likely run again to lead the party — and become Japan's first woman prime minister if she wins — if Ishiba does depart. The prospect of someone as premier with hawkish views on Japanese history and China has fuelled online calls for the moderate Ishiba to remain in power under the hashtag "#Ishiba Don't quit". Some of the calls came from opposition politicians to the left of the LDP, including even from a Communist Party member of a local ward assembly. Ishiba "is the most reasonable LDP leader in recent memory", said LaSalle Ishii, a newly elected lawmaker for the Social Democratic Party, on X. "If he resigns, a far-right government will be born," said the well-known comedian and voice actor. Taro Yamamoto, the leader of small opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, was among the first to voice concern about Ishiba's replacement. "The question is, if he were not to continue, who is going to replace him instead?" he said during a news conference recently. "His economic policies are no good, but for Ishiba-san to continue, I think it's a safe choice." A few hundred people participated in a rally outside Ishiba's office last Friday, with some holding up signs urging him to "never give up" and "persevere". Among them was 70-year-old Shigeru Koga, an opposition supporter who until the election day on Sunday had been calling on Ishiba's government to be brought down. But five days later, he said Ishiba is "still far better" than alternatives like Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi, the popular agriculture minister within LDP who Koga called "easily manipulable". "If the Takaichi government materialises, it would further give rise to forces like far-right Sanseito," said Koga, referring to the upstart "Japanese first" party. "To prevent that, and keep Japan safe, Ishiba must be brave and stand firm." Shortly after the July 20 election, a Kyodo News survey put the approval rating for the Ishiba government at just 22.9 per cent. But in that same poll, 45.8 per cent of the public believed that there was no need for him to resign. The LDP has governed almost non-stop since 1955, but voters have been deserting the party, including towards fringe groups like Sanseito. Factors include rising prices, notably for rice, falling living standards, and anger at corruption scandals within the LDP. The opposition is seen as too fragmented to form an alternative government. But being in a minority in both houses of parliament means Ishiba's coalition needs support from other parties to pass legislation. This comes just as Japan faces multiple challenges, including a ballooning social security budget to pay pensions for its rapidly ageing and shrinking population. A new trade deal announced last week with United States President Donald Trump will see Japanese imports face a painful 15 per cent tariff, although this was lower than a threatened 25 per cent. "We'll evaluate it every quarter, and if the president is unhappy then they will boomerang back to the 25 per cent tariff rates," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent afterwards. The writers are from AFP
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
'#Ishiba Don't quit': unlikely support grows for Japan PM
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's future is uncertain but an unlikely campaign for him to stay was growing online on Friday By Hiroshi Hiyama and Tomohiro Osaki Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's future is uncertain but an unlikely campaign for him to stay was growing online this week, including from people who are his natural political opponents. The life raft has emerged since upper house elections on Sunday deprived Ishiba's coalition of an upper house majority, months after it suffered a similar disaster in the lower chamber. Despite Ishiba, 68, insisting that he has not discussed his resignation with members of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), multiple reports say that it is just a matter of time. Some conservative members of the LDP are collecting signatures to hold a special meeting to discuss a leadership election to oust Ishiba, Fuji TV reported on Friday. One reported signee is Sanae Takaichi, a hardline nationalist and onetime heavy metal drummer who lost a leadership contest to Ishiba in September. Takaichi, 64, would likely run again to lead the party -- and become Japan's first woman prime minister if she wins -- if Ishiba does depart. The prospect of someone as premier with hawkish views on Japanese history and China has fuelled online calls for the moderate Ishiba to remain in power under the hashtag "#Ishiba Don't quit". Some of the calls came from opposition politicians to the left of the LDP, including even from a Communist Party member of a local ward assembly. Ishiba "is the most reasonable LDP leader in recent memory", LaSalle Ishii, a newly elected lawmaker for the Social Democratic Party, said on X. "If he resigns, a far-right government will be born," the well-known comedian and voice actor said. Taro Yamamoto, the leader of small opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, was among the first to voice concern about Ishiba's replacement. "The question is, if he were not to continue, who is going to replace him instead?" he told reporters during a Monday news conference. "His economic policies are no good, but for Ishiba-san to continue, I think it's a safe choice." A few hundred people participated in a rally outside Ishiba's office Friday evening, with some holding up signs urging him to "never give up" and "persevere". Among them was 70-year-old Shigeru Koga, an opposition supporter who until the election day on Sunday had been calling on Ishiba's government to be brought down. But five days later, he said Ishiba is "still far better" than alternatives like Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi, the popular agriculture minister within LDP who Koga called "easily manipulable". "If the Takaichi government materialises, it would further give rise to forces like far-right Sanseito," Koga said, referring to the upstart "Japanese first" party. "To prevent that, and keep Japan safe, Ishiba must be brave and stand firm." Boomeranging tariffs Shortly after the Sunday's election, a Kyodo News survey put the approval rating for the Ishiba government at just 22.9 percent. But in that same poll, 45.8 percent of the public believed there was no need for him to resign. The LDP has governed almost non-stop since 1955, but voters have been deserting the party, including towards fringe groups like Sanseito. Factors include rising prices, notably for rice, falling living standards, and anger at corruption scandals within the LDP. The opposition is seen as too fragmented to form an alternative government. But being in a minority in both houses of parliament means Ishiba's coalition needs support from other parties to pass legislation. This comes just as Japan faces multiple challenges, including a ballooning social security budget to pay pensions for its rapidly ageing and shrinking population. A new trade deal announced this week with US President Donald Trump will see Japanese imports face a painful 15 percent tariff, although this was lower than a threatened 25 percent. "We'll evaluate it every quarter, and if the president is unhappy then they will boomerang back to the 25 percent tariff rates," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said afterwards. © 2025 AFP
