Danica Davidson
May 2, 2025 
Fuji TV has been struggling since it was caught up in a sexual assault scandal. As a refresher, Fuji TV host Masahiro Nakai, who was once part of the band SMAP, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman who also worked there. Allegedly there were individuals at Fuji who knew about the assault but chose to ignore it.
After all this came out, Nakai retired, more than one employee resignation was put in, and Fuji TV lost many, many of its sponsors. Now more resignations have been announced.
According to the channel’s parent company, Fuji Media Holdings, four higher-ups will be resigning next month. The people in question are Osamu Kanemitsu (president and representative director); Yoshinari Shimatani and Kiyoto Saito, two Fuji TV board directors; and Yuzaburo Mogi (Fuji TV auditor).
In addition, Fuji Media Holdings shared how much money they’ve lost because of sponsors dropping. In February, a Japanese news outlet predicted that Fuji TV might lose about $150 million, a truly massive number. But the real number is even more massive. For the fiscal year ending last March, the company saw a deficit of 26 billion yen (approximately $180 million).
An anonymous Fuji TV worker told the Japanese press not long ago, “Without sponsors, it’s unclear how much budget can be spent, and there is no prospect of new programs. The situation on the ground has completely stopped.”
There are a number of reforms promised by the company. For example, they want to hire more women in executive and senior management positions. The executive board, along with departments, will have a restructuring. As it did previously, it stressed that it’s making efforts so that what happened previously will not happen again. It says it’s doing this by setting up new systems that will forestall abuses. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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