Photo/Illutration The headquarters of Fuji Television Network Inc. in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Fuji Television Network Inc. and Fuji Media Holdings Inc. on Jan. 23 passed a resolution to establish a third-party committee to determine if the companies were involved in scandal over TV celebrity Masahiro Nakai.

The makeup of the committee is based on guidelines of Nichibenren (Japan Federation of Bar Associations), according to the resolution adopted at an extraordinary meeting of the companies’ boards of directors.

The committee will be chaired by Akira Takeuchi, a lawyer and certified fraud examiner, and the committee members will be Yuko Gomi and Masahiro Terada, both lawyers.

Nichibenren guidelines for third-party investigative committees state that members must have no vested interest in the company, and the results of the probe shall not be disclosed to the company in advance.

The third-party committee will investigate whether Fuji Television and its parent company Fuji Media Holdings played any part in the “trouble” between Nakai and a woman at a dinner party in 2023, which led to Nakai’s retirement from the entertainment industry on Jan. 23.

It will also examine whether there have been any similar cases and will judge how Fuji Television handled the situation after it became aware of the trouble.

The committee will then make recommendations for Fuji Television and its parent company regarding internal control, group governance and human rights initiatives, as well as how to prevent a recurrence.

“We will strive to conduct an investigation that ensures we are clearly accountable to the questions and concerns of viewers, sponsors, business partners, shareholders, investors, and employees,” Takeuchi said in a statement released by Fuji Television.

Fuji Television said it will hold a news conference on Jan. 27 to explain details of the investigative committee and future measures that the company plans to take.

Young employees of Fuji Television have expressed frustration over how top managers have handled the incident.

Sponsors are pulling advertisements, and the broadcaster could face financial difficulties.

According to the company’s labor union, the number of members was about 80 at the beginning of last week, but as of Jan. 23, the number has exceeded 500.

One employee who recently joined the union said employees on the front lines are busy dealing with the situation.

“I hope the company will be reborn with a sense of crisis,” the employee said.

(This article was compiled from reports written by Yohei Goto, senior staff writer, and Rina Horikoshi.)

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