Photo/Illutration Fuji Television’s news program Live News it! reports about the employee briefing on Jan. 23. (Takumi Terui)

One of the many critics of the news conference held by Fuji Television Network Inc.’s president over a celebrity scandal is the president himself.

“After it was over, I thought the news conference was a failure,” President Koichi Minato told frustrated and angry employees of the broadcaster at a briefing on Jan. 23.

His statement is one of the few things management and employees have agreed upon since the career-ending “trouble” caused by entertainer Masahiro Nakai against a woman at a dinner party was reported in December.

At Minato’s news conference on Jan. 17, he spent much of the time vehemently denying that an executive of Fuji Television was involved in the incident.

He also remained vague on what had actually happened, citing the need to respect the woman’s privacy.

Many at the briefing, held at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Daiba district, said the closed and ambiguous nature of Minato’s news conference has exacerbated problems for the company and its reputation.

They called for the resignations of top management.

Fuji Television Chairman Shuji Kano also spoke at the briefing, which started shortly after 5:30 p.m. and ended after 10 p.m.

Although the session was not open to the public, the company’s Live News it! program reported on what was happening, creating an unusual broadcast that clearly showed inner turmoil at Fuji Television.

More than 420 people gathered at the Fuji Television studio to hear the words of the executives. Including online participation, more than 1,000 workers viewed the briefing, sources said.

A total of 145 employees submitted 245 questions in advance.

“Please let me apologize,” Kano said at the start of the briefing, according to Live News it! “There were instances where President Minato and I were not appropriate enough in our decision-making.”

One question from employees was why the Jan. 17 news conference was only open to press club members. Another query was why Minato repeatedly refrained from answering questions.

Minato gave his “failure” assessment in response. Employees sighed deeply after Minato’s answer, according to the news program.

A Fuji Television employee who attended the briefing said there were strong calls for management to step down, and a few angry shouts were heard.

The briefing session continued for four and a half hours because there were so many questions.

One young employee who rushed to the site said, “I was disappointed in the top management, but I realized again that I can believe in the integrity of many employees.”

Nakai, 52, retired from the entertainment industry on Jan. 23, apologizing for all the trouble he has caused.

The Fuji Media group has set up a third-party committee to investigate the scandal and whether the company played a role in the incident.

The move came after a number of sponsors pulled their advertisements from Fuji Television.

Anxiety has grown among employees, particularly younger ones. They fear they will be the ones who suffer the most from the crisis.

The company’s labor union had about 80 members at the beginning of last week. By Jan. 23, membership had topped 500.

Related News