Photo/Illutration The building that serves as the headquarters of Fuji Television Network Inc. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Fuji Television Network Inc. and its parent company have established a third-party panel based on guidelines of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations to investigate former entertainer Masahiro Nakai’s alleged sexual misconduct toward a woman.

The incident was first reported by the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine and other media outlets late last year. The articles said a senior Fuji TV employee also played a role.

Fuji TV held a news conference on the matter in mid-January, but the broadcaster did not allow video coverage and gave unsatisfying explanations. Seventy-five sponsors pulled their commercials from Fuji TV three days later.

Executives of Fuji TV and its parent company successively appeared before the cameras during the following week, and both companies are holding another news conference on Jan. 27.

We are left wondering why they were so ill-prepared to explain things from the start.

TV broadcasters are supposed to be the ones calling for information disclosure and video coverage. Fuji TV management bears a heavy responsibility for undermining the broadcaster’s footing and essentially escalating the crisis.

The third-party panel should determine whether a sclerotic governance system in the top echelons of the companies was partially to blame.

Nakai retired from show business amid the worsening situation.

The focus of the scandal, however, has already outgrown Nakai’s specific case and is spreading to the broader topic of Fuji TV’s corporate culture.

Was it a customary practice in some Fuji TV sections for employees to sexually exploit women as a means of wining and dining?

And why did Fuji TV continue airing Nakai’s regular program even after learning about his misconduct?

In an impromptu interview, Fuji TV Vice Chairman Ryunosuke Endo said he believes it has become less common these days to “take” female workers, including newscasters, to venues for wining and dining business clients, such as officials of showbiz agencies.

He explained that going to such venues helps those women obtain job opportunities because “it is up to various people to decide which newscasters should appear in programs.”

Scandals and suspicions over unwanted acts and sexual assaults in showbiz and media circles have spread against the background of power dynamics and other circumstances.

Industry officials should now heighten their sensitivity to human rights, reflect on any evil practices and eliminate the problems so the next generation can work in those circles with hopes.

Rival TV broadcasters have said they will also conduct internal reviews on possible misconduct, but they should not limit coverage to their own employees because people of diverse employment statuses work in the TV industry.

Strong language has been used mainly on social media against various people involved since the scandal came to light.

We should keep in mind that if such slander becomes more collective in nature, the targets could become increasingly trapped in a mental corner.

The way the sponsors pulled their advertisements was so powerful that such action could be used to affect and control a TV station’s reporting stance.

The sponsors should explain why they pulled their commercials from Fuji TV and give their stances on human rights. Doing so would serve as an opportunity for in-depth discussions on the matter.

Fuji TV should find out the causes of the problem, clarify the structure that allowed it to happen, and pinpoint responsibility so no more people will be hurt and nothing more will be lost.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 26

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