THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 28, 2025 at 18:31 JST
Fuji Television Network Inc. on Aug. 28 announced that it has sued two former top executives for botching a sexual assault scandal involving a former TV personality associated with the broadcaster.
It is seeking 5 billion yen ($34 million) in damages at the Tokyo District Court against former President Koichi Minato and Toru Ota, a former chief of programming.
The scandal involved allegations that former talk show host Masahiro Nakai sexually abused a female former Fuji TV announcer.
According to the broadcaster, Minato and Ota caused Fuji TV approximately 45.3 billion yen in damages by failing to take appropriate action, such as properly investigating the facts, after the issue first arose in June 2023.
In June this year, Fuji TV disclosed its intention to pursue legal action against the two men.
A third-party committee that was established by Fuji TV officially recognized that the former announcer had been sexually assaulted by Nakai “in a work-related context.”
According to the committee’s investigative report, both Minato and Ota were made aware of the incident in August 2023, but they immediately dismissed it as a “private matter between a man and a woman.”
The report concluded that the two failed to listen to the reports and opinions of company doctors and other experts and allowed Nakai to continue appearing on TV programs.
Fuji TV executive kept Nakai on air after learning about incident
January 23, 2025
Report: Nakai’s sex attack on Fuji TV announcer was job-related
April 1, 2025
Ex-announcer: Sex harassment became ‘normal’ at Fuji Television
April 4, 2025
Fuji TV boss says third-party panel will investigate Nakai scandal
January 17, 2025
Sponsors yank ads from Fuji Television over Nakai scandal
January 19, 2025
Fuji TV leaders to resign, say they lack awareness of human rights
January 27, 2025
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Koichi Minato, former president of Fuji Television Network Inc., on Jan. 27 in Tokyo’s Minato Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
