MeToo Outrage leaves the Japanese channel without a single advertiser

It all started with a scoop in a weekly tabloid: the allegation that a middle-aged former boy band star turned A-list TV host paid a woman hush money for unrelated wrongdoing. specified.

Other articles followed, claiming that it was a case of sexual assault and sparking a wave of public outrage not only towards the ex-singer but also towards his employer, a major television network , for the way he handled the situation.

On Thursday, the man at the center of the controversy, Masahiro Nakai, announced his retirement, but the episode has already turned into a moment of reckoning. An international investor has criticized Tokyo-based Fuji Television, and Japan’s biggest advertisers have lined up to boycott it. Some 75 companies, including Toyota, SoftBank and local operator McDonald’s, have pulled their advertising and sponsorships.

No advertising now appears in the station’s programming; commercials are now filled with unpaid public service announcements. Tens of millions of dollars in revenue are at stake as outraged CEOs have called on Fuji TV to resolve the issue.

“We will stop placing advertisements with the company until a thorough investigation is conducted, the facts are clarified and appropriate action is taken,” said Takeshi Minakata, president of beverage maker Kirin, in a statement, adding that the company was acting “based on our human rights policy. »

Experts say the anger reveals a new intolerance toward sexual misconduct sparked by a previous scandal. Two years ago it emerged that the founder of a major Japanese talent agency, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused young men for decades. He died in 2019 without ever facing any charges, and corporate sponsors have been accused of ignoring wrongdoing by the Johnny & Associates agency.