Il Nuovo Postiglione - Japan's Fuji TV faces heat over sex allegations

The scandal centres around TV host and J-pop megastar Masahiro Nakai, 52, who a leading tabloid magazine said carried out a sexual act without a woman's consent in 2023.

Nakai reportedly later paid the woman, who worked for Fuji TV, a lump sum of 90 million yen ($570,000) and the pair signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Fuji TV's president has said the firm was aware of the scandal before it was reported in local media last month.

But the company denied claims that its staff were involved in organising Nakai's meeting with the woman, which allegedly took place at the star's home.

Last week the network said it was probing the matter, and it will hold a press conference Monday after a board meeting, with some speculating that executives could step down.

"As the 'trouble' has grown to this level, it is necessary to take steps in matters regarding personnel," a Fuji TV external board member, Kiyoto Saito, told public broadcaster NHK.

Nakai -- a former member of the boy band SMAP, which swept charts across Asia in the 1990s and 2000s -- announced his retirement on Friday after he was dropped from weekly shows on private network Fuji TV and other channels.

"I alone am responsible for everything" and "sincerely apologise" to the woman, Nakai said Friday.

Earlier this month he had issued a statement saying some of what had been reported was "different from the facts".

- 'Outraged' -

Dozens of brands including McDonald's and Toyota have pulled adverts from Fuji TV, leaving only unpaid public service announcements playing in commercial breaks.

The scandal follows another huge reckoning for Japan's entertainment industry, surrounding now-defunct boy band empire Johnny & Associates, to which SMAP belonged.

Johnny & Associates, which has now changed its name, admitted in 2023 that its late founder Johnny Kitagawa for decades sexually assaulted teenage boys and young men.

The allegations against Nakai emerged last month in tabloid magazines including Shukan Bunshun. They have shocked the nation although most other Japanese media more cautiously refer to sexual "trouble" or misconduct.

Local media have said Fuji TV would discuss at its board meeting the role of company president Koichi Minato, who has said he became aware of the case soon after it happened.

Some reports say Fuji TV staff have long wined and dined entertainers, inviting female staff to join such parties.

Minato held a short press conference on January 17, after US activist investor Rising Sun Management said it was "outraged" by Fuji TV's lack of transparency.

But this fuelled criticism, because only select media were invited, video recording was not allowed, and Minato declined to answer many questions, citing a fresh investigation.

Rising Sun Management, a shareholder in the station's parent company, has called on the network to establish a committee of outside experts, describing Minato's press briefing as "nothing less than a virtual car crash".

Fuji Television is a major private broadcaster that boasted the highest viewer ratings in the 1980s and early 1990s with its popular comedy and variety shows, and soap operas.

It aired Japan's first domestically produced animation "Astro Boy" in 1963, and has also produced several films, including Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Shoplifters" which won the 2018 Palme d'Or at Cannes.

M.Costa--INP