"Sung Sang-nak, an announcer, is a member of SMAP"... "Opening".

NHK Press Screen

After allegations surfaced that a Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV executive was involved in "sexual payment" against a famous entertainer, Masahiro Nakai, the repercussion was strong.

According to local reports such as Kyodo News on the 21st, at least 50 companies, including Toyota Motor, Seven & I Holdings, and Kirin Holdings, have suspended or are considering stopping advertising on Fuji TV.

In particular, Kirin Holdings emphasized corporate social responsibility and said, "We will suspend the release of advertisements until sufficient investigation is conducted and appropriate responses are made."

Fuji TV apologized the day before, saying, "It has caused inconvenience to many advertisers and advertising companies."

Earlier, the weekly magazine Shukanbunshun revealed that Fuji TV has customarily paid female announcers and other female employees to famous celebrities such as Nakai.

Nakai is the leader of SMAP, an idol group that is also well known in Korea, and has been active on several television shows. On the 9th of this month, he said on the official website of his private office, "It is true that there was a problem," but denied some reports.

Fuji TV recently had annual sales of 238.2 billion yen (about 2.2 trillion won), of which advertising revenue was about 62%, or 147.3 billion yen (about 1.36 trillion won). According to the Asahi Shimbun, there is an opinion within Fuji TV that the broadcaster may be at a crossroads for survival due to this incident.