Legendary Boy Group Member Found Guilty Of Sexual Assault — Exposing “Culture” Of Harassment
Nakai Masahiro‘s sexual harassment case has reached another level following the results of an inquiry panel.
Nakai Masahiro is a former member of SMAP, a legendary J-Pop group that was active from 1988 to 2016. Masahiro debuted as SMAP’s leader at age 16 and went on to become a successful idol, actor, TV host, news presenter, and radio personality.
In December of 2024, Japanese media reported that Masahiro allegedly paid 90 million yen (approximately $568,101 USD) as a lump sum to an unidentified woman. This settlement is related to alleged sexual misconduct that took place in 2023. In the time after, Masahiro was deleted and removed from programs as broadcasters distanced themselves.
An independent panel recently reported its results of the investigation into the incident.
The panel found that Masahiro sexually assaulted the victim, who was subjected to a “serious infringement of human rights” that occurred “as an extension of her job.” Furthermore, the panel found that the top executives of Fuji Television “lacked understanding of sexual violence and showed insufficient concern for helping the victim.”
A lawyer on the panel revealed that the investigation found an ongoing culture of sexual harassment at Fuji TV. Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiichiro Murakami addressed the investigation results and shared his intentions to confirm the report and respond appropriately.
The victim also shared her frustrations, having learned information about Nakai Masahiro and the then-president of Fuji TV’s responses for the first time after the report was concluded.
What I have suffered will not go away for as long as I live, and what I have lost will not come back. I wish from my heart that cases like mine will disappear not just from the media entertainment industry but from society entirely.
— Victim
Nakai Masahiro previously announced his retirement, which you can read more about below.
