Masahiro Nakai (52), a member of the Japanese national group SMAP, who has recently been embroiled in a sexual assault scandal, is almost ready to be kicked out of the group.

On the 20th, TBS in Japan announced that it would be ending the program Masahiro Nakai was hosting. It was also reported that he would be removed from ‘THE MC3’.

In addition, Fuji TV, a Japanese broadcaster known to have been involved in this incident, was not able to avoid the aftermath. It has been reported that dozens of companies, including Toyota, NTT East, Nissan Motor, Nippon Life, and McDonald‘s, have stopped broadcasting Fuji TV commercials.

Local media previously reported that Masahiro Nakai paid 90 million yen (approximately 835.67 million won) in settlement money to female entertainer A.

Last year, Masahiro Nakai had planned to have a drink with Mr. B, a Fuji TV programming executive, but Mr. B did not attend, and Masahiro Nakai and Mr. A ended up drinking. Regarding this, Masahiro Nakai’s side stated, “Since the issue was resolved through agreement between both parties, we cannot disclose the details,” but Mr. A‘s side stated, “We cannot forgive Fuji TV for tolerating Mr. B. The controversy grew as he appealed, ”There are many victims besides me.“

Afterwards, suspicions were raised that Mr. A was Fuji TV announcer Nagisa Watanabe (27), and in fact, Nagisa Watanabe confessed in October of last year that the reason he resigned from Fuji TV was ”I am suffering from PTSD due to a shocking incident in June of last year that threatened my life.“

Meanwhile, Masahiro Nakai, who debuted as a member of SMAP, gained popularity to the point of being the highest-earning individual within Johnny’s Entertainment.
Reporter Lee Seul-bi, Donga.com misty82@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.