Japanese top actor and singer Masaharu Fukuyama (56) has been embroiled in a sex scandal involving Fuji TV. Fukuyama acknowledged the controversy, stating, “I have been thinking about how to apologize.”
According to a report by the Japanese weekly magazine Josei Seven on the 18th, it was revealed during the investigation following the sex scandal involving Masahiro Nakai (53) at Fuji TV that Fukuyama also attended an 'inappropriate meeting.'
Previously, on March 31, Fuji TV and its parent company Fuji Media Holdings officially announced the report from a 'third-party committee' investigating the sex scandal that emerged last year. The committee defined the Nakai Masahiro incident as 'sexual violence in the course of work' based on listening surveys conducted with 222 stakeholders and survey results from 1,263 employees, including announcers.
In this context, over 100 cases of sexual harassment, including physical contact and hotel invitations, were reported by female announcers, and testimonies emerged that when they raised issues, they received responses like 'solve it yourself' or feared disadvantages in bonus evaluations or personnel matters for not attending the 'inappropriate meetings.'
In particular, it was revealed that meetings with a famous male participant who had a close relationship with former executive director Ryo Ohta were held 1-2 times a year since 2005, with at least 19 female announcers attending so far, drawing attention.
This male participant was confirmed to be Masaharu Fukuyama. According to the report, Fukuyama sent messages to former executive Ohta requesting “meetings with female announcers” and “I want to see new female announcers,” and sexual jokes and conversations reportedly took place during the meetings.
Fukuyama did not attend the face-to-face hearing of the third-party committee but denied through a written statement that he had requested female announcers, stating, “I have never made any sexual remarks.”
In an interview with Josei Seven, Fukuyama said, “I read the report and thought deeply about it. It is absolutely unacceptable to identify those who felt discomfort, and I have been thinking about how to apologize,” adding, “As a result, I was able to have the opportunity to speak through this interview request.”
Josei Seven plans to publish the interview conducted with Masaharu Fukuyama in a subsequent report.
Masaharu Fukuyama is an actor and singer-songwriter. He has received national love through dramas such as 'Galileo' and the 'Ryoma' series, as well as the movie 'The Devotion of Suspect X,' and has a large fan base in South Korea. He married actress Kazue Fukui, who is 13 years younger, in 2015 and has started a family.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
