Former Announcer and Transgender Creator Reveals Sexual Harassment and Offers of Sexual Favors

On Jan 20th, Kanon Aoki uploaded a video on her personal channel. In the video, she accused an executive at Fuji TV of making sexually harassing remarks and demanding kisses.

Recalling her experiences, Aoki stated, “(The Fuji TV executive) treated sexual harassment toward women as routine. I resisted once, but after being persistently approached for 2~3 weeks, I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t refuse.” She further revealed, “He would show me inappropriate photos of himself with famous female celebrities to flaunt his power. As the demands for kisses and inappropriate touching increased, I began to lose my mental stability.“

While she refrained from disclosing the perpetrator’s name in the video, Aoki explained that it was due to concerns for her personal safety, asking for understanding. She added that her purpose in speaking out was to expose the distorted realities within the industry.

This isn’t the first time Fuji TV has faced allegations of misconduct. Prior to Aoki’s revelations, accusations of coerced sexual favors within Fuji TV had already caused a stir. On Jan 16th, the Japanese media outlet Shukan Bunshun reported that a female announcer at Fuji TV had narrowly avoided being coerced into providing sexual favors to a celebrity.

According to the report, the female announcer revealed, “Through Programming Director A, I was nearly forced into providing sexual favors to a male celebrity.” The celebrity in question was alleged to be Nakai Masahiro, a prominent figure in Japanese entertainment, sparking widespread shock.

The fallout from these allegations has been severe. By Jan 20th, Fuji TV faced an advertising boycott from over 15 companies, including Toyota, Nissan and Seven & I Holdings.