Executives at Japan`s Fuji TV and parent firm resign over a sex scandal linked to a former star

TOKYO (AP) — The president and chairperson of Japanese network Fuji Television have resigned over a widening sex assault scandal linked to one of Japan's top TV celebrities.

The scandal centers on Masahiro Nakai, a former leader of Japan’s once-hugely popular boy band SMAP, and his costly settlement with a woman over the alleged sex assault at a 2023 dinner party.

The allegations surfaced in magazine articles in December and have since triggered claims of systematic cover-ups by Fuji TV executives. The public outrage over the lack of transparency and explanation at the network's earlier news conference this month have led to an avalanche of advertising losses at Fuji, one of the networks where Nakai worked.

Fuji Television Network President Koichi Minato and other company officials said Monday the case was mishandled and possibly had violated the woman’s human rights. But they didn’t provide new details, citing her privacy as well as the third-party investigation, during the more than 10-hour news conference while they at times faced yelling by frustrated reporters demanding clarifications.

“We are very sorry that we mishandled the case because of our lack of awareness about human rights and corporate governance ... and as a result our responses to the involved woman were inadequate,” Minato said. “We are very sorry to have destroyed our credibility.”

He said it was handled as an “extraordinary” case requiring maximum confidentiality and sensitivity for the woman's mental health and was shared by a small group of officials. The company had continued allowing Nakai to appear on Fuji shows for a year and six months, he said, but denied covering up the case because it involved a big star.

Minato said he did not think what happened was sexual assault and that the case was not reported to the company’s compliance office until the magazine report came out. The third-party investigation report is due in March.

He denied a Fuji TV employee’s involvement in that case but said allegations that the employee had previously organized barbecue and other parties for Nakai needed to be investigated. He said he believed the employee's innocence based on interviews only by him and Nakai and without asking the woman.

Fuji officials also acknowledged that female announcers and other female employees have in the past participated at parties for male stars, talent agency executives and sponsors, though they denied any sexual services. Minato said he believed top officials were complacent about outdated gender roles and they now need to “update their mindset.”

Shukan Bunshun weekly, one of the magazines that exposed the scandal, at first erroneously reported that the woman was invited by a Fuji TV employee to the party but nobody but her showed up, leaving her alone with Nakai. The magazine later apologized and clarified that Nakai invited her, but said it stood by its allegation that the employee has previously organized parties for the TV host.

It also alleged that Fuji TV has long exploited its female announcers to entertain stars like Nakai.

In addition to Minato's resignation, board chairperson Shuji Kanoh resigned from his position prior to the news conference, officials said.

Nakai last Thursday announced his retirement to take responsibility for the trouble and business losses. He had earlier denied any violence or involvement of a third party.

A series of sexual assault allegations have surfaced in recent years in Japan's entertainment industry, in what is seen as a delayed #MeToo movement that began in Western nations in the 2010s. The cases include the abuse of hundreds of boys and young men by late talent mogul Johnny Kitagawa, whose now-defunct agency Johnny & Associates managed many boy bands, including the one to which Nakai belonged, SMAP.

Koichi Minato, President and CEO of Fuji Television Network, answers questions during a press conference at Fuji Television headquarter in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Koichi Minato, President and CEO of Fuji Television Network, answers a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Koichi Minato, president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, left, and Shuji Kano, Fuji Media Holdings COB, announce their resignation during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kenji Shimizu, newly appointed president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, answers a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kenji Shimizu, newly-appointed president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, speaks during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Koichi Minato, president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, speaks during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Shuji Kano, Fuji Media Holdings COB, answers a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ryunosuke Endo, vice chairman of the Board of Fuji Television Network, listens to a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

From left, Koichi Minato, President and CEO of Fuji Television Network, and Shuji Kano, Fuji Media Holdings COB, arrive for a press conference at Fuji Television headquarter in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ryunosuke Endo, from left, vice chairman of the Board of Fuji Television Network, Koichi Minato, president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, Shuji Kano, Fuji Media Holdings COB, Osamu Kanemitsu, president and CEO of Fuji Media Holdings, bow during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Members of media outlets wait for the start of a news conference which will be held by senior officials from Fuji Television and its parent company at the Fuji Television headquarter in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person takes a photo of the FCG building, holding the Fuji Television and its parent company Fuji Media Holdings, in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

From left, Kenji Shimizu, newly appointed president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, Ryunosuke Endo, vice chairman of the Board of Fuji Television Network, and Koichi Minato, outgoing president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, attend a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Osamu Kanemitsu, president and CEO of Fuji Media Holdings, answers a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Koichi Minato, President and CEO of Fuji Television Network, answers a question during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Koichi Minato, president and CEO of Fuji Television Network, left, and Shuji Kano, Fuji Media Holdings COB, announce their resignation during a news conference at the Fuji Television headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is edging back from its all-time high Thursday following mixed profit reports from Tesla and other big companies. Oil prices, meanwhile, are swinging higher on continued uncertainty about what will happen next in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% following a big rally that erased all its losses because of the war and then carried it to records. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 71 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% lower after setting its own record.

Tesla dragged on the market and fell 4.3% even though it reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Investors may be focusing instead on Tesla’s increased forecast for spending this year, as it builds factories to make robots and other products.

“You should expect to see a very significant increase in capital expenditures,” Elon Musk told investors late Wednesday, “but I think well justified for a substantially increased future revenue stream.”

ServiceNow dropped even more, 16.2%, even though its results for the latest quarter matched analysts’ expectations. The company has been under pressure, along with much of the broad software industry, because of worries that rivals powered by artificial-intelligence technology could undercut its business.

Analysts said investors may have also been underwhelmed by its forecast for a declaration in growth for an important measure of revenue.

Texas Instruments helped limit Wall Street's losses after breezing past analysts' expectations for profit in the latest quarter. CEO Haviv Ilan said the semiconductor company is benefiting from growth led by industrial and data center customers, and it gave forecasts for profit and revenue in the spring that cleared analysts' estimates.

The 16.6% leap for Texas Instrument's stock was the strongest single force pushing upward on the S&P 500.

In the oil market, prices swung higher as uncertainty continues about what will happen with the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire is still in place between the United States and Iran, but oil tankers aren’t able to get through the narrow waterway off Iran's coast to exit the Persian Gulf and reach customers.

The U.S. military on Thursday seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up the standoff a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the strait. President Donald Trump also said Thursday he ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to gum up traffic in the strait.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1% to $102.97 after bouncing between roughly $101 and $106 overnight. It’s unclear whether U.S.-Iran peace talks, previously hosted by Pakistan, would resume anytime soon.

More expensive oil has hurt airlines in particular because of the industry's already big fuel bills, and stocks diverged in the industry following the latest profit reports.

American Airlines Group rose 4% after reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Even though winter storms hurt its revenue during the first three months of the year, American said demand was strong for flights, and it saw the nine best weeks for revenue intake in its 100-year history.

Southwest Airlines, though, lost 2.2% after reporting weaker quarterly results than analysts expected. It said it would not give an updated forecast for profit this year because of “the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.”

Also on the losing end of Wall Street was IBM, which sank 9.7% despite reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts said investors were focusing on some potentially discouraging numbers underneath the surface, including decelerating growth in trends for its software business.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 0.7% for two of the bigger losses.

South Korea’s Kospi climbed 0.9% after the government reported better-than-expected economic growth for the start of the year, boosted by strong exports, particularly of computer chips used in the AI boom. Semiconductor supplier SK Hynix said its revenue for the latest quarter jumped more than analysts expected largely because of AI-related demand.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.29% from 4.30% late Wednesday.

A report in the morning said slightly more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the number is still at a historically healthy level. A separate, preliminary report on U.S. business output from S&P Global also suggested growth is improving a bit from its near-stagnation seen in March.

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

Trader Edward Curran works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The sun rises behind tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

A board above trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A person takes a photo of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index outside a securities firm Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)