In this week’s news roundup we have the latest on the Masahiro Nakai sex scandal and report on the Nintendo Switch 2 unveiling. A magnitude 6.6 quake strikes off the coast of Miyazaki. Cleveland-Cliffs CEO, Lourenco Goncalves, labels Japan “evil.” Fox News compares the damage caused by the LA wildfires to what Hiroshima was like after it was hit by the atomic bomb in 1945. And Naomi Osaka reaches the third-round stage of the Australian Open.
US Investment Firm Demand Fuji TV Show ‘Transparency’ Regarding Masahiro Nakai Sex Scandal
It was planned, according to the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine, as a dinner for Fuji TV employees. However, in the end, only two people turned up: former Smap member Masahiro Nakai and a woman. This allegedly led to nonconsensual sexual activity and Nakai paying a ¥90 million out-of-court settlement. While Fuji TV denied reports suggesting one of its employees had arranged the meal, the US investment firm Dalton Investments, which owns more than 7% of Fuji Media shares, wasn’t convinced. On Wednesday, it sent a letter to the Japanese company demanding accountability and requesting that a third-party committee be set up to investigate the scandal.
“The lack of consistency and, importantly, transparency in both reporting the facts and the subsequent unforgivable shortcomings in your response merit serious condemnation that serves not only to undermine viewer trust, but also leads directly to erode shareholder value,” read a statement from Dalton Investments’ affiliate Rising Sun Management. The following day, Fuji TV announced that it had hired outside lawyers to probe the scandal. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, President Koichi Minato confirmed that Fuji TV would be establishing a third-party committee to investigate whether there is a culture of using female presenters to entertain male celebrities at the company. He also said that he wasn’t going to disclose what took place between Nakai and the woman.
According to a report from Nikkan Sports, around 30% of sponsors for Fuji TV have already pulled away due to the scandal. Last Thursday, Nakai released a statement via his agency’s website confirming that he did have some “trouble” with a woman. He added that due to a non-disclosure agreement he couldn’t discuss it.
Nintendo Switch 2 Similar in Design to Its Predecessor
Following weeks of leaks and rumors, Nintendo finally unveiled its long-awaited successor to the Switch console on Thursday via a news release and promotional video. The Kyoto-based video game company’s first new console in eight years is set to debut later in 2025 and, as expected, will be called Nintendo Switch 2. It’s similar in design to its predecessor, though it has a bigger screen and larger, redesigned controllers. As was previously known, the new console will be backwards-compatible. This means players can bring existing Switch games over to the new console. A short trailer showed a new version of Mario Kart.
The first Switch, released in 2017, has proved a huge success for Nintendo, selling close to 150 million units worldwide. Following financial losses attributed to poor sales of the Wii U and market competition from mobile games, the company’s president at the time, Satoru Iwata, pushed towards mobile gaming and novel hardware. It proved a wise move. The Switch became the third-best-selling game console of all time. It’s, therefore, not surprising that the Nintendo Switch 2 has stuck to the form and function of its predecessor. Further details, such as the price and release date, are expected to be announced during a showcase on April 2.
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Brands Japan Evil, Plans Rival Bid for US Steel
After Joe Biden announced his government intended to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of US Steel, another name decided to throw its hat in the ring. During a press conference in western Pennsylvania on Monday, Lourenco Goncalves, the CEO of American steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs, said that his company was planning to bid again for US Steel after making a rejected offer in 2023. He described it as an “all-American solution” to save the famous US steelmaker. Rather than leaving it at that, though, he also decided to go on an explosive tirade against Japan.
“Japan is evil,” he said, before adding, “Japan taught China a lot of things. Japan taught China how to dump, how to have overcapacity, how to overproduce.” Goncalves, who was born in Brazil, also criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for expressing his concern regarding Biden’s decision. “Japan beware,” he continued. “You did not learn anything since 1945. You did not learn how good we are, how gracious we are, how magnanimous we are, how forgiving we are.” Despite Goncalves’ comments, US Steel said in a statement it remained “committed to completing” its merger with Nippon Steel.
Fox News Host Compares LA Wildfires Damage to Hiroshima After the Atomic Bomb
Fox News host Jesse Watters was criticized this week for comparing the damage caused by the LA wildfires to what Hiroshima was like after it was hit by the atomic bomb in 1945. Watters said, “Parts of Pacific Palisades look like Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. Entire communities decimated. In Altadena, about a dozen homes are left in a neighborhood of 5,000 people.” The wildfires, which began last on January 7, have killed at least 25 people, forced almost 200,000 to evacuate and destroyed or damaged well over 12,000 structures. Hurricane-like winds have exacerbated the situation.
According to CNN, the fires “have burned through an area of land bigger than the capital of France.” While there has been a lot of sympathy for the people of LA, who have had a devastating start to the year, many feel the comparison to the bombing of Hiroshima, which occurred almost 80 years ago and killed tens of thousands immediately, is inappropriate. “Comparing the fire of LA to Hiroshima is just wrong. You’re comparing a fire to a nuke that actually killed many, and also left various effects that lasted for a few decades,” wrote one X user.
Tsunami Advisory Lifted in Japan After 6.6 Earthquake in Miyazaki
At approximately 9:19 p.m. local time on Monday, a magnitude 6.6 quake struck off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), it had an intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 36 kilometers in the Hyuganada Sea. A tsunami advisory was immediately issued for the coasts of Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures. Waves of about 20 centimeters were observed in the former and 10 centimeters in the latter. At just before midnight, the advisory was called off.
Kyushu Electric Power confirmed there was no sign of irregularities at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant or Genkai Nuclear Power Plant. Shikoku Electric Power said the same about its Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. After the quake, JMA experts met to discuss possible links between the tremor that hit Miyazaki and a megaquake that is expected to strike the Nankai Trough. They concluded that special precautionary measures were not needed. A Nankai Trough earthquake is predicted to occur somewhere along the plate boundary between Suruga Bay off Shizuoka Prefecture and the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture.
Naomi Osaka Reaches Third Round of Australian Open
For the first time in three years, Naomi Osaka is getting ready to play in the third round of a grand slam today after coming from a set down to defeat Karolína Muchová 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Australian Open on Wednesday. Osaka said she gained a “little revenge” over the Czech player, who defeated her in straight sets at last year’s US Open. Next up for Osaka is Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic. In the men’s competition, Kei Nishikori and Yoshihito Nishioka were knocked out in the second round by America’s Tommy Paul and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz respectively.
In men’s soccer, Takefusa Kubo scored the only goal in Real Sociedad’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal and Kaoru Mitoma hit the opener in Brighton’s 2-0 win over Ipswich. Other Japanese players finding the net this week included Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi, who bagged a brace against Ross County. In Germany, Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan, Holstein Kiel’s Shuto Machino and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Shio Fukuda were all on the scoresheet. NEC Nijmegen’s Koki Ogawa and Sparta Rotterdam’s Shunsuke Mito both netted in the Netherlands, as did STVV’s Ryotaro Ito in Belgium and Reims’ Junya Ito in France. In the English FA Cup and Vertu Trophy, Birmingham City’s Ayumu Yokoyama scored against Lincoln City and Swindon Town.
