TOKYO — The recent sexual misconduct scandal involving former TV host Masahiro Nakai has brought to light the Japanese television industry’s lack of awareness of women’s rights.
In particular, female announcers, called “joshi-ana” (girl announcers) in Japan, have been used and objectified as mere eye candy. Reports have surfaced that these announcers have been used as “bait” at parties with sponsors. Two women, one in her 40s and one in her 20s who both have experience working as local TV station announcers, spoke to the Mainichi Shimbun about their treatment.
‘Protect yourself’
On Jan. 27, Fuji Television Network Inc. President Koichi Minato announced his resignation at a press conference, admitting that the company had failed to adequately address human rights and compliance issues in its treatment of women. He also acknowledged that despite Fuji TV’s awareness of problems involving the 52-year-old Nakai, the fact he continued to be featured on programs highlighted a “lack of awareness of human rights.”
Weekly magazines reported a culture where female announcers were expected to entertain media personalities at gatherings. Minato explained that the intention was not to use them as hostesses, but rather as part of the team. However, the woman in her 40s who spoke to the Mainichi found this explanation unsettling.
After joining a local TV station in her 20s, she worked as an announcer for about 15 years before moving to another station. In her late 20s, she began hosting a flagship program, which raised her profile. Consequently, she was invited to gatherings with sponsors a few times a year, often at the request of station sales staff who claimed the sponsors were her fans.
She believed that meeting people could lead to more work opportunities and therefore accepted the invitations. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being used as “bait” to secure contracts, as conversations often centered around commercials.
In one instance, a sponsor touched her waist, but the station staff present seemed oblivious and did nothing to stop it.
“I didn’t like it, but I wasn’t in a position to say ‘stop,’ and I worried about causing trouble for the staff there so I didn’t tell them, either. I saw it as part of the job and felt it was up to me to protect myself,” she said.
‘Don’t get married’
Around 20 years ago, a senior executive at the TV station made shocking comments to her: “Don’t get a boyfriend,” and, “Don’t get married.” Concerned about the impact on her annual contract, she did not date. She also heard gossip about how female announcers with children were seen as inconvenient.
Although she didn’t accept these comments, she still hasn’t publicly announced her marriage, which occurred in her 30s.
Five minutes alone
The announcer in her 20s recounted that gatherings with sponsors with at least three people present occurred about once a month. The sponsors included car makers, pharmaceutical companies and health care professionals. She attended at the request of sales staff, accompanied by employees who ensured she wasn’t subjected to harassment.
However, there was an occasion when a staffer suggested leaving her alone with a sponsor for five minutes to avoid offending them. “I kept the conversation going and managed to get away. We exchanged contact information via (messaging app) Line, but I sent messages like ‘I’m too busy with work’ to avoid maintaining a connection,” she reflected.
TV stations in Japan are still hotbeds of “lookism” culture, valuing female announcers for their appearances, as evidenced by hiring those who did well in beauty pageants in their college days. These announcers are idolized and objectified by society. The woman stated, “Society’s gender awareness needs to change. However, some people still value female announcers for their looks and youth. I sometimes think I have to accept it.”
Eliminating the term ‘joshi-ana’
The term “joshi-ana” became popular through rankings published by magazines and online media. Takahiko Kageyama, a former Mainichi Broadcasting System Inc. producer and current professor at the Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, explained that female announcers treated like TV entertainers have found themselves in awkward positions. “It’s an especially major trend in Tokyo,” he said.
TV stations have tasked female announcers with “social lubricant” roles in negotiations and other professional interactions. Despite compliance with workplace standards now supposedly a given, such practices “likely persist.”
Can the culture of treating female announcers as mere beauty objects be changed? Kageyama suggested, “First, the term ‘joshi-ana,’ still used as an iconic term, should be eliminated. TV stations themselves need to convey this message.” By recognizing female announcers as “individual employees” rather than special cases, viewers’ perceptions will change, he said.
The lack of compliance and awareness of women’s rights in TV and the wider media isn’t isolated, Kageyama said. It’s not uncommon for other companies to have female employees present at client dinners. He emphasized, “Across industries, everyone needs to reflect on whether they might be perpetrators.”
(Japanese original by Shu Hatakeyama and Yuta Kumamoto, Digital News Group)
