The spiralling controversy involves Masahiro Nakai, the 52-year-old media personality who was the leader of defunct male idol group Smap, and mainstream broadcaster Fuji Television. It also highlights the growing role that foreign activist shareholders are playing in compelling change in stuffy Japanese boardrooms.

Japanese TV host Masahiro Nakai, who was a member of the former pop group SMAP, said Thursday he has retired from show business follo

Japanese TV host Masahiro Nakai, one of the country's most recognisable faces on television, announced on Thursday that he was retiring after a sexual assault allegation that has rocked the country's entertainment industry.