After scandal, Nagisa Watanabe to release first photo book

Nagisa Watanabe is to release her first photo book, published in Japan on June 25.

Though still officially unnamed, it is very widely assumed that the former TV announcer is the woman at the center of the Masahiro Nakai sex scandal, which has ended his career and brought one of Japan’s biggest broadcasters into disrepute.

It came to light late last year that Nakai, formerly of SMAP, had paid a female announcer a huge sum of money as compensation for a sexual assault. This is a common way in Japan to avoid someone pressing criminal charges.

The scandal has grown, with allegations of institutional issues at Fuji TV that enabled such sexual assault. The president of the broadcaster resigned in March.

No one has officially identified Watanabe, but it is an open secret and the media has cryptically reported her (unrelated) social media posts in lieu of any statement or confirmation from her.

However, Watanabe has faced a backlash. Some online commentators see her (unfairly) as responsible for ending the career of a prominent celebrity and of “faking” her trauma for a big cash payout. Every Instagram pic is parsed for its hypocrisy. Every smile is denounced.

Horizon was shot in Thailand over five days and is published by Shueisha, one of the big names in the industry.

Watanabe commented:

I left myself as I am now, together with the trustworthy staff who have helped me many times before. I wanted to love myself again, so I took on a new challenge. Although it is a photo book, I am proud that it is a collection of works that I hope will prove that no matter what difficulties you face, you can shine again.

This latest development, in which Watanabe is clearly attempting to move on after leaving her TV job last July and spending several months recovering from PTSD, is unlikely to win over her online enemies, who will surely see this photo book’s provocative shoot as proof that the 28-year-old isn’t emotionally scarred by her alleged assault.

Watanabe is far from the first announcer to switch from TV presenting to modeling. She follows in the footsteps of Kasumi Mori and Minami Tanaka, among many others. She made her gravure debut in November last year, shortly before the Nakai scandal broke.