Tokyo-- Dozens of major Japanese companies have pulled advertising on Fuji TV as company officials try to cover up a sex scandal involving one of the country's most famous television hosts.

The scandal centers on Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the super-popular boy band SMAP and now a popular host on Fuji and other Japanese networks. Local media said Nakai was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party arranged by a Fuji TV staff member.

After weekly Shukan Bunshun reported in December that Nakai had reached a 90 million yen ($580,000) settlement with a woman over an alleged sexual assault at a 2023 dinner party, the former SMAP star released a statement admitting A settlement was reached over the "Trouble" but he denied any violence was used.

News of the scandal did not immediately trigger a mass exit from sponsors. But after Fuji TV held a news conference on Friday, many apparently began replacing their ads with public service announcements, sparking criticism of the company's lack of transparency and contrition over the incident.

Major sponsors include automakers Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.; cosmetics maker Shiseido; retailer Seven & I Holding Co. and life insurance company Meiji Yasuda announced they will pull ads from Fuji TV. Local media reported that more than 50 companies have taken the same approach.

Nissan said on Tuesday it had withdrawn the Fuji TV commercial and was monitoring the situation before deciding on further steps.

At a news conference on Friday, Fuji TV President Koichi Minato apologized and admitted that although the company was aware of the problem about six months before Shukan Bunshun reported it, it failed to disclose it. Minato said Fuji TV would investigate the case, but also said he believed his employees had done nothing wrong.

Fuji TV apologized for the trouble it had caused many advertisers and agencies, but declined to disclose details.

The latest issue of Shukan Bunshun, published on Thursday, quoted an unnamed Fuji female announcer as saying that senior company officials linked to the 2023 dinner had arranged other similar parties for Nakai and Fuji TV.

Fuji only publicly announced the investigation after one of its largest shareholders, Sunrise Management, criticized the company and demanded a full investigation and appropriate action. Rising Sun is a subsidiary of Dalton Investment, an American investment management company.

Japan's entertainment industry is in the midst of a wave of sexual assault cases, including mass abuse at the now-defunct talent agency Johnny & Associates managed SMAP and many other boy bands. In 2023, the company admitted that its late founder, entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa, sexually abused hundreds of boys and young men.