Nakai Masahiro, a TV star who was a member of the former Japanese popular boy band SMAP, announced his retirement on his fan club website on January 23.

The announcement came following Nakai's written apology on January 9, admitting that he had "troubles" with a woman but had reached an out-of-court settlement as reported in a tabloid in December 2024.

His appearance has been cancelled on five TV programs and one radio program that he was regularly featured in.

He said on the website that he made the announcement after he terminated contracts with his sponsors, TV and radio programs.

He said he was extremely sorry for all the troubles and the damage he had caused, and that he holds accountability.