TOKYO (AP) — Masahiro Nakai, one of Japan’s top TV hosts and a former pop star, said Thursday he was retiring to take responsibility over sexual assault allegations that are part of a wave roiling Japan's entertainment industry and have triggered an avalanche of lost advertising at one of the networks where he worked.

Nakai’s decision came following reports that he engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with a woman that led to a settlement with the victim.

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.