Japanese comedian and TV personality Hitoshi Matsumoto dropped a 550 million yen lawsuit against publisher Bungei Shunju Ltd on Friday for defamation for reporting that he had forced women into sexual activities, both sides' lawyers said.

In a statement released by Matsumoto's lawyer, the celebrity acknowledged having joined gatherings attended by women in the past and said, "I would like to frankly apologize if any of the women who attended were offended or hurt."

As for the reason for withdrawing the suit, Matsumoto, 61, explained that he and the publisher "confirmed that there was no physical evidence to indicate there was coercion."

"I wanted to avoid placing any further burden on many people" in proceeding with the trial, he said.

The publisher said it agreed to withdraw the suit after Matsumoto's lawyer said the celebrity wants to publicly apologize to those who have been hurt and following discussions with the women.

Both sides said there were no monetary exchanges involved in the withdrawal of the suit.

According to the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine report released in December 2023, Matsumoto, in one particular incident, forced several women into sexual activities without their consent after dining with them at a Tokyo hotel.

Following the release of the report, Matsumoto, one half of popular comedy duo "Downtown," had said he would go on hiatus to focus on his trial at the Tokyo District Court.