Scenes featuring Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the pop idol group SMAP, were cut from a TV program aired Tuesday by Nippon Television Network Corp, the broadcaster said, amid magazine reports of an alleged incident involving a woman.

The broadcaster said it opted to edit out his scenes after a "comprehensive" review of the situation, adding Nakai, a 52-year-old host of the program, accepted the decision when Nippon Television Network informed him.

In December, some Japanese weekly magazines claimed Nakai was involved in trouble with a woman. He allegedly paid 90 million yen as a settlement to resolve the matter out of court. So far, no publications have elaborated on the details of the incident.

Following the reports, other networks have also decided to suspend Nakai's appearances, with some TV programs scheduled to be replaced later this month. All have declined to provide specific reasons, saying they will not answer questions about program lineups.

SMAP, whose name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People," was formed in 1988. The group gained popularity in Japan and across Asia before disbanding in 2016.