Scenes featuring a Japanese comedian in a program to be aired by Nippon Television Network Corp have been cut following a media report alleging he grabbed a woman by the arm to force her to go to a hotel in 2015, the broadcaster said Saturday.

Takayuki Kinoshita, one half of comedy duo TKO, has admitted to taking the woman to a hotel but denied coercion. The revelation comes as Japan's entertainment industry has been hit by a string of sex scandals involving well-known TV personalities.

Nippon Television decided to cut the 53-year-old comedian's scenes from its program following a media report on the woman's allegation.

Without naming Kinoshita, the woman, a YouTuber, recently wrote on the X social media platform that a comedian grabbed her arm after she refused to go to a hotel following a meal.

Kinoshita took to his YouTube channel on Thursday, saying in a video that while he did invite the woman to go to a hotel, he had no intention of forcing her. He apologized if the woman felt she was coerced.

Broadcasters have become increasingly sensitive to sexual assaults in Japan, with TV host Masahiro Nakai and comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto embroiled in sexual misconduct scandals.

Nakai, who was a member of the former pop group SMAP, has retired from show business, while Matsumoto has yet to resume his career.