Johnny & Associates Inc., one of the most powerful talent agencies in the country, is suspected of having pressured commercial broadcasting television stations to stop inviting three former members of popular boy band SMAP on their shows after they left the agency in 2017, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The Fair Trade Commission has warned that the agency might be in violation of the antimonopoly law, the sources said.

It is apparently the first case of a talent agency receiving a warning from the watchdog based on the law that deals with artists who change agents.