Fuji TV plans to establish a probe panel with lawyers as member to investigate whether there is a culture of using female TV presenters at the broadcaster to entertain male celebrities, amid rising criticism over the broadcaster’s handling of alleged sexual misconduct by former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai, media reports said Friday.

The media conglomerate’s president, Koichi Minato, announced the move in the firm’s first news conference since the allegations against Nakai came to light in mid-December. Nakai has admitted to "trouble" with a woman without elaborating on details due to a confidentiality agreement with her.

Fuji TV has been in hot water since, especially after Dalton Investments sent a letter this week saying it is “outraged” by the “serious flaws” in the broadcaster’s corporate governance in relation to its handling of the recent uproar sparked by Nakai. Dalton is a major shareholder of Fuji Media Holdings, the holding company of the Japanese media conglomerate.

“I sincerely regret not expressing my apology until now,” Minato reportedly said during the news conference.

The broadcaster, which has denied any involvement of its employees, held the news conference in a bid to address the firestorm.

But the news conference was restricted to media outlets in a specific press club with no livestreaming available, prompting further criticism from other media.

The allegations against Nakai were first reported in weekly magazine Josei Seven on Dec 19. According to the report, Nakai, a former member of boy band SMAP, was supposed to have dinner with a Fuji TV executive and a woman. But the executive backed out at the last minute, leaving Nakai and the woman alone. During this meeting, a “serious issue arose,” which led to Nakai paying ¥90 million to settle the case, the report said.

Minato said that he has no plans to disclose what took place between Nakai and the woman, citing privacy.

He declined to comment on whether a Fuji TV executive was involved in the incident, saying he will let the third-party panel investigate what happened.

Minato also failed to comment on another allegation by a separate female TV presenter who has since come out and spoken in an interview with weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, accusing the same executive of setting up an inappropriate meeting, disguised as a work drinking party, involving the solicitation of sex between her and male celebrities.

According to Nippon TV, the president said that its employees have the freedom to attend or decline drinking parties and get-togethers and that there is no workplace culture pressuring them to attend.