A lawyer for former popular television personality Masahiro Nakai has refuted a third-party committee's report that found Nakai committed "sexual violence" against a former Fuji TV announcer.

"There is an extremely big problem" with the report by the panel set up by Fuji Television Network and its parent, Fuji Media Holdings, the lawyer said in a statement on Monday.

The lawyer demanded that the committee disclose the evidence behind its report, which was released in March, by May 26.

According to the statement, the lawyer interviewed Nakai and reviewed documents, but "could not confirm that a violent and coercive sexual act typically associated with the Japanese term for 'sexual violence' took place."

The statement criticized the committee's report for "irresponsibly using language that conjures up an image of a violent crime."

Furthermore, the statement noted that although Nakai accepted a six-hour interview with the committee on March 9 despite a confidentiality agreement, the content of the interview was "barely reflected" in the committee's report.

The statement criticized the report for acknowledging facts based on hearsay evidence.

"The situation in which Nakai will continue to face undue social disapproval in the future due to the publication of a report that lacks neutrality and fairness should not be ignored," the statement said.

It noted that the action by Nakai's lawyer was taken from the perspective of protecting Nakai's human rights.

The sex scandal involving Nakai came to light last December following a weekly magazine report, and Nakai, who was a member of the popular disbanded male pop group SMAP, subsequently retired from show business.