Hiroki Narimiya, a popular Japanese actor recently alleged by a magazine to have used illegal narcotics, will retire from show business, his agent said Friday.

The agent said, however, that it could not confirm any such use by the 34-year-old actor through a drug test, and that retirement was his wish.

In a statement, Narimiya said he has been “betrayed by a friend I have trusted from the bottom of my heart” and that he can “no longer last, thinking that my privacy will continue to be exposed due to someone’s malicious intent.”

Narimiya is known for his role in the popular TV detective drama “Aibo” (“Partners”).

Friday, a weekly magazine published by Kodansha Ltd., said in an edition put on sale a week ago that the actor used cocaine and other illegal drugs at his home.