TOKYO — YouTube said Thursday it has punished well-known blogger Logan Paul over a video that appeared to show a body hanging in a Japanese forest that is said to be a suicide spot.

The company said in a statement that it has removed Paul's channels from Google Preferred and will not feature him in the new season of the web series "Foursome." It said his new video blogs are also on hold.

Paul earlier announced he was stepping away from posting videos "to reflect" following an outcry when he uploaded images of the apparent body and his reaction to finding it in the forest.

YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner, the company says. It issued a "strike" against Paul's channel for violating its community guidelines after the posting.

The video was viewed some 6 million times before being removed from Paul's YouTube channel, a verified account with more than 15 million subscribers.

A storm of criticism followed despite two apologies, with commenters saying Paul seemed disrespectful and that his initial apology was inadequate.

Google Preferred's advertising program aggregates top YouTube content for advertisers to buy time on them.