TOKYO—A disgraced composer once hailed as Japan’s Beethoven apologized Friday for lying about his career but stood by his claim that he was partly deaf.
In his first public appearance since the scandal broke in early February, Mamoru Samuragochi said at a packed news conference in Tokyo that “I am truly sorry for the trouble I caused with my lies.”
The 50-year-old had been known for penning highly acclaimed symphonies, and the story of a composer who remained dedicated to his art even after losing his hearing had captivated media.
But his elaborate facade came tumbling down after another man came forward in early February to say that he had actually composed most of Mr. Samuragochi’s works. The ghostwriter, Takashi Niigaki, also claimed that in their meetings over an 18-year period, Mr. Samuragochi appeared to have no problems with his hearing.
Mr. Niigaki, who has taught at Japan’s renowned Toho Gakuen School of Music, said he stepped forward after years of subterfuge because one of the compositions was about to be used by Olympic skater Daisuke Takahashi at the Sochi Olympics.
During Friday’s 2½ hour news conference, Mr. Samuragochi offered his apologies to Mr. Takahashi, as well as his fans, record company and publishers.
“I want to apologize to each and every person to whom I caused trouble with my lies,” he said.
Previously described by his promoters as a 21st-century Beethoven, Mr. Samuragochi acknowledged in written statements last month that he had Mr. Niigaki compose music for him over the years. He also said that over the past three years he had regained some of his hearing.
In the ensuing media frenzy, Mr. Samuragochi’s flamboyant image, complete with sunglasses, beard and long mane of hair, became a staple of Japanese television.
But Mr. Samuragochi looked like a completely different person Friday. With the beard gone and hair shorn back, a sheepish Mr. Samuragochi bowed repeatedly in apology to around 300 reporters in a crowded room with dozens of television cameras airing the news conference live.
He said he had given up his physical disability certificate for deafness, but remained resolute on the controversy over his hearing ability.
“In most circumstances I cannot properly hear spoken conversations,” he said. A doctor’s diagnosis distributed at the news conference said that Mr. Samuragochi wasn’t deaf under law, but suffered from “sensorineural hearing loss,” a form of hearing loss caused by an impairment of the inner ear. A sign-language interpreter accompanied Mr. Samuragochi while he answered questions from reporters.
At a news conference last month, Mr. Niigaki described himself as Mr. Samuragochi’s “accomplice” and said he wrote more than 20 pieces for him over the years, including his most famous work, Symphony No. 1 “Hiroshima.”
“Since the day I first met him 18 years ago, I’ve been writing music for him,” the ghost composer said, adding that he never felt Mr. Samuragochi was deaf.
Mr. Samuragochi said some of the statements Mr. Niigaki made about him weren’t true, and said he planned to sue him for libel after consulting with his new lawyer next week. Mr. Niigaki couldn’t be reached for comment.
Mr. Samuragochi’s promotion agency had said he was taught the piano from the age of 4 and mastered Beethoven and Bach pieces by the time he was 10.
Mr. Niigaki has said Mr. Samuragochi could only play introductory level piano, a claim Mr. Samuragochi has admitted as “generally correct.”
The agency had said he began experiencing migraines and hearing difficulties when he was 17, and eventually, after going through “hard times,” began composing music for videogames.
In 2001, Mr. Samuragochi told Time magazine that going deaf was like a “a gift from God.”
Mr. Samuragochi’s tale has captivated media, leading Japanese national broadcaster NHK to air a documentary last year showing Mr. Samuragochi visiting Japan’s northeastern coast and meeting survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. NHK apologized, saying it should have checked the story more carefully.
Mr. Samuragochi said Friday’s news conference would be his final television appearance.
Write to Alexander Martin at alexander.martin@wsj.com
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