A month after the shocking revelation by his ghostwriter, the supposedly "deaf" composer Mamoru Samuragochi apologized Friday for deceiving people with his lies.

However, the 50-year-old from Hiroshima Prefecture flatly denied composer Takashi Niigaki's claim that he is not deaf, saying he is preparing to sue Niigaki for defamation and will meet a lawyer next week.

Without his trademark sunglasses or a cane to walk with, short-haired Samuragochi — often dubbed a modern Beethoven — appeared in front of hundreds of reporters in Tokyo, saying he "swears to God to tell the truth."