Tetsuya Komuro, one of Japan's most successful record producers, announced in a press conference on Friday that he will be retiring from the music industry. Komuro, who turned 59 in November, is one of the founders of the pop/rock band TM NETWORK.
Komuro's announcement follows Thursday's publication of the weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun, which printed a report of an alleged extramarital relationship between Komuro and an unidentified woman. Komuro has been married to singer Keiko since 2002 and was divorced twice previously. His wife suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2011 and has been recovering since.
In the press conference, Komuro denies the allegations of infidelity but said that he decided on his retirement as a result of the attention around Shukan Bunshun's article. Komuro's management office declined to comment on the article and indicated they have left the response up to Komuro.
Considered one of the most influential Japanese musicians in the 1990s, Komuro has written hit songs for stars such as Namie Amuro and Ryoko Shinohara. His first composition for an anime title was for the soundtrack of the 1985 anime film Vampire Hunter D. He also composed the theme song of Street Fighter II Movie, sung by Shinohara, which sold over 2 million copies according to Oricon.
In 2008, Komuro was arrested for alleged fraud when he tried to sell the copyright to his music to an investor despite having sold them to another party. Komuro admitted to the fraud and was subsequently convicted, serving three years out of the original five-year sentence. Upon release, he returned to writing music for artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki and SMAP.
Source: Asahi Shimbun Digital, Oricon
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