The clip uploaded by Logan Paul, which had millions of views on YouTube before it was taken down, showed the vlogger and his friends discovering a dead body in Aokigahara Forest - which is known to be a frequent site of suicides.
Writing on Twitter, Paul, who has more than 15 million subscribers on YouTube, said his intention was to "raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention".
He wrote: "This is a first for me. I've never faced criticism like this before, because I've never made a mistake like this before. I'm surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I'm still a human being. I can be wrong."
The 22-year-old from Ohio added he "didn't do it for views" saying: "I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That's never the intention.
"I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it', I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am."
Online comments have called the video "sickening" with celebrities including Sophie Turner and Aaron Paul taking to Twitter to lash out on Logan Paul.
The Game Of Thrones actress called the YouTuber "an idiot" while Aaron Paul, who starred in TV crime drama Breaking Bad, told Logan to "rot in hell".
