News On Japan

'Johnny Somali' fined 200,000 yen for disrupting business, trespassing charges dropped

TOKYO - Kick Streamer 'Johnny Somali' has been slapped with a 200,000 yen fine for obstructing business by broadcast loud music from his phone in a gyudon restaurant in Osaka.

In his first trial last December, 24-year-old Ismael Ramsey Khalid denied intentionally playing loud music, saying, "While I admit to filming in the restaurant, the sound came on automatically."

His defense argued that the music was not played continuously by him but was triggered in response to viewer reactions during the live stream.

The prosecution claimed, "Selfish acts of self-promotion and rampant online distribution of bad behavior need to be punished." They emphasized the need for an appropriate sentence in light of a proliferation of nuisance acts broadcast on the internet.

In his final statement, Khalid expressed remorse, apologizing for the situation and vowing not to film and distribute videos of any kind in the future.

The Osaka District Court, in its ruling on January 10th, stated, "The defendant's action of filming inside a restaurant with other customers and playing loud music is malicious. He claims the music played automatically, but he could have turned down the volume immediately. His criminal responsibility cannot be overlooked," and thus handed down the sentence of a 200,000 yen fine.

A separate case involving trespassing on a construction site in Osaka was dropped.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.

A former dog breeder accused of failing to provide veterinary treatment to injured dogs at a facility in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, pleaded not guilty as her trial opened on October 7, saying she had raised the animals with affection.

Twin brothers have been arrested on suspicion of stealing copper roofing from a remote shrine in Kochi Prefecture, as police investigate a series of similar thefts reported at about 10 shrines across the prefecture since around September 2025.

New Year postcards for 2027 arrived at post offices across Hokkaido on October 6, with designs featuring sheep for the upcoming Year of the Sheep as Japan's traditional New Year card market continues to shrink.

The Tokyo District Court on October 6 fined television personality Dewi Sukarno, widely known in Japan as Dewi Fujin, 200,000 yen after finding the 86-year-old guilty of assaulting two women who worked for her agency, including a former manager.

A 20-year-old US Marine arrested over the robbery and killing of a woman at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, may have strangled her with the cord of a telephone installed in the room, investigators said.

Five boys aged 15 to 17 have been arrested on suspicion of robbing and confining a 17-year-old high school student in Akishima, Tokyo, after allegedly beating him with a baton, taking his cash and forcing him to travel around on motorcycles.

A 36-year-old Tokyo bar owner was arrested on October 5 on suspicion of abandoning the body of his 25-year-old girlfriend in a mountainous area of Miyagi Prefecture, with police also investigating whether he was involved in her death.