KYOTO - A 61-year-old unemployed man has been arrested after allegedly subjecting a quiet Kyoto neighborhood to years of relentless radio broadcasts and amplified guitar music, leaving nearby residents with sleep disorders and other health problems.
Kazunori Yokoi is suspected of repeatedly creating excessive noise at his home in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward between 2019 and July, causing injuries including sleep disorders among people living nearby.
Police said complaints and emergency calls from residents had been received since around 2017, but the disturbance grew steadily worse in recent years.
Yokoi allegedly positioned a radio so that it played toward the street around the clock and began blasting electric guitar through an amplifier from early in the morning. Officers recorded noise levels of up to 80 decibels, comparable to the sound of a train passing nearby.
"The music was hard rock," one resident said. "The radio was also playing 24 hours a day, and some residents began complaining of poor health."
Yokoi has admitted producing the noise but denied that his actions caused any injuries, according to police.
Source: YOMIURI
