"Let Us Sleep"... The Source of the '80-Decibel' Noise That Tormented Neighbors for 7 Years

Japanese Man in His 60s Arrested for Bodily Harm
Playing Electric Guitar and Blasting Radio

A Japanese man in his 60s was arrested by police after disturbing his neighbors with loud electric guitar playing and blasting the radio day and night for over seven years, causing them to suffer from insomnia and depression.

About 40 seized electric guitars. Japan MBSNEWS YouTube

According to Japanese media such as the Mainichi Shimbun, a 61-year-old unemployed man, identified as A, residing in Nishikyo Ward of Kyoto City, was arrested on July 23 on charges of causing bodily harm by consistently generating loud noise at his home and impacting the health of nearby residents.

From June 2019 to July 2026, A is accused of playing radio broadcasts and electric guitar at high volumes in his home, causing four nearby residents to experience symptoms including insomnia, depression, and tinnitus.

While A admitted to making noise with the radio and guitar, he denied having any intention to cause harm to his neighbors.

According to local police, A placed the radio near his window, kept the window open, and played it 24 hours a day without interruption. He is also reported to have played the electric guitar from early in the morning until evening.

The police believe that A has been repeating this behavior since around January 2017. The noise level measured by police at the scene exceeded 80 decibels, which the Mainichi Shimbun described as similar to the noise inside a subway car.

Police conducted a search of A's home and seized more than 40 electric guitars.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.