KYOTO -- A 61-year-old resident of Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward was arrested on July 23 on suspicion of inflicting injury after allegedly exposing neighbors to years of loud electric guitar and radio noise, causing four people to suffer insomnia and other health problems.

The unemployed man apparently made noise every day, day and night, for more than seven years. Kyoto Prefectural Police issued him guidance and warnings, but the situation did not improve.

The man is specifically accused of playing radio broadcasts and electric guitar music at a loud volume at his home between June 2019 and July 2026, causing four nearby residents to develop symptoms including insomnia, depression and tinnitus. He has reportedly denied the allegation by telling police, "That is not true."

According to the prefectural police's Nishikyo Police Station, the man placed a radio by a window, left the window open and kept it playing 24 hours a day. He also played the electric guitar from early morning until evening.

Police believe he had repeatedly engaged in similar conduct since around January 2017. When officers measured the noise, it reached a maximum of more than 80 decibels, a level comparable to the inside of a subway train.

Officers from Nishikyo Police Station searched the man's home and other locations, seizing more than 40 electric guitars.

(Japanese original by Yuki Ohigashi, Kyoto Bureau)