Tokyo police have referred a livestreamer to prosecutors on suspicion of public indecency and disrespect for a place of worship after he exposed himself and clung to a stone monument at a burial mound in central Tokyo, it emerged on November 6.
The man, in his 30s and from Gunma Prefecture, is suspected of streaming footage of himself at the Masakado mound in Otemachi, Chiyoda Ward, at around 10 p.m. on August 19. He admitted the allegations and said he had wanted to meet requests from viewers, according to reports.
The Marunouchi Police Station referred the case to prosecutors. The mound is said to hold the head of Taira no Masakado, a Heian-era warlord, and is managed by a preservation society that had already consulted police about the incident.
Backlash and a brief streaming career
The footage was streamed on Kick, a livestreaming site, and drew criticism after it spread, with commenters calling it sacrilegious. The streamer belonged to a group of Kick broadcasters called the Kickers, which recruits members through auditions and ranks them from first to third team.
He joined the third team in July and reported his promotion to the second team on August 1. After the Masakado stream caused an outcry, the group announced he had been expelled and said Kick had banned him for 999 years.
He moved to Niconico Live after being shut out of Kick, and in September streamed footage of himself approaching comedian Ega-chan 2:50 during a YouTube livestream. Niconico Live then notified him that his use of the service was suspended indefinitely, according to reports.