Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno is calling out YouTubers for causing trouble after Johnny Somali was arrested for allegedly trespassing during a Kick broadcast.
The streaming world has been alight with controversy in recent weeks with Kick streamer Johnny Somali causing disturbances in Japan, much to the frustration of locals and other streamers.
In the past few months, Somali had been attacked for racist outbursts directed towards locals and even harassed Twitch streamer Meowko after running into her.
Now, following his arrest at the hands of Japanese police, Cabinet Secretary Matsuno has weighed in on the controversy.
Streamers urged to stop “invading privacy and causing nuisance” in Japan
At a press conference in late September, Cabinet Secretary Matsuno discussed the controversy and expressed his belief that streamers should refrain from, “invading privacy and causing nuisance.”
While the official believes that streamers should have a right to broadcast, the trouble IRL streams have caused for non-streamers made him speak out.
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Video of Kick streamer Johnny Somali allegedly trespassing on a construction site and harassing construction workers https://t.co/wSEMSzDMXE
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) September 22, 2023
“Of course, we must ensure the freedom of YouTubers and other broadcasters, but within that, we must not violate the privacy of others or cause nuisance. Naturally, you must refrain from doing so,” he said.
Matsuno further added that the police should respond accordingly with this policy whenever privacy is infringed or someone is causing a nuisance.
Since being arrested live on stream for allegedly breaking into a construction site, Johnny Somali has remained inactive on Kick and hasn’t posted to Discord.
It’s still not clear what he has been charged with, but trespassing in Japan can result in three years in jail. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the controversial streamer and if a trial looms.