Johnny Somali, real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael, was fined ¥200,000 by a Japanese court today for playing loud music at a gyudon (beef on rice) restaurant in Osaka last year. According to the indictment, he obstructed the eatery’s operations and interfered with staff’s work as he took a video on his smartphone while blasting out tunes at around 1:30am on September 12. Though he admitted to shooting the video, the Kick streamer claimed he didn’t play the music deliberately and that the audio came on automatically.
A few foreign influencers caused trouble in Japan last year
An Embarrassing Act
Ismael, who had been in custody prior to the trial, requested leniency. “It was an embarrassing act that inconvenienced employees and customers. I swear that I will never record or distribute any kind of video in the future,” he said. According to the prosecution, he was “acting arbitrarily because he wanted to please viewers.” Judge Yukie Yasufuku agreed, describing Ismael’s actions as “malicious,” adding that he could have lowered the volume immediately, yet chose not to.
The streamer known as Johnny Somali first made headlines in May of last year for harassing passengers on trains with comments like “Hiroshima, Nagasaki… we do again.” He was arrested for the first time in September for allegedly trespassing at a hotel construction site in Osaka’s Chuo ward a month earlier. A YouTube video shot by his accomplice, Jeremiah Dwane Branch, showed a masked Ismael shouting “Fukushima” at workers who asked him to leave. The charges against the two men were eventually dropped.
Nuisance Influencers
They weren’t the only foreign vloggers causing trouble in Japan last year. In October, YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou apologized to his followers after his video “I Travelled Across Japan For Free” annoyed locals. Part of a $10,000 challenge, he and three others traveled up and down the country without paying. As well as dodging train fares, Panayiotou begged for bus money and skipped the bill after eating breakfast at a five-star hotel. Another YouTuber known as Nightscape was also seen begging people for money.
