Addicted to donating to Streamers, Man sets fire to House to escape debt
Addicted to donating to Streamers, man sets house on fire to escape debt and now he’s being charged with arson after trying to set fire to his apartment in a suicide attempt after racking up a huge debt on account of his spending habit more than 80,000 yen a month in donations to streamers.
In December 2021, a fire broke out in a two-story wooden apartment in Tokyo just after 3 am. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and rescued the unconscious 53-year-old office worker.
Little did people know what would unfold from there…
Addicted to donating to Streamers, Man sets fire to House to escape debt
At his first trial on April 24, the man admitted to the allegations in a hushed voice and explained that he had set the fire using kerosene in an attempted suicide. What you will see below is an excerpt from the defendant’s cross-examination in court:
When did you start using the live streaming app?
Around October 2020.
What got you started?
When the covid started I got it after going out and eating out. I didn’t want to set a bad example at work, so I isolated myself. I was using my smartphone and came across the app.
Did you have any anxiety before the incident?
There was anxiety about not being able to stop using the app and also anxiety about running out of money.
And any debt?
I felt pain as my debt started piling up. I earn about 250,000 yen a month. Rent (including parking) is 84,000 yen, phone bill (which includes me, my ex-wife and my son) is 37,000 yen. In the months before the incident, I was spending 80,000 yen a month on the live streaming app, and my savings were dwindling.
How is this live streaming app?
You basically throw something like coins to people who are streaming, and they are ranked based on that. It’s like a streamer’s salary.
And were you a dedicated fan of one of them?
Yes, I really like people who sing and I was a devoted fan.
What made them so attractive?
There is a rating among listeners, and those who play a lot (of coins) get a higher rating, and streamers repeatedly call their ID name. That alone had become reason enough to live.
Is 80,000 yen per month of ”donations” considered a large amount?
Well, there are no limits to how much you can give.
You’ve said that being a devoted fan gave you a ”reason to live”, but could it also have something to do with why you decided not to commit suicide?
No, well… it’s not free. I want to give up, but I can’t.
Is there anything about your income that you are concerned about?
When I was younger, I had overtime, so depending on the month, I earned enough to recover from my overspending. However, after corona there was less work.
When you started the fire, didn’t you think you would be a danger to other residents?
I’m sorry but I was doing my best to kill myself so I wasn’t thinking about others.
There are other ways to commit suicide, so why a fire?
I own some indecent items that I don’t want others to see, so I thought I’d burn them all.
Items like?
like DVDs
Adult DVDs?
Yes.
Who were you trying to avoid seeing this?
…my parents.
And that’s it. Addiction to anything is something extremely dangerous and this man is an example of what you need to be careful about. Having control of things is always something important in our lives.
Via: News Livedoor
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