Streamer Addict Sets House on Fire in Suicide Attempt to Avoid Debt from Donations

A streamer-addicted man is being charged with arson after he tried setting fire to his apartment in a suicide attempt after racking up an exorbitant debt amassed through his habit of spending over 80,000 yen a month on streamer donations, and he now has more to pay due to the damage he caused.

In December 2021, a fire broke out in a two-story wooden apartment in Tokyo just after 3:00 a.m. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and rescued the unconscious 53-year-old office worker. At his first trial on April 24th, the man admitted to the charges in a muffled voice and explained that he set the fire using kerosene in an attempt to commit suicide.

The following excerpt is from the questioning of the defendant in court:

When did you start using the livestreaming app?

Around October 2020.

What made you start?

When covid started, I caught it after going out and eating out. I didn’t want to set a bad example at work, so I secluded myself. I was using my smartphone and came across the app.

Did you have any anxiety prior to the incident?

There was anxiety about not being able to stop using the app and also anxiety over running out of money.

What about any debt?

I felt pain when my debt started piling up. I make about 250,000 yen a month. Rent (including parking) is 84,000 yen, phone bill (which includes me, my ex-wife, and my son) for 37,000 yen. In the months prior to the incident, I was spending 80,000 yen a month on the livestreaming app, and my savings were dwindling.

What is this livestreaming app like?

You basically toss something like coins to the people that are streaming, and they are ranked based on that. It is kind of like the streamer’s salary.

And you were a devoted fan of one of them?

Yes, I really like people who sing, and I was a devoted fan.

What was it that made them so appealing?

There’s a ranking among listeners, and those who throw a lot (of coins) get ranked higher, and the streamers repeatedly call your handle name. That alone had become enough reason to live.

Is 80,000 yen a month of ‘donations’ considered a large sum?

Well, there are no limits to how much you can give, so there’s no limit.

You talked about being a devoted fan has given you a ‘reason to live,’ but could it also have anything to do with why you decided not to commit suicide?

No, well… it isn’t free. I want to quit, but I can’t.

Is there anything about your income that makes you worry?

When I was younger, there was overtime work, so depending on the month, I made enough to recover from squandering money. However, after corona, there’s been less work.

When you started the fire, didn’t you think about it being a danger to the other residents?

I’m sorry, but I was doing the best I could to kill myself, so I wasn’t thinking about others.

There are other ways to commit suicide, so why arson?

I own a few indecent items that I don’t want others to see, so I thought about burning everything altogether.

Items such as?

Such as DVDs.

Adult DVDs?

That is right.

Who were you trying to avoid from seeing those?

… my parents.

Japan is in another dimension, where a 53 year old acts as 20 years old.

!anime