A 58-year-old woman was arrested Monday on suspicion of intentionally torturing her 64-year-old neighbor by playing loud pop music almost 24 hours a day between November 2002 and last March.
Miyoko Kawahara apparently made a hole in her back door to ensure that the racket from her portable stereo would reach the neighbor's house in the town of Heguri, Nara Prefecture, police said. The two homes are about 6 meters apart, they said.
The sonic onslaught caused the neighbor to suffer insomnia and headaches. The elderly woman needed a month of medical treatment to recover, prompting police to investigate the case, they said.
Kawahara has refused to discuss any possible motive, they said.
She has been in conflict with her neighbors over noise for about nine years, police said.