Noisy neighbor charged in Japan

NARA, Japan, June 27 (UPI) -- A 58-year-old woman is on trial in Japan for allegedly trying to inflict harm on her neighbor by blasting music on her CD-player.

Miyoko Kawahara is accused of causing her 64-year-old female neighbor to suffer from headaches, dizziness and a sleeping disorder by playing loud music for almost two and one-half years, Mainichi Shimbun reported Monday.

Kawahara admits to playing the music but denied playing it so loud that it was unbearable. "It's true that I made the sound, but I don't think it was a loud sound," Kawahara said Monday in Nara District Court. She is also accused of pushing her neighbor in the shoulder.

Prosecutors say Kawahara had been unhappy with her neighbor since 1989, when the woman failed to come by to say hello after moving in. She allegedly started harassing the woman by shouting in a loud voice.

Kawahara's lawyers say her actions were not responsible for her neighbor's medical condition.