A foreign YouTuber has said he acted in self-defence after clashing with an elderly man who angrily asked him to stop livestreaming on a Japanese train.
Footage shows the streamer, identified as Kelton, filming himself while sitting in a seat reserved for elderly and pregnant passengers.
Speaking to the camera, he says he is trying to sit far away from the people, though he does not explain who he means.
As he continues streaming, an elderly passenger stands up from his own seat and walks over.
The man angrily tells him to stop streaming and appears to strike Kelton, who looks startled by the sudden contact.
The elderly passenger says something in Japanese before returning to his place.
Kelton reacts by giving a thumbs up and telling the man, ‘It’s okay.’ He also tells him there is ‘no volume’.
But shortly afterwards, the elderly man returns and confronts him again. This time, he appears to shove Kelton’s head.
The streamer raises his arm to block the contact and laughs toward the camera as the passenger walks back to his seat.
A further cut in the footage shows the elderly passenger approaching for a third time.
As he nears, Kelton says in English: ‘It’s okay,’ but when the man tries to touch him again, he pushes him into the seat opposite.
As the man turns away, the streamer shoves him once more and says: ‘Hey, stop bro. Don’t touch me bro.’
Another clip then shows the situation continuing. The streamer tells the man: ‘Stop, you know. But don’t punch.’
The man again steps closer, prompting Kelton to ask: ‘What is the problem?’ The elderly passenger replies in Japanese, though the exact words are unclear in the footage.
At that point, a third man, who has not appeared in the earlier clips, appears to tell Kelton to move seats.
He then leaves the priority section and complies with the request, telling his viewers that he is leaving the train.
Kelton later took to Instagram today to break his silence about the incident. He said: ‘Real context of what happened.
‘In Japan, people are really respectful and very good, and they are always very hospitable and calm, but unfortunately I had to live this experience traveling on a train in Fukuoka, and we shouldn’t generalize because Japan is a ‘sugoe’ country!!’
‘Both the other person and I acted badly, the gentleman for being rude to me and trying to hit me 3 times in a row and I for pushing him, I hope the context is clear and that I acted only in a defensive position and never to hurt anyone!’
While livestreaming in Japan is not prohibited in public spaces like trains, it is discouraged due to an expectation of quietness.
The video has since gone viral on social media with millions of views and thousands of replies.
While some side with the elderly man, others say he should not have touched the streamer to begin with.
