"I'm not a criminal": Twitch streamer JOEYKAOTYK says all charges were dropped after Japanese police detained him for 35 days

IRL Twitch streamer Joey Khao, better known as JOEYKAOTYK, was recently released by Japanese police after being detained for over a month by the authorities for trespassing in abandoned areas of Fukushima. The site of the devastating nuclear accident was the subject of one of his livestreams from a couple of weeks ago.

As it turned out, he was detained by the police for trespassing on a restricted property with an urban photographer Michael Gakuran. The latter went with JOEYKAOTYK to film and explore buildings that were abandoned back in 2011 after a massive tsunami compromised the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The streamer's absence from social media for around 35 days raised quite a bit of concern among followers. Fortunately for them, a few days ago, the content creator tweeted that he had been released. More recently, after his Twitch ban was lifted, JOEYKAOTYK directly addressed a "misconception" about his time in Japan. Here's what he said:

"Let me clear the first misconception. I was never in jail. It was a detention center for investigation. Second, all charges are dropped. I'm not a criminal. All my charges are dropped. I am a free man. It just took a little longer than normal. My lawyer even said, 'It took way too long.' This case took way too long..."

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JOEYKAOTYK says charges against him have been dropped and that he will try to document Fukushima in the future with permission

JOEYKAOTYK also took to Twitter to talk more about his experience and explained that while the nuclear disaster a decade ago was quite dangerous, Fukushima is largely safe. He highlighted that his intention was to document the event's aftermath.

The Twitch streamer also apologized for the way he went about filming without proper clearance and asked for forgiveness from offended parties.

JOEYKAOTYK also revealed that he would be trying to film other parts of Fukushima in the future with proper permission from the relevant authorities. Here's what he said:

"I am very sorry for everyone who I offended and let down. There may be a potential opportunity that I’ll be working with local authorities as well as my lawyer to gain permission and explore other parts of Fukushima in a proper way without trouble. It would be a passion project coming in the near future."

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Fan reactions

Fans of the IRL streamer were very concerned after he essentially stopped having an online presence for 35 days. Here are some of the general reactions to his Twitter post, with many welcoming him back:

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As per JOEYKAOTYK's recent tweet, now that all charges have been dropped, the VOD of him exploring Fukushima, which was removed due to legal reasons, will be up on his channel for viewers to see.