Kaohsiung backs Japanese rice ball seller over landlord dispute

Kaohsiung, April 21 (CNA) The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) has invited a Japanese rice ball (onigiri) vendor and his Taiwanese wife to open a stall in one of the city's metro stations after a video of their landlord smashing items outside their store earned them widespread sympathy.

KRTC said it contacted the couple and offered to take them to Zuoying, Kaohsiung Main and Formosa Boulevard stations on Monday to evaluate potential sites for a stall, in what the company described as a gesture of "friendship and support between Taiwan and Japan."

Meanwhile, Chang Yen-ching (張硯卿), head of the Kaohsiung City Department of Administrative and International Affairs, said the city is also offering the couple a spot in the cafeteria of its administrative center, if they are interested.

The Japanese-style rice ball shop, located in Gushan District and run by a 60-year-old Japanese man surnamed Higuchi and his Taiwanese wife, became the focus of public support after their landlord was caught on camera knocking over and smashing items outside the storefront on Friday.

Chang (張), Higuchi's wife, told reporters on Sunday that her husband was moved to tears by the community's response to the incident, with crowds lining up to purchase rice balls and messages of encouragement flooding in on social media.

Chang said they are still searching for a new business location and are currently handling court proceedings related to the dispute, which she said had caused them emotional stress and business disruption.

According to the Kaohsiung City Police Department, the altercation involved the 62-year-old tenant Chang and the 59-year-old landlord surnamed Shao (邵), who accused the shopkeeper of placing items in unauthorized areas and filed a theft-related complaint.

The police said the couple later filed a countersuit for property damage and a minor injury said to have occurred when the landlord kicked a chair that struck Higuchi.

"Ms. Shao is suspected of having been emotionally agitated, pushing over tables, chairs, flower pots, and other items," the police said.

On Monday, Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Huang Jie (黃捷) visited the store to show her support, writing later on Facebook that the shop represented the "sincerity of Taiwan-Japan friendship."