A public park in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, is set to be shut down this month following complaints about noise for years from a single household in the neighborhood.

Aokijima Park in Nagano City was built in 2004 at the request of locals. It is located in a residential area with an elementary school, a childcare facility and a children's center.

City officials said a nearby household has been lodging complaints about the park since it opened. The household reportedly argued that many children were making a loud noise while playing there, and some damaged shrubs in the garden of the house when they entered the household premises to retrieve a ball.

The city changed the locations of the park entrance and play equipment, as well as the lights-out time to earlier hours. But complaints from the household continued, and the city decided to close the park by the end of December after obtaining consensus from neighbors.

The officials said they are sorry for the bitter decision but they failed to reach a settlement despite continued talks with the household.

The household told NHK that the living environment changed after the city built the park without prior consultations, and the children's center next to the house let 50 to 60 children play there at a time.

The household sought understanding on how they were feeling, saying that unbearable days continued. The household said letting children play freely is different from letting them do whatever they want.