TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A popular onigiri shop in Kaohsiung attracted media attention after a landlord smashed the restaurant’s flower pots over a lease dispute on Friday.

The 60-year-old Japanese owner, Higuchi Kazuo (樋口和), reportedly injured his foot due to the damaged flower pots as his Taiwanese spouse looked on. The landlord was also upset that the restaurant moved a water dispenser to a first-floor public space, per UDN.

After the media reported the incident, crowds of customers began visiting the establishment on Qinghai Road in Gushan District to express support. The restaurant allegedly was in the middle of a three-year lease, with the landlord seeking to double the rent due to its successful business.

He Shih-chang (何世昌), CEO of Xinchuan Real Estate Think Tank, said that as a Kaohsiung native, he felt ashamed over the landlord's actions. He said the landlord is liable for the destruction of property and is compelled to honor the lease agreement.

He said a lease agreement cannot be terminated unilaterally, and should the landlord feel the rent is too cheap, there are three courses of action: renegotiate the contract with tenant consent, terminate the lease and compensate the tenant one to two months' rent along with decoration costs, or file a lawsuit to prove the tenant has violated terms of the lease.

Based on previous lawsuits, courts rule that without specific language within a contract, public space falls within the scope of the lease. Therefore, the landlord will likely lose a dispute over moving the water dispenser out of the restaurant and into an adjacent public space.