Japanese police investigate suspected arson and murder at cake shop
An emergency caller reported a stabbing and petrol being sprayed at Sunrise, where two bodies were found and another person was confirmed dead after being taken to hospital.
- Police in Gifu, Japan, are investigating a fire at a cake shop as a suspected case of arson and murder.
- The incident resulted in the deaths of three people, with an emergency caller reporting a stabbing and gasoline being sprayed before the fire.
- The blaze occurred after business hours while 11 people, including the manager and acquaintances, were present for a gathering.
- Investigators believe one of the three deceased individuals, a 70-year-old man, may have been involved in the incident.
Three people died in a cake shop fire in central Japan, during which an emergency caller reported a stabbing and petrol being sprayed, local authorities said.
The Gifu prefectural police department is investigating the incident on suspicion of arson and murder.
The blaze began at Sunrise in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, at about 9pm on Saturday.
The caller, who was at the scene, told police: “Someone was stabbed. Gasoline was sprayed, and a fire broke out.”
The shop was no longer open for business, but 11 people were present, including manager Satomi Sono and acquaintances.
Investigators are considering whether a problem arose during a gathering involving Sono and former classmates.
Hiroshi Hayashi, a 70-year-old man and corporate executive from Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, was among three people taken to hospital and was confirmed dead there.
Investigative sources said he may have been involved in the incident.
Two bodies were also found at the scene.
Sono, 66, and a 65-year-old man from Mizuho were the other two people taken to hospital; their conditions were unknown.
Officers have contacted the remaining six people and are asking them about the circumstances.
The blaze burned approximately 300 square metres of the two-storey, steel-framed mixed-use building before it was extinguished about three hours later.
The property is in a residential area about one kilometre south-west of Kitagata Makuwa Station, operated by Tarumi Railway Co. Sunrise’s website says the shop has an eat-in area and is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
