Society

Man arrested for starting Shinkansen fire

Nov 08 (NHK) - Police have arrested a man on suspicion of starting a fire on a bullet train in Japan's southwestern region of Kyushu. No one was injured.

Officials say the individual claims to have been inspired by the attack in Tokyo last month.

The male passenger allegedly set fire to the floor of the Kyushu Shinkansen train shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday while it was traveling from Kumamoto Station to Shin-Yatsushiro Station.

The fire triggered an emergency alarm. The train stopped at Shin-Yatsushiro Station, where police arrested the man on suspicion of attempted arson.

Investigators say the suspect is Miyake Kiyoshi, a 69-year-old man from the city of Fukuoka in Kyushu. The incident has disrupted Kyushu Shinkansen services.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on Japanese trains that have been carried out in recent months. On Halloween, Tokyo police arrested a knife-wielding suspect, after he allegedly stabbed a man and started a fire on a moving train. Seventeen people were injured in that attack. Police and railway companies say they have stepped up security following the incident.

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