News On Japan

14-year-old boy charged with setting fire to clothes in shopping mall

TOKYO, Dec 18 (News On Japan) - A 14-year-old boy who was frustrated with his grades at school has been charged in connection with fires last month that burned clothing on three floors of a shopping mall in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The boy, a resident of Miyamae Ward in Kawasaki City, was charged on the 22nd of last month for starting a fire in the "Marui Family Mizonokuchi" store, causing disruption to business operations.

According to police, two days before the incident, the boy shoplifted a lighter from a convenience store in Tokyo and used it to start the fire.

The boy turned himself into the police alone on Nov 27, saying, "I was irritated because my grades were not improving. I thought that setting a fire would imnprove my mood."

Source: ANNnewsCH

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