GIFU - Three people died and two others were injured in a suspected arson and stabbing at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, where the 66-year-old female owner had gathered with nine former junior high school classmates on September 5, with police investigating whether a 70-year-old company executive who was apparently not invited to the gathering was involved.
The incident occurred at the cake shop Sunrise in Motosu.
Police received emergency calls at around 9 p.m. on September 5 reporting that "someone has been stabbed" and that "gasoline was poured and there is a fire."
Footage believed to have been taken shortly after the fire started showed flames and large amounts of smoke rising from the building.
The blaze was extinguished about three hours after the emergency call, and the bodies of a man and a woman whose identities have not yet been confirmed were found inside.
Autopsies showed that the man died from blood loss after being stabbed in the abdomen, while the woman died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
Investigators also found several knives in the burned remains of the building.
A third person, identified as 70-year-old company executive Hiroshi Hayashi of Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, was found inside a vehicle parked outside the shop wearing almost no clothing. He was taken to a hospital but later died.
Two other people were injured in the incident.
The building combined the cake shop with the residence of its 66-year-old female owner.
Local residents described the shop as popular and known for its wide variety of cakes. One person said the owner worked hard making many different kinds of cakes, while another said customers traveled from some distance because the products were well regarded.
An acquaintance of the owner described her as considerate toward neighbors, saying that when the shop held events she would visit nearby homes to apologize in advance for the additional traffic, hand out sweets and arrange security guards.
"She was a genuinely kind person," the acquaintance said. "The cake shop was popular locally and everyone used it. There had never been anything that made you think something like this could happen."
According to investigative sources, the shop had closed for business when the fire broke out, and the owner was inside with nine people who had attended junior high school with her.
Hayashi, however, is believed not to have been invited to the gathering.
A person who knew both the shop owner and Hayashi said the two had been in a relationship for several years.
"They were probably a couple. I knew they had been seeing each other for years," the acquaintance said. "They were openly dating and their sons and daughters knew about it. But they said they would not get married because there were issues such as inheritance."
The acquaintance described Hayashi as ordinarily friendly and generous, saying he sometimes told people to keep the change when he was in a good mood.
"He was a normal, good person," the acquaintance said. "He was very generous. He is currently the neighborhood association chairman, so he looked after people very well."
Police suspect Hayashi may have been involved in the incident based on the circumstances in which he was found and other evidence.
Investigators have searched Hayashi's home and are continuing efforts to determine exactly what happened before the stabbing and fire.
Source: FNN
