GIFU - Police are investigating whether a dispute between a 70-year-old man and the female owner of a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, was connected to a murder and arson case that left three people dead and two others injured during a middle school reunion.
Hiroshi Hayashi, 70, of Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, died from burns over his entire body after he was found in the driver's seat of a vehicle in the parking lot of the cake shop Sunrise in Motosu on September 5.
Police also found a portable gasoline container and several knives inside the shop, which doubles as a residence.
Police announced that the two bodies recovered from the burned building had been identified as Tatsuya Fukuda, 66, a self-employed resident of Motosu, and Mayumi Horibe, 65, a part-time worker who also lived in the city.
A person who knew Fukuda described him as gentle and said he had often been seen playing with his grandchildren at a nearby park. "He seemed like a kind person. I am shocked," the person said.
The female owner of the shop had organized a reunion with nine former middle school classmates on September 5. The gatherings had reportedly been held for about nine years.
The other reunion participants are believed not to have known Hayashi, and Hayashi had not been invited to the gathering.
According to investigators, Hayashi arrived at the shop later, left the venue once and then returned. The fire broke out after he came back.
A neighbor of Hayashi described him as considerate and generous. "He once brought me a cake or macarons. It was quite a stylish way of thanking someone for his age. He was very conscientious," the neighbor said. "When five or six of us ate at a Chinese restaurant, he paid for everyone."
Police believe there may have been some form of trouble between Hayashi and the shop owner and are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the attack and fire.
Source: CBC
