TOKYO — Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week arrested a man in his 50s for allegedly starting a fire in the middle of the world-famous “Scramble Crossing” in front of JR Shibuya Station.
Based on social media posts, the suspect carried out the crime to garner attention for a number of conspiracy theories.
The unnamed suspect, a Japanese national residing in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of obstructing traffic after turning himself in at the Shibuya Police Station approximately 30 minutes after the incident.
At around 9:00 p.m. on April 3, the man allegedly placed a cardboard placard on the street, poured liquid from a plastic bottle, and set it on fire before fleeing the scene. The cardboard reportedly bore a handwritten political message claiming, “Japan has been almost taken over.”
Security camera footage captured the suspect carefully observing the area just before the crime. He appeared near a guardrail holding the placard about two minutes prior to the incident.
Waiting patiently as throngs of pedestrians crossed the busy intersection, he finally made his move when the pedestrian signal turned red and the street cleared, stepping into the center of the road to spark the blaze.
Upon questioning, the suspect fully admitted to the allegations. Police are currently investigating the exact sequence of events and the underlying motive behind the incident.
Social media
According to posts on social media, the suspect is Kaoru Suzuki, who lives in Nagoya.
A supporter of the ultra-conservative Sanseito Party, Suzuki claims to be a backup dancer for J-pop idol Namie Amuro and an instructor at hip-hop academy in the capital.
On X, his posts on the day of the incident show his preparation.
レンタカー借りれなかったから
ダンボールに変更しました pic.twitter.com/yV0pYq8fhA— nottorisosi4 (@nottorisosi4) April 3, 2026
“I couldn’t rent a car so I switched to cardboard boxes,” he wrote in a post showing the cardboard sheet.
In addition to a sense of crisis regarding the “takeover of Japan,” Suzuki stated that he was being subjected to organized harassment.
Suzuki carried out the incident due to a sense of obligation.
“I cannot face the ancestors who sacrificed their lives to protect our country,” he wrote the day before the incident. “But I will try my best, on Friday or Saturday.”
He also believes that X is restricting his comments.
“I’m completely shadow banned,” he wrote on April 1. “I’ve been targeted. After posting about the Nanjing Massacre hoax or the Tongzhou Incident, and gang stalking, I stopped receiving any notifications at all.”
