IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police have arrested a 47-year-old man for allegedly coaxing his girlfriend to start a fatal fire during a quarrel at their residence in Koga City, reports TBS News (Mar. 31).
At around 12:50 a.m. on Sunday, Kazuhiro Hirata, a company employee, poured kerosene from a heater on the body of his Masako Tsuyama, a 46-year-old part-time employee, and the floor of the two-floor residence, located in the Nakada area.
“Go ahead, start the fire and die,” Hirata is alleged to have said in instigating Tsuyama. She then used a lighter to set the carpet on fire.
After the incident, Hirata tipped off emergency services. Personnel arriving at the residence found Tsuyama in a state of cardio pulmonary arrest in a toilet on the first floor. She was then transported in a hospital where she was confirmed dead, according to the Koga Police Station.
Hirata, who was not hurt in the incident, was later accused of instigating arson in an inhabited building. “[My girlfriend] used the lighter to start the fire,” the suspect was quoted by police in denying that he instigated her.
Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.
