ISHIKAWA (TR) – An 80-year-old man set his wife on fire inside a vehicle in Kanazawa City on Friday, leaving her in serious condition, police said, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Jan. 18).
At 2:20 p.m., Masahiro Miyabara, of no known occupation, allegedly doused his wife, 79-year-old Masuko, with oil inside the vehicle parked on vacant land in the Onocho area before using a lighter to set her ablaze.
According to the Kanazawa-Nishi Police Station, Masuko was rushed to a hospital in an unconscious state with burns over the length of her body. The suspect suffered burns to his right leg.
During questioning, Miyabara, who has been accused of attempted murder, said the incident took place after they got into an argument. “I caused the burns, but I did not intend to kill,” the suspect was quoted by police in denying the allegations.
After the incident, a passerby tipped off police after seeing Masuko collapsed outside the vehicle. Officers arriving at the scene also found a metal gas can inside the vehicle.
Though married, Miyabara and his wife were living separately in Kanazawa, police said.
