TOCHIGI (TR) – Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested a 39-year-old doctor for allegedly setting fire to her residence in Oyama City, reports Fuji News Network (Jan. 8).
On the morning of January 3, Mizuho Suzuki allegedly set fire to the residence, which was undergoing renovation work.
Footage provided by the network showed flames shooting high from the first and second floors of the residence.
A fire crew extinguished the blaze about two and a half hours after it started.
Suzuki suffered injuries to her legs and her right hand in the incident. After the blaze was extinguished, her whereabouts were not known, police said.
“I used gasoline”
“It was certainly a little suspicious,” a male neighbor tells the network. “The renovation work ended [for the year] on December 30. It was unoccupied on December 31. Then the fire broke out at around 5:00 a.m. on January 3. What do you think was the cause?”
According to the website of the office representing Suzuki, she provides mental health counseling to corporate employees. She is also a member of the Japan Association of Job Stress Research.
The day after the incident, police began questioning Suzuki on a voluntary basis. “I used gasoline to start the fire,” she said in admitting to the allegations.
On Friday morning, Suzuki was in a wheelchair, her legs heavily bandaged and her head covered with a hood, as police loaded her into a van.
