TOKYO (TR) – A 40-year-old man in custody on suspicion of arson claims he did not start a fire at an apartment building in Ota Ward, instead claiming to police that he only visited an adult-entertainment business inside, reports TBS News (Feb. 20).
At around 1:30 a.m. on February 6, Masaru Saito, a company employee, allegedly entered the basement garbage area of the apartment building, located in the Kamata area, and started the fire.
The blaze was extinguished shortly after it started, and there were no injuries in the incident, police said.
After an examination of security camera footage shot at the building, Saito became a person of interest for police.
During questioning, he denied the allegations. “I only visited a fuzoku business located inside the building,” the suspect was quoted in referring to a commercial sex establishment. “I do not recall starting a fire.”
About 20 minutes after the incident, the cover of a bicycle was set on fire about 400 meters away in another suspected arson case. Police are investigating whether Saito was also behind the other fire.
