Crime & Courts

Wakayama Couple Arrested on Suspicion of Arson

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Wakayama prefectural police headquarters

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:34 JST, January 16, 2023

WAKAYAMA — A couple living in Wakayama has been arrested on suspicion of arson, after the body of a man believed to be their son was found in their burned home.

Police are investigating the identity of the body and the circumstances of the man’s death.

Tsubasa Maeda, 36, and his wife Shiho, 50, are suspected of setting fire to the living room on the first floor of the two-story wooden house just before 6 p.m. Saturday. They have admitted to the charges, according to the Wakayama prefectural police.

The suspects, who lived in the house with their son, told police that they argued over money. They said the husband spread kerosene on the floor and the wife set it on fire, after which they escaped from the home.

However, their son, who was on the second floor at the time, is believed to have failed to get out, according to the police.