Fire in Akasaka Sauna Room Kills Two; Emergency Button Receiver Suspected Off When Fire Broke Out

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:41 JST, December 17, 2025

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have found that the power to the emergency button receiver was turned off in the office of a private sauna located in the Akasaka district, Tokyo, where a couple was killed after a fire broke out on Monday, according to investigative sources.

The emergency button inside the sauna room showed signs of having been pressed, leading police to believe the device may not have been functioning properly.

The fire broke out around noon on Monday in a private room at sauna shop Saunatiger, killing Masanari Matsuda, 36, who ran a beauty salon in Kawasaki, and his wife, Yoko, 37, a nail technician. The backrest and seating area of the sauna room were burned.

According to the investigative sources, the sauna room had neither inner nor outer doorknobs. It is believed the couple pressed the emergency button inside the room, and the cover over the emergency button was broken.

Emergency buttons are installed in each sauna room. When pressed, a receiver in the office detects the abnormality and indicates which room it came from. However, during the on-site inspection on Tuesday, the receiver was not turned on.

It is possible this was also the case on the day of the fire. The MPD is also conducting an on-site inspection on Wednesday to investigate the facility’s management status.