Osaka Arson Suspect Identified; Buildings to be Checked
Japanese police on Sunday identified a 61-year-old man as a prime suspect behind a fire that engulfed a mental health clinic in an eight-story building where he was a patient, killing 24 people trapped inside.
The government also announced plans to inspect tens of thousands of similar buildings nationwide. Authorities believe the massive death toll at the downtown Osaka building on Friday was largely because the fire made its only emergency stairway unusable.
Osaka police, which are investigating the case as arson and murder, identified the man as Morio Tanimoto. He is being treated in serious condition after he was rescued from the fire, police said. He has not been formally arrested or charged.
After verifying security cameras and searching his home, police said they suspect Tanimoto was responsible for setting fire to the mental health clinic, an official at the prefectural police investigation department told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Kyodo News said Tanimoto was a retired metal worker. His former employer at the factory where he worked 2002-10 described him as diligent and skilled. He quit without saying what he was up to, he said. Tanimoto trained at his father's sheet metal factory in Osaka after finishing high school, but left after his brother took over the business, Kyodo said.
"Nishi Umeda clinic for the mind and body" was on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in Osaka's bustling business district of Kitashinchi, and was known for its support for mental health at work.
Police searched Tanimoto's house Saturday and found the clinic's patient card.
Authorities are investigating how the smoke filled the floor so quickly that the victims became trapped. The fire that burned just 25 square meters of the floor near the reception was mostly extinguished within 30 minutes.
On Sunday, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yasushi Kaneko, who is also in charge of fire and disaster management, said he had instructed a nationwide inspection of about 30,000 commercial buildings with three or more floors but only one stairway.
Kaneko said many victims could not escape and died because the Osaka building's only stairway was not accessible due to the fire, and they lost their way out. He said the ministry will set up a panel of experts to discuss safety measures.
