Man turns self in over pachinko parlor fire

OSAKA (Kyodo) A man turned himself in at a police station in Yamaguchi Prefecture Monday night saying he was responsible for a fatal pachinko parlor fire last weekend in Osaka, police said.

The man was identified as Sunao Takami, 41. He was taken into custody on suspicion of arson and murder. Further information, including why he ended up in Yamaguchi Prefecture, was not immediately available.

A man sprayed liquid believed to be gasoline on the floor of the Cross-Nikoniko pachinko parlor in Konohana Ward at around 4:10 p.m. Sunday and set it on fire.

The blaze left four people dead and 19 people injured.

A witness said he saw a man who appeared to be in his 30s hanging around the pachinko parlor shortly before the fire broke out with a gasoline can in his bicycle basket.

The parlor was located on the first floor of a commercial building.

The four victims were identified as Kenichiro Nakama, 69, Yaeno Takasu, 62, Haruko Goto, 72 and Mai Nobuhara, 20.

A plastic bucket that was apparently used to spread the gasoline was found in the charred interior.

According to investigations by police and firefighters, the fire was highly likely to have been caused by gasoline. Witnesses said flames engulfed the shop interior with incredible speed.

The way pachinko machines were arranged on the floor also helped the fire become fatal, they said.