Burning buildings are seen in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Dec. 6, 2021. (Mainichi/Tatsuma Kasama)

       TOKYO -- A 57-year-old man was arrested on Dec. 7 for allegedly setting his home on fire and burning a total of 12 buildings in the capital's Koto Ward early on the morning of the previous day.

       The Metropolitan Police Department's Joto Police Station arrested unemployed Kazuichi Tokiniwa, who lived in the house believed to be the origin of the fire in the ward's Ojima district, on suspicion of arson to an inhabited structure. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations, and was quoted as telling police: "I lit newsletters and other items using a stove and left them on the first floor of my home. I was thinking of suicide."

       Tokiniwa allegedly set his wooden two-story house on fire at around 4 a.m. on Dec. 6, burning some 230 square meters of a total of 12 buildings including his home, surrounding residences and apartments. He presented himself to a nearby police box about 15 minutes after the fire broke out. He sustained a minor injury due to inhaling smoke and was transported to the hospital. He was arrested after being discharged on Dec. 7. No one else was injured in the incident.

       (Japanese original by Maki Kihara, Tokyo City News Department)

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