The deceased suspect in a deadly arson attack on a mental health clinic in the western Japan city of Osaka may have tried to commit so-called extended suicide triggered by a strong extrapunitive tendency, according to an expert.
Newspapers, including one reporting on the July 2019 deadly arson attack on a studio of Kyoto Animation Co., have been found at a home where the suspect in Friday’s arson attack on a building in the city of Osaka, western Japan, was believed to have been living, investigative sources said Tuesday.
An apparent plastic bottle containing a liquid that appeared to be gasoline has been discovered where the suspect is believed to have lived, according to the sources.
The Osaka prefectural police department said it released the name of the suspect even though it has yet to issue a warrant of arrest on murder and arson charges against the man because bereaved families wished to have the suspect identified.
Police suspect a 61-year-old male patient of starting a fire at a mental health clinic in Osaka that killed 24 people, investigative sources said Saturday.
Twenty-four people were confirmed dead Friday after a fire raced through a psychiatric clinic in an eight-story multiple tenant building in a bustling area of Osaka, with murder and arson suspected, police said.
In a lay judge trial, Presiding Judge Kentaro Iijima recognized that the defendant was in a state of insanity at the time of the incident due to a mental disorder, acquitting him of charges including murder.
It was also revealed that Princess Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, has been feeling unwell since around 2018 and had been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by what she described as psychological abuse of the couple and their families.
With the Tokyo Olympics attracting a lot of public attention in Japan, some people who are not interested in the Games, or sports in general, are feeling uncomfortable or even harassed.
According to a survey by the ministry, suicide was the second leading cause of death among Japanese nationals living abroad in 2019, following injury and illness. People living abroad especially could face the issue of loneliness and isolation, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a press conference on July 9, when the ministry’s project was launched. “We would like to make efforts to carefully listen to the voices of such people.”
Barrier Free Japan