Photo/Illutration A late-night fire killed six people and gutted this wooden apartment building in the Shimizu 2-chome district of Kokura-Kita Ward in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. The photo was taken on May 8, 2017. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

KITA-KYUSHU, Fukuoka Prefecture--Prosecutors indicted a former tenant in a fire that killed six residents of a wooden two-story apartment building in Kokura-Kita Ward here seven years ago on two additional charges on Oct. 17.

The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office Kokura branch added murder and attempted murder charges against Koji Inoue, 56, in addition to the previous charges of arson of a building and trespassing.

Inoue, who is unemployed, was a former resident of the apartment building, which mainly housed construction and part-time workers. 

The Kokura branch hasn’t said if the suspect admits to or denies the charges. However, sources related to the investigation said he has been denying the allegations since his arrest.

According to the indictment, Inoue gained entry through the unlocked entrance of the first floor of the apartment building, which stood in Shimizu 2-chome district of the ward, at around 11:10 p.m. on May 7, 2017.

There were 16 tenants living in the building called “Nakamuraso Roku,” with 14 at home at the time.

The indictment said despite knowing that the residents could die, Inoue set the building on fire in front of a bathroom on the first floor using something like a gas torch.

The inferno burned about a 283-square-meter area, killing six residents and causing serious and minor injuries to five residents.

However, there were only indirect pieces of evidence for arson investigators to sift through.

But through video surveillance footage, prefectural police settled on a suspect years later and arrested Inoue on Sept. 26 on arson and trespassing charges. 

Meanwhile, prosecutors of the Kokura branch are believed to have decided to indict Inoue on the two new charges because they could prove Inoue’s “intentions."

Prosecutors believe that Inoue didn't care if someone died, since he knew the structure of the building after living as a tenant there the year before and that the fire was set near the entrance at night when residents might be sleeping. 

WHAT OCCURRED DURING PAST 7 YEARS

The investigative sources said police at the beginning believed the fire was likely an accident.

However, prefectural police discovered the presence of a suspicious person near the building on video footage from several security cameras.

The police also learned that the individual came in and out of Inoue’s home.

But there was no video footage that captured the moment of the start of the fire, so the investigation hit a deadlock for several years, a senior prefectural police official said.

Last spring, however, the investigation started proceeding again. 

Investigative sources said prefectural police increased the number of investigation staff and started to analyze video footage from about 70 security cameras, which were more than previously utilized. 

The analysis further clarified the path the suspicious individual took.

Prefectural police identified Inoue as the suspect, based on examination results from experts and other factors.

However, Inoue has continued denying the allegations.

“Evidence from the prosecutors has been not disclosed yet, so we cannot tell if there is any concrete evidence to prove his innocence,” one of Inoue's lawyers said. “But we will do our best to clarify the truth as lawyers during the trial.”

Related News