2 Killed after Fire at Lawmaker Inoguchi's Tokyo Home

Tokyo, Nov. 28 (Jiji Press)--A fire broke out at the home of Japanese lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon, leaving two people dead, police said.

One of the two victims was confirmed dead after being sent to a hospital, while the other was found dead at the site of the fire, the police said.

Inoguchi, a 72-year-old member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, is believed to have been in the Nagatacho political district in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward for work at the time of the fire. Her second daughter was also not at home for work.

The fire burned about 150 square meters on the highest floor of the six-story building in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.

Inoguchi is an expert on international politics who served as Japanese ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament between 2002 and 2004. She was first elected to parliament in 2005.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]