Victims of Fire at Japan Lawmaker Inoguchi's Home Identified

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)--The two victims of a recent fire at Japanese lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi's home have been identified as her husband, Takashi, a University of Tokyo professor emeritus, and first daughter, police said Sunday.

The fire occurred Wednesday at the apartment of Inoguchi, 72, a member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but the possibility of a crime is low, and it is suspected to be accidental, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The identities of the 80-year-old husband and the 33-year-old daughter were confirmed through DNA analysis, with the cause of death attributed to the fire.

The fire is believed to have begun in or around the reception room in the center of the home, but the exact cause remains difficult to identify due to the intensity of the blaze.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]