Police still hunting arsonist 25 years after Kabukicho building fire killed 44

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are continuing their search for a suspected arsonist 25 years after a devastating blaze ripped through a Kabukicho commercial building, claiming the lives of 44 people in one of Japan’s deadliest post-war fires, reports NHK (Sep 1).

In the early hours of Sept. 1, 2001, a fire broke out near a third-floor stairwell in a multi-tenant building located in Shinjuku Ward’s bustling red-light district. Thick smoke quickly engulfed a third-floor mahjong parlor and a fourth-floor bar, killing 44 patrons and employees, primarily from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Tokyo police maintain a strong suspicion that the fire was deliberately set, but a quarter of a century later, the perpetrator remains at large.

Tokyo police are still hunting the arsonist responsible for the blaze that killed 44 persons in a Kabukicho building in 2001 (X)

Staggering death toll

The staggering death toll was directly linked to egregious safety violations by the building’s management. Fire doors, designed to close automatically to contain a blaze, were blocked by heavy signs and failed to operate. The narrow staircases—the building’s only escape routes—were rendered useless, cluttered with discarded televisions, lockers, and mounds of garbage.

In 2003, police arrested six executives connected to the building’s ownership company on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death. Five of the executives ultimately received suspended prison sentences, with the presiding judge blasting them for “prioritizing profit and completely neglecting safety management.”

First responders vividly recall a scene from hell. Takafumi Kawagoe, 54, a member of the rescue squad that night, remembered the heat being so intense that melted metal dripped from the ceiling like liquid. When firefighters finally breached the upper floors, they found victims piled on top of each other near exhaust windows, desperately trying to escape. Some of the dead were still clutching their mobile phones.

On Sunday evening, a memorial was held at the site of the former building. Over the years, the number of grieving relatives attending has dwindled, and recently, 74-year-old Yasuko Ueda has been the lone family member to appear. Ueda, whose daughters Aiko, 26, and Ayako, 22, perished in the fourth-floor bar, laid flowers and offered 4,400 hand-folded paper cranes to mourn the victims.

“When I see news about objects still being left on building stairways today, it makes me furious,” Ueda said. “It seems the tragedy has been forgotten. Building owners need to think about human lives, not just profits.”

Despite the 2001 tragedy sparking strict amendments to the Fire Services Act, negligent owners continue to flout the law. Inspections conducted by the Tokyo Fire Department last year on approximately 3,500 commercial buildings in the capital’s entertainment districts revealed that nearly 20 percent—687 buildings—still had illegal obstructions blocking stairwells and fire doors.

Authorities have pledged to expand their inspections to crack down on malicious violators and prevent a repeat of the Kabukicho massacre.

Published in Crime , News and Tokyo

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东京（TR）——据NHK（9月1日）报道，东京警视厅仍在继续搜寻一名涉嫌纵火犯。25年前，一场毁灭性的大火席卷了歌舞伎町的一栋商业大楼，造成44人死亡，这是日本战后最致命的火灾之一。

2001年9月1日凌晨，新宿区繁华的红灯区一栋多租户大楼三楼楼梯间附近发生火灾。浓烟迅速吞噬了三楼的麻将馆和四楼的酒吧，造成44名顾客和员工死亡，主要死因是一氧化碳中毒。

东京警方一直强烈怀疑这场火灾是人为纵火，但四分之一世纪过去了，肇事者仍然逍遥法外。

东京警方仍在追捕2001年歌舞伎町一栋大楼发生火灾、造成44人死亡的纵火犯（X）

惊人的死亡人数

这场骇人的死亡人数与大楼管理方严重违反安全规定的行为直接相关。防火门本应在发生火灾时自动关闭以控制火势，却被沉重的标牌堵塞，无法正常运作。狭窄的楼梯——大楼唯一的逃生通道——也因堆满了废弃的电视机、储物柜和成堆的垃圾而无法使用。

2003年，警方以涉嫌职业过失致人死亡为由，逮捕了与该大楼所有权公司有关的六名高管。其中五名高管最终被判缓刑，主审法官严厉斥责他们“唯利是图，完全忽视安全管理”。

救援人员至今仍清晰地记得那如同人间炼狱般的景象。当晚参与救援的54岁救援队员川越隆史回忆说，当时热浪滚滚，熔化的金属像液体一样从天花板滴落。当消防员最终突破到高层时，他们发现受害者们层层叠叠地挤在排气窗附近，拼命地想要逃生。一些遇难者手中还紧紧握着他们的手机。

周日晚间，在原址举行了追悼会。多年来，前来悼念的亲属人数逐渐减少，最近只有74岁的上田康子一人到场。上田康子的两个女儿，26岁的爱子和22岁的绫子，在四楼酒吧遇难。她献上鲜花，并敬献了4400只手工折纸鹤，以表达对遇难者的哀悼。

“每当我看到新闻报道说今天仍有物品被遗留在建筑物楼梯上，我就感到非常愤怒，”上田说。“这场悲剧似乎已经被遗忘了。建筑物业主应该考虑的是人的生命，而不仅仅是利润。”

尽管2001年的悲剧促使《消防法》进行了严格的修订，但疏忽的业主仍然继续藐视法律。东京消防厅去年对首都娱乐区约3500栋商业建筑进行的检查发现，近20%（即687栋建筑）仍然存在非法障碍物，阻碍楼梯和防火门的通行。

当局承诺将扩大检查范围，严厉打击恶意违法者，防止歌舞伎町大屠杀再次发生。

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