Arson

Catching fire is caused not only by the carelessness of neighbors but also by arson. The number of arson has actually been increasing recently. Arson has been the top cause in all fires happening in Japan in the past couple of years. According to the latest data by the Fire Defense Agency, 22.2 % of 62,454 fire cases in 2000 were caused by combined arson and suspected-arson. This figure includes arson on houses and vehicles as well. Especially in urban cities, the occurrence of arson is conspicuous. In Tokyo, for example, 38.4% of all fires are seemingly caused by arson in the same year.

To take another look at the data of causalities, there were 2,034 people who died from fire in 2000. Being linked with the causes above, 37.3% or 759 people of all the annual death in fire was due to arson. The death toll, of course, includes those innocent people who were unfortunately involved in fire to death among them. It suggests that one of the main reasons for arson is a way of committing suicide or killing someone by fire. Behind the figures, there may also be a lot of injured people in fire who failed to commit suicide or attempt murders, although they are not included in the statistics.

The symbolic incidents have happened in recent years to prove that. For example ,there was a case in which a jewelry lady died from fire in her apartment room in 1993 in Kanagawa prefecture. According to the statement of her boyfriend living with her at that time, she sprinkled kerosene over her room and stabbed herself to the neck by a knife soon after setting a fire. The ex-boyfriend, who was witnessing her suspicious behavior throughout before his eyes, was not found guilty for murdering his ex-girlfriend in the criminal code. Eight years later, however, the supreme court finally ordered him to pay nearly a hundred million yen to her family by the civil code. As the court stated that he stabbed her neck and killed by arson, he was indicted again in the criminal code.

Murder arsonists aim at both killing their targets and vanishing evidence by making it appear as if there were a suicide by fire. To think of increasing innocent victims by arson, this is the most formidable crime.

As for another main cause, there are criminals who take delight in arson itself. They like seeing how people react to fire or how serious arson becomes on newspaper or something. In the today's situations that can easily satisfy people's desires, there are a lot of people who are looking for something exotic apart from ordinary life. It's not strange that some of them will choose arson to experience something exciting. This type of arson does not go as far as hateful murder arsonists, but it surely brings about serious incidents.

Additionally, there are also arsonists who choose arson as a way of releasing stresses. They take minds off worries by setting fire on something outside purposelessly. It seems to me that this arson has something to do with economic conditions. Especially when the economy is bad, there is a gloomy mood in general. Indeed there seems to have a connection between arson and the Japanese economic situations in recent years.