Patient says he can’t forgive alleged arsonist in deadly Japanese clinic fire, Reuters

Author: Kiyoshi Takenaka

OSAKA (Reuters) – The perpetrator of the alleged fire at a psychiatric clinic that killed 24 people at a psychiatric clinic in Osaka, Japan, cannot be forgiven.

“I can’t forgive the person who did this,” a 20-year-old patient at the clinic told reporters gathered at the scene, refusing to register.

“I want everyone responsible to pay for the crime according to the law,” he said.

The mourners placed bouquets of flowers and beer and water offerings on an improvised table in front of the building, which was covered in blue plastic sheeting and guarded by police.

“I wanted them to be something warm,” said a 34-year-old caretaker, who placed a can of coffee on the table.

“I prayed that such an event would not happen again,” he said, as he shed tears.

The fire broke out Friday morning after a man carrying a bag of liquid entered the clinic and caught fire after being placed next to a heater and kicked, a police spokesman said.

The 61-year-old man was a patient at the clinic and is in critical condition at the hospital, the NHK public channel reported. NHK reported that the fire was less than 30 minutes before the man’s home was turned on.

In 2019, a fire at an animation studio in Kyoto killed 36 people and injured dozens. A fire in a building in the Kabukicho entertainment district of Tokyo in 2001 killed 44 people.