3 killed, 24 injured in Japan hostage blast

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 16, 2003

3 killed, 24 injured in Japan hostage blast

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Three people died and 24 were injured Tuesday in an explosion at an office in Nagoya after a man armed with a knife took eight people hostage, demanded unpaid wages and sprayed liquid around the office, firefighters said.

A massive explosion rocked the fourth-floor office of Nagoya-based courier company Keikyubin Co. at 1:10 p.m., only 10 minutes after seven of the hostages were freed. The suspect and the branch manager were in the office when the blast occurred.

The police identified the three victims as the 52-year-old suspect Noboru Beppu, the branch manager Kunio Yoshikawa, 41, and a police officer. Three other police officers were among four people who were seriously injured.

After the explosion, the entire floor was engulfed in flames and black smoke billowed from the shattered office, but the fire died down and was put out by 3:14 p.m.

The seven freed hostages were unharmed as they were on the third floor when the explosion occurred.

There were 31 staff members in the office at the beginning of the incident when Beppu is alleged to have barged into the office at around 10 a.m.

The suspect earlier injured Makoto Suzuki, 26, in the neck and hands with a 35-centimeter knife. He allegedly released 22 women and Suzuki, who was taken to a hospital, taking the eight remaining staff captive.

Beppu is believed to be a contract driver with the firm and was demanding unpaid wages from July to September, the police said. According to Keikyubin representatives, the hostage-taker demanded 250,000 yen, of which the July portion was scheduled to be paid on Saturday.

The police quoted Beppu as saying just before the explosion that he would ''set fire if he saw even one policeman.'' He had brought with him two 18-liter plastic containers, a knife and an archery bow into the office. The police believe he doused the office with kerosene from one of the containers and set it on fire.

Others were injured in the incident near the building, including Kyodo News reporter Kazuki Kii, 27, who suffered slight head injuries due to falling debris.

Keikyubin, established in 1986, is a franchise company that uses minivans and light vehicles for delivery. It has about 20 offices mainly in central Japan but also in Tokyo and Osaka. It recorded 6.6 billion yen in sales in the year ended in March 2003.

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