Overview
- The lay-judge trial of former resident Koji Inoue opened on Monday, Oct. 5, and he pleaded not guilty, saying "I am not involved."
- Prosecutors told the court they will argue the fire was deliberate based on burn-pattern analysis and tests and will seek murder convictions by proving 未必の故意, a legal theory that the accused accepted the possibility people could die.
- The indictment says the May 7, 2017 blaze began after an entry through an unlocked first-floor door and ignition with a gas-torch-like device in front of a first-floor toilet, killing six men aged about 55–84 and injuring others who escaped.
- Defense lawyers say there is no direct evidence linking Inoue to the scene, note he lived in the building for only about one month a year earlier, and argue he had no motive to set the fire.
- The court scheduled up to 18 sessions through Dec. 3 with a verdict set for Jan. 14, 2027, making the coming hearings the key moments for testing the prosecution’s circumstantial and forensic case.