Overview
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police searched the operator’s related offices and the store’s responsible manager’s home on suspicion of professional negligence causing death.
- Evidence indicates the sauna’s wooden door knob detached, leaving the latch engaged and trapping the couple inside.
- Investigators say the in-room emergency button showed signs of use, but the office receiver’s power was off, and the owner reportedly said it had not been switched on since he took over two years ago.
- Witness accounts and records point to recurring door hardware issues, including a possible parts replacement in April and repairs in at least two rooms.
- The cause of death remains undetermined, with hyperthermia or carbon monoxide poisoning under review, and bruising on the husband’s hand suggests attempts to force the stuck door.