A fire early Sunday destroyed the residence of the late Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, one of the most prominent venues in modern Japanese politics and a place where Prime Minister Taro Aso spent some of his youth.
The blaze at the two-story, uninhabited building was largely brought under control by 9:36 a.m. and no one was injured, a police spokesman said. An investigation was launched to determine whether it was arson or an accident.
Kyodo News, quoting unnamed police officials, reported that an alarm bell went off to warn of a short circuit before a security guard phoned the fire in at 6:02 a.m. Police declined to comment on the report.