A man and his two sons were found dead Tuesday in their house in Nemuro, eastern Hokkaido, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide.
Local firefighters received a telephone call at 9:30 a.m. from a woman saying children were lying bleeding in the home of Iwao Abe, a 45-year-old carpenter.
Rescuers and police who rushed to the house found Abe dead in the bathroom, and his two sons -- Yuta, 14, and Kenta, 11 -- dead in the living room. They were all bleeding from neck wounds.
Police are trying to determine the cause of death. The circumstances suggest Abe killed the boys and then slashed his own throat.
The woman who called police was Abe's ex-wife, who lives in a separate location, they said.
Neighbors said Abe lived alone with his two sons since his wife left last spring.
"Abe was a quiet man," one said. "I wonder what happened."