KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. (Kyodo) A 58-year-old woman in Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture, was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of arson leading to the death of her bedridden 91-year-old mother, police said.
Reiko Ishiyama, an employee at a nursing care facility, is suspected of setting alight a two-story wooden house in Nirasaki at around 8:50 a.m. Friday. She has indicated she was tired of nursing her mother, police said.
The suspect lived with her husband, Takashi Ishiyama, 59, and her mother, Katsu, who died about two hours later, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.
She admitted to the allegations under questioning by police, who confirmed finding oil reactions at the site. "I sprayed oil and started the fire," police quoted her as saying.
According to police, Katsu was alone at the time of the fire because Takashi had gone to work and Reiko left the house shortly before the fire was detected.
Katsu had been bedridden for the past few years.
Reiko has been working at a local nursing care facility for four years. One of her colleagues told police she had complained that nursing duties still awaited her at home after finishing work, according to police.