Three bodies were recovered from two adjacent houses that were gutted by fire early Saturday in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, police and firefighters said.
The Toyooka police said the houses belonged to Satoshi Wada, 57, a newspaper delivery man, and the four other members of his family. Three of the five were missing and the bodies recovered were likely theirs, the police said.
The three are Wada's father, Takichi, 93; mother, Kane, 83; and eldest daughter, Mika, 19.
Police said Wada's wife, Yoko, 52, sustained burns to her face and arms. Wada was not home at the time of the fire. Firefighters were alerted by a call from a neighbor at around 4 a.m.