Police on Sunday arrested a 71-year-old man in Wakayama on suspicion of attempting to burn his 40-year-old son to death.
Akihiro Kusaka asked a neighbor at around 10:15 p.m. to call the police and tell them that his father had set him on fire.
When Kusaka got into his car at home, his father, Noriaki, splashed an unidentified liquid over his body from the passenger side and then set him on fire using a cigarette lighter, according to the victim's account. It is not clear whether the father was inside the car or threw the liquid from outside the vehicle through an open window or door.
Akihiro Kusaka suffered extensive burns, the police said.
Noriaki Kusaka, who, police said, works in the "transportation business," fled the scene but later went back home, where he was arrested.
He is being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
The site is in a residential area located about 3 km northeast of Wakayama City Hall.
The police have yet to establish a motive for the attack.