A man and a woman died after a fire broke out at a residence in Kitagami, Iwate Prefecture, early Saturday, police said.
Authorities suspect that the victims, who were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, were Toshiko Kikuchi, 86, and her 57-year-old son, Kenichi, the residents of the two-story wooden house. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.
According to the local police station and fire department, Toshiko Kikuchi and her son were the only residents of the house. A neighbor called 119 and reported that a fire had started at a boiler.