A fire broke out late on September 5, 2026, at the Sunrise cake shop and residence in Motosu city, Gifu prefecture, central Japan, killing three people in a suspected arson and stabbing incident [1, 2, 3]. The two-story building, about 300 square meters in size, combined the cake shop with a residence [3, 4].
At around 9 p.m., a woman reported a stabbing and that gasoline had been spread to ignite the fire inside the building [1, 2, 3]. The blaze lasted about three hours before firefighters extinguished it [2, 3]. Nearby residents heard loud explosive sounds and saw large flames shooting up from the site [5]. One local witness said, "We heard several loud explosive sounds around 9pm and then saw flames shooting up from the building" [5].
Two bodies were found inside the building and a third injured person later died in hospital, raising the death toll to three [1, 3, 4]. They include the 66-year-old female shop owner, Satomi Tsumano, and two men, including 70-year-old funeral company executive Hiroshi Hayashi [3, 4]. Hayashi was found dead inside his car parked outside the building rather than inside the fire site [6].
At the time, 11 people gathered inside for a reunion of middle school classmates celebrating the shop's 20th anniversary [2, 3, 4]. Police suspect one attendee was involved in stabbing and spreading gasoline to start the fire, and are investigating the case as murder and arson [1]. Gifu Prefectural Police said, "The police suspect that one of those present at the gathering may be involved in the stabbing and arson incident and are investigating the case as a murder and arson" [1].
The shop owner was a member of the Gifu Western-style Confectionery Association and was not known to have enemies. A cake shop association official said, "The shop owner was not someone who made enemies and did not show any signs of abnormal behavior when last met" [3]. The fire caused severe damage, with the roof collapsed and large areas charred black [3, 4].
Police continue probing possible motives, including interpersonal disputes among those present [1, 3]. The building was closed for business at the time but the group stayed inside for their gathering [1, 3].
Three others injured in the incident remain hospitalized [1, 2]. Authorities have not released details about suspects or arrests. The investigation into the cause and circumstances of the stabbing and fire remains ongoing [1].
