HOKKAIDO (TR) – Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested two men, including the owner of a seafood processing plant, for allegedly setting fire to the facility earlier this year in a suspected insurance scam, reports STV News (Oct. 22).
Haruki Terada, of no fixed address, and Katsuyuki Yamada, a resident of Sapporo City, were arrested on suspicion of arson of a non-residential building.
The suspects are accused of setting fire to a single-story seafood processing company located in the Kitahamacho area of Monbetsu City in May 2025, causing significant damage to the structure.
According to police, the building was owned by Terada. At the time of the blaze, Terada himself made the emergency call, telling authorities, “Black smoke is rising” from the property.
Investigators suspect the arson was a calculated plot to fraudulently collect fire insurance money. Terada was already in police custody following a previous arrest for fraud, having allegedly staged a traffic accident in a separate attempt to scam an insurance provider.
Police are currently investigating the full motives behind the fire. Authorities have declined to reveal whether the two suspects have admitted to the arson charges.