The site where a Hello Work staff member was set on fire on a street in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday morning (KOICHI UEDA/ THE ASAHI SHIMBUN)
NODA, Chiba Prefecture--A disgruntled, jobless woman allegedly doused a female staff member of a local Hello Work public job placement center here with flammable liquid and set her on fire Wednesday as she was walking to work.
The 40-year-old victim, a central government employee, was attacked near the Umesato Station of the Tobu-Noda Line. She was hospitalized with serious burns to her upper body.
Police arrested a 45-year-old woman who gave her name as Fan Yuping on suspicion of attempted murder. The suspect said she lived in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture.
Her nationality remained unclear.
Police, having received several calls through the emergency line that a woman was engulfed in flames, arrived on the scene to find the suspect sitting on the ground nearby with a lighter and a container that is thought to have contained gasoline.
The suspect told officers of the Noda Police Station: "I was in despair because I could not find a job. I intended to cover myself with kerosene and die as well, but the lighter didn't work."
The Hello Work staff member suffered severe burns to her upper body and throat and was in serious condition. She was conscious when she was taken to a nearby hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture.
According to the Chiba prefectural police, the victim worked to help jobless people find employment at a Hello Work office in Noda.
The suspect knew the victim and reportedly told police, "I hated her because she did not help me find a job."
The head of the Hello Work office said, "I did not think there were any problems that would lead to our staff members being hated."
A woman who worked at a hair salon near the crime scene said: "She came running to our shop screaming for help. Her back was on fire."(IHT/Asahi: July 9,2009)
Fonte Asahi
NODA, Chiba Prefecture--A disgruntled, jobless woman allegedly doused a female staff member of a local Hello Work public job placement center here with flammable liquid and set her on fire Wednesday as she was walking to work.
The 40-year-old victim, a central government employee, was attacked near the Umesato Station of the Tobu-Noda Line. She was hospitalized with serious burns to her upper body.
Police arrested a 45-year-old woman who gave her name as Fan Yuping on suspicion of attempted murder. The suspect said she lived in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture.
Her nationality remained unclear.
Police, having received several calls through the emergency line that a woman was engulfed in flames, arrived on the scene to find the suspect sitting on the ground nearby with a lighter and a container that is thought to have contained gasoline.
The suspect told officers of the Noda Police Station: "I was in despair because I could not find a job. I intended to cover myself with kerosene and die as well, but the lighter didn't work."
The Hello Work staff member suffered severe burns to her upper body and throat and was in serious condition. She was conscious when she was taken to a nearby hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture.
According to the Chiba prefectural police, the victim worked to help jobless people find employment at a Hello Work office in Noda.
The suspect knew the victim and reportedly told police, "I hated her because she did not help me find a job."
The head of the Hello Work office said, "I did not think there were any problems that would lead to our staff members being hated."
A woman who worked at a hair salon near the crime scene said: "She came running to our shop screaming for help. Her back was on fire."(IHT/Asahi: July 9,2009)
Fonte Asahi