“I Couldn’t Take It Anymore”—Inside the Impulse That Led a Nursery Teacher to Set the Facility on Fire

An orange light coming from the second floor of the nursery school

On the morning of October 21, a woman appeared from the Soka Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police, escorted by officers. Her long hair, slightly brown at the ends, was tied back in a single ponytail, and her rounded facial features appeared gentle. Why did she set fire to the nursery school where she worked?

On October 19, the Yoshikawa Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested nursery school teacher Sayaka Imanari (31) on suspicion of attempting to set fire to the nursery school where she was employed. She was arrested on suspicion of unlawful entry into a building and attempted arson of a non-inhabited building. According to police, around 10:20–10:25 p.m. on the night of October 18, she entered Yutaka Nursery School in Matsubushi Town, Saitama Prefecture, her workplace, and attempted to start a fire.

“Around 10:30 p.m. that same night, a nearby resident reported, ‘When I looked outside, I saw an orange glow coming from the second floor of the nursery school.’ When firefighters rushed to the scene, parts of the carpet in the first-floor staff room and the second-floor library were burned. The front entrance door was unlocked, and based on the security camera footage, police identified the suspicious woman leaving the scene as Imanari and arrested her. Because the crime lasted only about five minutes, investigators believe it was a planned act.

Imanari reportedly worked at this nursery school for 10 years. She has admitted to the charges, saying she had grown tired of the human relationships. Police are also investigating possible conflicts among staff.” (Social affairs reporter)

Imanari, who said she committed the crime due to being worn down by human relationships, is not alone. Many arson cases occur with perpetrators citing stress as the motive. As recently as July, an employee of a neighboring company set fire to the management office of the popular street-legal go-kart business in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, saying, “The sound of the go-kart engines was loud and stressful.”

That same month, a man with no fixed address set fire to newspapers and other items under the Tokyo Monorail tracks in Ota Ward, Tokyo, saying, “My private life wasn’t going well, and I did it to relieve stress.” We asked Masafumi Usui, professor at Niigata Seiryo University Graduate School (social psychology), about the relationship between stress and arson.

What is the psychology of people who commit arson due to stress?

“There are various motives for arson, but one of them is that some people who feel strong stress in their daily lives set fires and experience a kind of exhilaration by watching the flames burn. When this becomes habitual, it may be diagnosed as arson addiction or pyromania.

Many people can relate to the feeling that breaking things relieves stress. For example, some people kick a shop sign out of frustration. Arson can, in some cases, fall into that same category of destructive behavior.

However, kicking the sign of a shop that’s open requires courage and physical strength. In contrast, arson can be done secretly by one person. A weak individual, wanting to destroy something or cause trouble for someone, may set a fire. Although it’s easy to do, arson—capable of reducing everything to ashes—is the most extreme form of destruction.” (Usui)

Because the suspect in this case set fire to her own workplace, Usui says revenge against her workplace or organization may also be a possible motive.

“To the suspect, it might have been a way of saying, ‘I’m this angry. I’m this hurt. Understand me.’ But the consequences of arson are far more serious than breaking a sign, and it is an extremely grave crime, on par with murder. No matter the grudge one holds, it is absolutely something that must never be done. Normally, one’s rationality suppresses such impulses, but when it can no longer be controlled, incidents like this happen.

If someone truly intended indiscriminate killing, they would go in during the daytime, pour gasoline, and set it on fire. They don’t have that level of intent, but driven by anger, despair, or sorrow—by a desire for others to understand their unbearable emotional wounds—some people commit arson as a way to release those feelings.” (Same source)

What kind of human relationships tormented Imanari remains unknown. In any case, arson at a nursery school—where unrelated young children could have been caught up in the incident—is something that must never occur.

“FRIDAY Digital” welcomes information tips from readers. Please send information through the form below or via our official X account.

Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips
Official X: https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit