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Fire destroys former Japan prime minister's home
By YURI KAGEYAMA,Associated Press Writer AP - 2 hours 46 minutes ago
TOKYO - A fire destroyed the picturesque home of a former Japanese prime minister Sunday, and police said they were investigating whether arson or other foul play may be involved. No one was injured.
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The two-story wooden home of Shigeru Yoshida, which had been opened occasionally for sightseeing tours as a historical landmark, was gutted early Sunday in the seaside city of Oiso, in Kanagawa prefecture southwest of Tokyo, police said.
Yoshida is the grandfather of Prime Minister Taro Aso, who has seen his popularity plummet as a global recession batters the economy, fueling discontent among voters.
Yoshida served as prime minister in the late 1940s and '50s, steering Japan onto a path of economic growth and peace under a political and defensive alliance with the U.S., still the nation's most important ally.
Police said a security guard spotted smoke from the home's second floor and called the fire department. The cause of the fire was under investigation, they said.
Kyodo news agency, citing police officials, reported that an alarm went off indicating a short circuit problem. Kanagawa police declined comment on the report.
The home has a Japanese-style garden with sculpted trees and bushes, and a traditional-style gate with a curving roof. It also has old-style "tatami" floors and folding screens, as well as Japan's version of the 20th Century Western-style living room.
The house is now owned by major train company, Seibu Railway Co. It served as a place for historical meeting places for politicians. As a child, Aso also spent some time in the house. In 1979, then-Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira met there with then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
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