Japanese police negotiate with hostage-taker

An armed Japanese murderer was today holed up with a hostage for a second day at a construction company southwest of Tokyo.

More than 200 police surrounded the three storey building in Mishima and were trying to persuade Fumio Motohashi to surrender.

The 51-year-old carpenter has refused free his hostage, Kazuo Yoshida, who is believed to be an employee of the construction company.

Police have spoken to Motohashi every 20 minutes or so since the stand-off began yesterday afternoon.

He has told officers he killed a man with his handgun before going to the construction company.

He directed them to the site, where they found the body of an employee of a different construction company. Motohashi’s motives were not known, but police said he may have had work-related problems.

Motohashi frequently worked for a subsidiary of the Tani Construction, where he was holding the hostage, Japanese media said.