The incident happened at around 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward.
Investigative sources say the two victims, both in their 60s, are court bailiffs who visited the apartment to carry out an eviction.
The room’s occupant, a man believed to be in his 40s, was arrested near the apartment. He had apparently accumulated unpaid rent.
The man is also thought to have switched on a portable stove during the eviction, igniting a fire that was put out.
