TOKYO, March 12 (RIA Novosti) - A court in Kofu on Thursday sentenced a Japanese man to five years in jail for setting on fire a hotel where his wedding was to be held, local media reported.

Tatsuhiko Kawata, 40, was convicted of arson as he spilled about seven liters of gasoline in the hotel in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, in October 2008 and damaged about eight square meters of the hotel's property, japantoday.com said.

No one was injured in the incident but some 150 people staying at the hotel were evacuated.

Kawata, who had been a married man since 1994, dated the other woman for about three years and promised to marry her. He told police he wanted to postpone his wedding ceremony until he decided on which woman to choose.

However, police believe he was attempting to conceal the fact he was married.

In Japan, wedding ceremonies can be held before a marriage is officially registered.