Police in Osaka have arrested a 42-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of fatally abusing his one-month-old daughter.

According to police, Shinji Miyata is accused of beating his daughter Mana about the head between 3:35 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. on Oct 13 at their apartment in Sumiyoshi Ward, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Police said Miyata has denied the allegation and quoted him as saying, "I'm not the type to use violence, and I would never kill a small child.”

Miyata called 119 after 7:10 p.m. on Oct 13 and said, "When I gave my daughter a bath, she stopped breathing." Mana was taken to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, but died the following day.

Police said an autopsy determined the cause of death was hypoxic encephalopathy caused by traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. The skull fracture was the result of a deliberate application of a considerable amount of force.

At the time, Miyata, his eldest son (1), and Mana were at home, but his wife was not there. She told police she had gone out and that at around 8:30 p.m., Miyata called her and said, "Mana is not feeling well, and she has been taken to a hospital.”

When Miyata’s wife returned home, she saw bruises on her son's face that were not there before she went out.

Police suspect Miyata had used violence against his son while his wife was away. They also said that during a search of Miyata’s home, marijuana plants were found, and he was rearrested on November 4th on suspicion of violating the Cannabis Control Act.