TOKYO -- The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)'s first investigation division Jan. 24 arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of mutilating and abandoning the corpse of a woman he had allegedly been dating on Izu Oshima, an island south of Tokyo.

Sotatsu Yanase, a tatami shop owner in the town of Oshima, is specifically accused of damaging the body of Shizuka Takase, a 37-year-old Sapporo native, before abandoning her remains on Sanohama Beach in southern Izu Oshima -- the largest island in the Izu Island group -- between September and October 2024.

According to investigative sources, Yanase has reportedly admitted to the crimes, telling police, "Ms. Takase had died inside my house, and I became scared. I then mutilated her body near a warehouse where tatami mats are stored before disposing it at the beach."

The MPD has been searching Yanase's home and other locations since Jan. 22, and is currently checking whether there are any inconsistencies with his statements.

Takase had visited the town in the summer of 2019 and worked at a local eatery for about three years. During this time, she is believed to have met Yanase and began dating him.

In September 2023, Yanase consulted the MPD's Oshima Police Station about trouble surrounding their relationship. Takase left Izu Oshima shortly after, but is believed to have returned to the island several times to meet with Yanase. In May 2024, Yanase reportedly consulted the police station again about their relationship problems.

On Oct. 23 that year, a local resident found parts of a decomposed body on Sanohama Beach, including a thigh and spine. The bones had marks that looked like they were cut and burned.

The police, while checking the safety of island residents, discovered that Takase had gone missing shortly after visiting the island in September. DNA testing later confirmed that the remains were hers.

Takase had left Izu Oshima on Sept. 12, 2024, intending to travel to Okinawa. The morning before, she had connected to Yanase's home Wi-Fi and booked a ferry ticket to leave the island using her cell phone. Her whereabouts reportedly became unknown immediately after that.

The MPD is investigating the circumstances surrounding her death on the assumption that Yanase has information about the situation.

(Japanese original by Ayumu Iwasaki, Kengo Suga and Yuka Asahina, Tokyo City News Department)