A 27-year-old man is in police custody after dismembered human remains were found in his apartment in the city of Zama, about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo, the English-language Japan Times reported.
The suspect, Takahiro Shiraishi, is reported to have confessed to killing and dismembering nine individuals.
“It’s true that I tried to hide the bodies of the people I killed to destroy evidence,” Mr. Shiraishi said, according to a police statement cited by the Japan Times.
Mr. Shiraishi was tracked down by investigators looking into the disappearance of a missing 23-year-old Tokyo woman who apparently wished to enter a suicide pact with another person, having tweeted she was “scared of dying alone,” the Japan Times reported. The woman’s brother reported her missing to police on Oct. 24, three days after last speaking with her.
Police will conduct DNA tests to conclusively identify the victims, the website reported.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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