Police on Saturday arrested a man on suspicion of abandoning the body of freelance journalist Satoru Someya, who was well-known for his stories about the activities of Chinese crime gangs in the capital's Kabukicho district and was found murdered in Tokyo Bay in September.
The police said the suspect is 31 and works in the lock industry, which Someya had written about after the recent rash of lock-picking burglaries in Tokyo. A 42-year-old man, who also works in the lock industry, was also arrested the same day on a charge of threatening acquaintances of Someya.
The police are also questioning a 34-year-old employee of a different lock company about possible involvement.
The reporter was at odds with the 42-year-old man and others over work focusing on secret information about the lock industry, as well as debts incurred from his publishing. Someya, 38, was writing under the pseudonym of Kuragaki Kashiwabara and authored a book entitled "Kagi no Seisho" ("The Key Bible").
The police said the 42-year-old man repeatedly phoned Someya's acquaintances after his body was recovered, telling them they were not involved in the crime.