The Hokkaido Prefectural Police said Thursday they will have an autopsy performed on a decomposed body believed to be that of a missing woman found the day before in a park in Sapporo.
The initial evidence indicates the body was left there in the past week.
The police suspect it is that of 25-year-old Kana Ito, of Atsubetsu Ward, Sapporo, who has been missing since May 4.
They said it will take a few days to get the results of DNA tests to identify the body, which was found lying face down and dressed only in underwear at the base of a tree in the park in Atsubetsu Ward.
The police said they did not find any belongings that could help identify the body.
Ito, who worked at a nearby nursing home, reportedly left her apartment early in the morning on May 4, saying she was going for a walk. About 20 minutes later she called her fiance and said "Help me! Call the police." Since then, the fiance was unable to contact her, the police said.