A Japanese man has been arrested in Thailand on suspicion of raping and sexually harassing a number of boys aged between 13 and 15 in the country's northern province of Chiang Mai, investigators said.

The man, identified as Teruaki Matsubara, 49, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of having sex with a child under the age of 13 and sexual harassment of a child under the age of 15.

According to investigators, at least seven children under the age of 15 had been sexually harassed by Matsubara, with two of them also believed to have been sexually abused. However, it was not immediately clear how many of these cases the charges relate to.

At the time of his arrest, Matsubara was found sleeping in bed with two boys, although officers said at present it is unknown whether any offense had taken place.

Police also found child pornography in Matsubara's place of residence, including photos of him having sex with Thai boys, which he admitted belonged to him.

An investigation is now taking place to determine whether his behavior was linked to any commercial operations or agents.