Tokyo police arrested on Sunday a third man over the death of freelance journalist Satoru Someya, whose body was found in Tokyo Bay in September, according to investigative sources.
Ryoichi Fujii, 34, who works at a locksmith company, was placed under arrest for allegedly abandoning Someya's body, the sources said.
A 31-year-old man with the surname of Kumamoto, an employee of another lock firm, was arrested Saturday, also for allegedly abandoning the victim's body, and a 42-year-old man who works in the lock industry was arrested for allegedly threatening Someya's acquaintances, they said.
The three suspects are believed to have had business ties.
Someya, who wrote under the pseudonym Kuragaki Kashiwabara, was apparently having problems with the trio over a book he wrote on the behind-the-scenes activities of the lock industry.
Police will look into the possibility of the suspects' involvement in Someya's death, the sources said.
Someya's body was found Sept. 12 near a pier in Koto Ward, Tokyo. His hands and feet were bound with rope and chains were wrapped around his upper body.
Before disappearing, he reportedly told his friends Chinese were after him and he feared for his life, according to the sources.