Hokkaido police searched for nearly a week for a missing 9-year-old girl before a tip around noon Sunday from a witness led them to a 26-year-old Sapporo man's apartment, where they found her safe that evening.

The man was questioned and taken into custody but apparently has a mental illness and may not face criminal charges. The police said Monday they withheld his name and also declined to identify the girl, whose apartment is only some 350 meters away from his.

When officers entered the man's apartment after a stakeout, they found the girl sitting at a table cutting paper for origami. She reportedly burst into tears and said she had been taped up earlier.