A Sapporo doctor and his daughter were arrested Monday on suspicion of decapitating a man earlier this month in a city hotel and then leaving with the head, local police said.
Police are trying to determine a motive, as well as the relationship between Osamu Tamura, 59, his daughter Runa, 29, and the victim, identified as 62-year-old Hitoshi Ura, who was found naked and headless in the bathroom of a hotel room on July 2.
The police believe Runa Tamura and Ura were acquainted but have declined to say whether the two suspects have pleaded guilty to the allegations.
An autopsy of the victim revealed that the cause of death was hemorrhagic shock caused by blood loss from stab wounds, while Ura's head was cut off with a blade and taken from the scene.
Ura and another person checked into the hotel in Sapporo at around 10:50 p.m. on July 1, with the other person leaving alone at about 2 a.m. the following day.
The person who accompanied Ura was small, wearing light-colored women's clothing and a wide-brimmed hat when entering the room, but dressed in black upon leaving, according to investigative sources.
Ura's body was discovered later on July 2 by a hotel worker who went to check the room after becoming suspicious when he had not checked out by the afternoon.
The incident occurred in the Susukino area of the city where many short-stay, so-called "love hotels" are located.