Kanagawa Prefectural Police admitted Thursday they failed to respond appropriately to a stalking-murder case in which a 20-year-old woman was found dead at her former boyfriend's home in Kawasaki in April.

In a review report, police acknowledged organizational problems, saying the initial response was inadequate and the response system had been ineffective.

"We take very seriously the grave consequence of a women being murdered, and we apologize for our inappropriate response," Kaoru Wada, chief of Kanagawa police, said at a news conference Thursday.