SAKURA, Chiba -- A former nonprofit organization (NPO) head has been arrested for molesting an elementary school girl during a ski tour it organized for children, police said.

Keiji Miyashita, 72, former president of Sakura Kodomo Sports Network, stands accused of indecent assault. He admitted to the allegations, police said.

"I fondled the girl while she was asleep," he was quoted as telling investigators during questioning. Investigators are grilling Miyashita over allegations that he molested other girls.

The NPO has declined to comment on the incident. "We've apologized to the victim and her family. We'll not comment further on the case," a spokesman for the organization said.

Miyashita fondled the 11-year-old, sixth-grader who was participating in a ski tour it organized for children at a hotel in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, in the early hours of March 27, local police said.

Miyashita resigned as president of the NPO the following day, and the victim's parents reported the incident to police in early April.

Miyashita, a former professor at Juntendo University, founded the NPO in February 2003 as a sports club for children. It has about 60 members.

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