A man who has admitted fatally stabbing a neighbor has told police that he threatened the victim with a fruit knife and forced her into his apartment, police said.

Investigators are questioning Takanori Hoshijima, 33, a temporary worker from Tokyo's Koto-ku, over the details of how he killed his 23-year-old neighbor, Rurika Tojo, and mutilated her body.

Bloodstains found in his apartment match Tojo's DNA, investigators said.

Hoshijima, who is under arrest for trespassing, has told police, "I was going to intrude into Tojo's apartment and assault her, but she resisted, according to local police. "So, I took a fruit knife from her kitchen and forced her out at knifepoint."

Investigators earlier found that a fruit knife was missing from Tojo's apartment following the incident. They suspect that Hoshijima killed Tojo at his apartment after threatening her with the knife.

Hoshijima also told police that he dumped the head and leg parts of the victim after taking them out of his condominium, as well as that he put out parts of her body in the trash. He had earlier told police that he "mutilated her body into pieces and flushed them down the toilet."

Security cameras installed at the condominium do not show Hoshijima taking out a huge bag, so the Metropolitan Police Department suspects that he took out the parts of her body on multiple occasions to dispose of them.

Hoshijima also told police that he threw away the knife that he used to threaten her, and dumped her mobile phone and bag.

Hoshijima lived in a condominium two doors from Tojo's apartment.

Copyright 2005-2006 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Mainichi features the best news in Japan, current news in Japan, Japan news in English, Japan business news, Tokyo Japan news, and Japan entertainment news. Mainichi News is syndicated in accordance with editorial regulations: personal and noncommercial purposes.

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