The headless body of a man has been found at a hotel in Sapporo on Japan's northernmost main island, with police continuing to search Tuesday for a person seen entering the victim's room with him.
The victim was also found naked, and police believe both the head and the clothes were taken away by the person of interest in a bid to prevent identification of the body, according to investigative sources.
The victim, whose body was found Sunday, was identified by investigators on Tuesday as Hitoshi Ura, a 62-year-old resident of the city of Eniwa, situated south of Sapporo.
Security cameras at the short-stay "love hotel" caught the two entering the premises at around 10:50 p.m. Saturday and the person of interest leaving the room alone at around 2:00 a.m. Sunday with a suitcase and a backpack, according to the sources.
The person was small and wore a large brimmed hat and women's clothing when entering the room, but was wearing black attire when leaving, they said.
An autopsy of the victim revealed that the cause of death was hemorrhagic shock and that his head was severed after death.
The police suspect that Ura was killed inside the bathroom, where his body was found by an employee on Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred in downtown Susukino where many love hotels are located.
A man in the neighborhood expressed shock Sunday, saying, "I have lived in this area for about 15 years, but I have never heard of an incident like this."
