TOKYO - A 21-YEAR-OLD Japanese man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly dumping the body of a naked, unconscious five-year-old girl who was later confirmed dead, police said.

Police in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo arrested Ryo Katsuki on suspicion of abandoning the body of Yukimaro Narita on September 21 in a residential area of Togane, officials said.

But according to local media, police also suspect that the man killed the girl, who was found unconscious in the rain, wearing no clothes or shoes. She was later declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Police said Katsuki's fingerprints were found on plastic shopping bags containing the shoes and clothes of the victim, who they believe was choked to death.

The unemployed man, who lives near the spot where the girl was found, claimed he was innocent, police said.

Japan has one of the world's lowest crime rates but has witnessed attacks on children. -- AFP