JAPAN - A former member of popular male pop group Johnny's Jr. has been arrested on suspicion of swindling unemployment benefit.

According to Metropolitan Police Department sources, Yuta Enomoto, 28, was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly defrauding a total of about 600,000 yen in unemployment benefit from August through November 2007 in conspiracy with former restaurant employee Kazuki Nishida, 37, and others. Nishida has been indicted on similar charges.

The pair allegedly submitted a fabricated certification of Enomoto's "jobless" status to a public employment agency in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, claiming he had been fired from a company with no actual business operations.

Enomoto has admitted to the charges, the police said.