A US tourist has been arrested in Japan after police discovered the dismembered body parts of a missing woman in locations in two cities.

The head of the woman, who has not been identified, was discovered inside a suitcase in a room in Osaka which was rented by the American.

The man, identified in local media reports as Yevginy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, from New York, reportedly admitted he had abandoned the woman's body.

Officers on Monday found a torso and two arms in mountains near the city of Osaka and two legs in Kyoto, some 30 miles away.

The woman, identified in media reports as a 27-year-old office worker from Sanda City, is believed to have met the suspect on a dating app.


Image: Police leaving the building carrying items from the apartment

She reportedly told friends she was meeting an American tourist she had met online and was last seen when she left work on 15 February.

Her phone had gone dead and her family reported her missing on 17 February.

CCTV footage showed the woman and a man, believed to be Bayraktar, meeting in Osaka at around midnight on that day and entering a flat together.

TV station Kansai Telecasting reported that separate footage showed the man leaving the building alone multiple times between 16 and 18 February allegedly carrying a large bag.

Police said they searched the locations after being given information by the suspect.

An examination of the body parts is being carried out to identify the victim.