A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after he suddenly slapped a woman in her 20s who was walking past him on a street in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, at night last month, sources close to the investigation said.
The Metropolitan Police Department suspects the man also attacked women on the street around the same time, and believes seven women in total may have been victims. All of them were women.
The sources did not give the date of the attack or say how the man was identified. NHK reported the arrest on Friday.
Attacks without warning
According to the sources, the woman was struck with an open hand as she passed the man on the street. The slap came without any prior exchange, and the man did not appear to know her.
Police are investigating whether the other suspected attacks followed the same pattern. No information has been released on the ages of the other women or on where the attacks are thought to have taken place.