A 60-year-old man was arrested for murder on Tuesday, after he allegedly stabbed a 49-year-old woman who worked at the snack bar he ran in Tsuru City, police said.

Police were called to a municipal-run apartment building in Tsuru City at about 4.30 a.m. Tuesday, after a resident complained of people arguing on the ground floor outside the building. Police rushed to the scene and found Harumi Inoue, 49, lying on the ground, bleeding from several stab wounds to her back. She was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.

Koichi Kato, 60, a former enka singer and owner of the snack bar, was tracked down Tuesday evening in Kanagawa Prefecture and was arrested for murder. Police said he has admitted to stabbing Inoue and they are questioning him for motive and further details.

An acquaintance of the woman told police that Kato and Inoue had been drinking with three other people at the bar and another establishment, before the pair got into a taxi and left the group.