Tatsuya Ichihashi, the only suspect in the 2007 murder of a British woman, was arrested Nov. 10 after managing to elude police for 2 1/2 years.

Tatsuya Ichihashi, his head covered, is escorted by police through a mob of reporters at JR Shin-Osaka Station on Nov. 10 during his transfer to Tokyo. KYODO PHOTO

The 30-year-old Ichihashi was apprehended in Suminoe Ward, Osaka, and taken into custody at Suminoe Police Station, where his identity was confirmed through fingerprints. He had altered his appearance with cosmetic surgery.

Ichihashi was sitting on a bench in a ferry terminal where vessels depart for Okinawa. A person who saw him called police, leading to his arrest.

Ichihashi was later taken by bullet train to Tokyo. He was to be transported to the main police station in Gyotoku, Chiba Prefecture, where he was to undergo questioning.

Technically he is wanted on a charge of abandoning the body of English teacher Lindsay Hawker, but police are investigating his possible involvement in the murder itself.

The case attracted widespread public attention after Ichihashi, who media reports once suggested had killed himself, was identified in the Osaka area despite undergoing plastic surgery on several occasions.

He escaped from police officers when they visited his apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in March 2007. Hawker's body was later found inside a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony.

Police distributed fliers and offered a ¥10 million reward for information leading to his whereabouts.

Hawker's family visited Japan several times to ask for help in resolving the case, but no significant progress had been made during the last 2 1/2 years.