Teen Held On Schoolboy 'Decapitation' Attempt

A teenager has been arrested in Japan after the body of a schoolboy was found dumped on a riverbank with multiple stab wounds to the neck.

Police discovered the naked body of 13-year-old Ryota Uemura in undergrowth near the Tama River in Kawasaki last Friday.

The boy's neck had been hacked at repeatedly. A blood-soaked knife was found nearby.

The weekly magazine Shukan Shincho reported that the wounds indicated the killer, or killers, may have been trying to decapitate the boy.

His death follows the recent beheading by IS extremists of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.

"Some investigators suspect (the criminals) watched internet videos showing the execution of hostages by Islamic State fighters and sought to mimic them," the magazine said, quoting an unnamed source close to police.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that an 18-year-old boy has been arrested by Kanagawa Police on suspicion of murder.

The teenager's name has not been released because he is legally a minor.

Police have also obtained arrest warrants for two other teenagers.

Local media reports suggest Ryota knew the suspects and had been attacked by them in the past.