Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 56-year-old male employee of the Toshima Ward office over the alleged rape of a middle school girl last year, reports Jiji Press

On the night of October 23, Takehiko Takeshima, who heads the public relations department for the ward, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the girl, 13, inside his vehicle while it was a stopped in a parking lot in the capital.

Takeshima, who has been accused of coerced intercourse, denies the allegations. “I think I had sex with a woman around the age of 18 in my car, but I do not recall clearly,” the suspect was quoted by police.

According to police, Takeshima met the girl via a smartphone application that is only to be used by students. In contacting the girl, the suspect posed as a male high school student. During a chat, the girl sought an unspecified type of help. However, the suspect wanted to meet her, police said.

Police launched an investigation after the girl consulted with them the day after the incident. The girl told police that she could not decline his request to meet since she submitted her address and school name during a chat. “I couldn’t refuse since I thought he might harm me or my family,” she said.

Takeshima joined the ward office in April, 2017. Yukio Takano, the head of ward, said, “The arrest of a staff member cannot be permissible. I would like to offer a sincere apology. We will deal with this matter based on the results of the investigation.”