Police said Friday a DNA test has finally confirmed that the decomposed remains discovered earlier this month in a beach cave in Kanagawa Prefecture are those of Briton Lucie Blackman, who went missing last July.
The dismembered body discovered Feb. 9 in the cave in Miura city was initially identified as Blackman's by dental records, according to police.
The victim's mother, Jane Blackman, and other family members are expected to arrive in Japan today to collect the remains of the former British Airways flight attendant who disappeared at the age of 21.
Police said they are still examining Blackman's internal organs to determine the cause of her death and to look for traces of drugs.
Blackman's remains were found about 200 meters from a condominium in the city's Aburatsubo area owned by Joji Obara, 48, an alleged serial rapist currently being detained.
Obara is suspected of being involved in Blackman's disappearance but has not been charged with any crime in connection with the case.
Police said they have already searched Obara's condominium on suspicion that he abandoned Blackman's body and are examining various items, including bathroom pipes, to find out where her body was cut into pieces.
Obara, who has been in custody since last October in connection with six cases of women being drugged and raped in another of his condominiums, in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, said through his lawyers that he had met Blackman once at the bar where she worked but was not involved in her disappearance.