A 22-year-old Sri Lankan man died while being held in police custody at the Tsuchiura Police Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, according to Japanese media reports.

The incident was reported on 19 May.

According to information released by Japanese police and local media outlets, including TBS News, the deceased had been residing in Toride and was being detained at the Tsuchiura Police Station in connection with a suspected incident. He was reportedly under questioning by authorities at the time.

Japanese police stated that at around 3:45 p.m. on 19 May, an officer conducting a routine inspection of detention cells heard the detainee snoring heavily while asleep. A short while later, the snoring reportedly stopped abruptly, prompting the officer to enter the cell to check on him.

The young man was found unconscious and not breathing, police said. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.

Authorities in Tsuchiura and Ibaraki Prefecture have launched a post-mortem examination and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death, which occurred while the Sri Lankan national was in police custody.