Kazuyoshi Nakanishi, a Lower House member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of indecently assaulting a woman.

The lawmaker has admitted to behaving inappropriately and submitted his resignation from the Diet and the ruling party.

According to police, the incident took place on a street in Roppongi in Tokyo's Minato Ward at 2:05 a.m. Thursday.

Nakanishi, 40, who was walking alone after drinking in bars in Akasaka and Roppongi, grabbed a 22-year-old woman he did not know, pinned her against a wall, put his hand under her clothes and touched her breast, police said.

At that time, he was drunk, police said.

It is the first time a Diet member has been arrested on the scene for an indecent assault.

Police quoted Nakanishi as saying: ``I can't believe what I did. I'm reflecting on what I have done.''

When he was released by police Thursday night because he posed no flight risk, he issued a comment through his lawyer that said: ``I'm so sorry. I apologize not only to the woman but also to everyone.''

Nakanishi, who was elected to the Lower House from the No. 4 constituency in Tokyo in 2003, submitted his letter of resignation to Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono later on Thursday. His resignation is expected to be approved in the chamber's plenary session on Tuesday.

A by-election to replace him will be held on April 24 along with other Lower House by-elections for both the Fukuoka No. 2 and Miyagi No. 2 constituencies.

The woman, from Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, runs a tour-planning business. At the time of the assault, she was standing alone while her 23-year-old male companion was away making a cellphone call.

After returning to the woman, the man immediately reported the incident to police.

Police were patrolling nearby because of a separate crime that had taken place the night before, in which a man believed to be Iranian had been shot dead.

Police officers rushed to a bar in the basement of a building about 30 meters away, where they arrested Nakanishi.

After his arrest, Nakanishi told the LDP through his lawyer that he would resign from the Lower House and quit the party. LDP executives approved the action. The party plans to expel Nakanishi on Tuesday.

Nakanishi belongs to the LDP faction headed by former party policy chief Shizuka Kamei.

Nakanishi had served as a Tokyo metropolitan assembly member from 1997 until he was elected to the Lower House in 2003 for the first time.

The arrest caused bewilderment in the LDP. Secretary-General Tsutomu Takebe issued an apology as a party spokesman.

``Nakanishi has damaged the people's trust in our party. We must accept the facts seriously,'' Takebe said.

Asked whether the arrest of Nakanishi will adversely influence the forthcoming by-elections, Takebe replied, ``The influence will not be small.''

Major opposition parties immediately criticized Nakanishi.

``What Nakanishi did is an act that must not be committed by a Diet member,'' said Yoshio Hachiro, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan).(IHT/Asahi: March 11,2005)