Jakarta – A Japanese photojournalist has been arrested in the war-torn Aceh , apparently for working without a permit, police and the military said on Friday.

"He is now apparently being detained in South Aceh. We're checking it," Aceh police spokesman Sayed Husaini told AFP. He did not give further details.

Military spokesman Ditya Sudarsono identified the reporter just as Takashi but said the circumstances of his arrest were not yet clear.

Foreign journalists must obtain a permit from the foreign ministry to cover the conflict in Aceh, where troops are in the second month of an all-out offensive to crush the Free Aceh Movement.

Aceh martial law authorities on Thursday issued an order further tightening restrictions on foreign journalists and overseas non-government organisations.

In an order, authorities forbid both foreign and local NGOs from issuing statements or talking to the press without permission from the martial law administrator, Maj.Gen. Endang Suwarya.