A Nepalese man who spent 15 years in a Japanese jail on murder charges returned home Saturday after a DNA test indicated he was innocent.

Govinda Prasad Mainali, 45, flew with his wife and children to Katmandu and was hugged by his mother and other relatives at the airport.

"I have no words to describe how happy I am," Mainali told dozens of Japanese and Nepalese journalists who were waiting for him at the airport.

Mainali was a migrant worker in Tokyo when he was arrested in 1997 on charges of murdering a Japanese woman in a high-profile case.

Japan's Kyodo News agency said a new analysis showed that DNA in semen found in the victim's body did not match Mainali's.

Mainali was released from a Yokohama prison on June 7 and was immediately taken into custody by immigration officials because he had previously overstayed his visa. He was deported on Friday and arrived in Katmandu on Saturday with his wife, two daughters and supporters.