News On Japan

Man, presumed dead, returns home a year after family cremated wrong body

Jun 14, 2018 (Japan Today) - A man in his 40s, who was reported missing last year, and later "found," then confirmed dead by police and his family who had him cremated, has shocked his family by returning home alive and well.

According to police reports, the man in his 40s went missing from his home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, last year. His family filed a missing persons report immediately after and police had been searching for his whereabouts.

On June 21, 2017, police found an unconscious man in the Edo River in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward. His facial and body features matched those reported by the family of the missing man in his 40s. The man found in the river passed away shortly after he was taken to a hospital. There was no ID on him.

The family of the missing man, including his wife and two other relatives, were called by police to identify the body, which they did, confirming that "there's no mistake" that this was him. The man's status then went from "missing" to "dead" with drowning listed as the cause of death. His body was handed over to the family and subsequently cremated. That was the end of the story.

Until he came back to his family alive and well on June 6.

Following the man's surprising return, his wife, who initially filed the missing persons report and who had personally identified the man as dead, called police to announce that her husband had returned.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 18, known as Soudelor, could directly affect Okinawa and the Amami Islands around August 26 after intensifying into a "very strong" storm, while dangerous heat and sudden thunderstorms are also threatening wide areas of Japan.

Japan's government is moving toward abolishing the Cool Japan Fund, a public-private investment vehicle created to support the overseas expansion of Japanese anime, food culture and other industries, after its cumulative losses reached 54 billion yen.

Four workers were killed after being struck by the limited express train Spacia X while carrying out vegetation-clearing work at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on August 20, prompting an investigation by the Japan Transport Safety Board.

Plans to bring Shinkansen service to Shikoku have taken a significant step forward for the first time in 53 years, with the transport ministry beginning preliminary studies that could eventually cut travel times from Osaka to major cities including Tokushima, Takamatsu and Matsuyama to around 90 minutes.

A Takenaka Corp. construction manager who oversaw work on the Grand Ring and other facilities at the Osaka-Kansai Expo was arrested on August 19 on suspicion of causing more than 13 million yen in losses to the major contractor through inflated construction bills, with police investigating allegations that money from the scheme was used for renovations to his home and a cafe operated by relatives.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 16-year-old girl who repeatedly insisted she was innocent died months after an 18-day detention and interrogation left her suffering from an eating disorder and severe psychological trauma, while other people have come forward alleging troubling investigative practices by the same police station.

A 32-year-old Japanese man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to rob a convenience store in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, after allegedly posing as a foreigner and demanding money in broken Japanese while threatening the store manager with a knife.

Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, arrived at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka on the afternoon of August 20, where she was scheduled to view Johannes Vermeer's masterpiece Girl With a Pearl Earring during a two-day visit to Osaka and Shiga prefectures.

Firefighters battling a house fire in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, on August 19 were forced to contend with large numbers of bees swarming around the scene after an attempt to burn a bee nest apparently set the roof ablaze.

Handheld fans have become a summer essential in Japan, but a rise in accidents involving hair becoming caught in the devices is prompting warnings over injuries, potential legal liability and fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.

Seven people were injured after a Toei bus and a trailer collided in Tokyo's Koto Ward shortly after 6 p.m., leaving the bus mounted on a central median.

Tokyo is preparing to allow hunting of Asian black bears for the first time in about 20 years, with a proposed hunting season from November through February and an annual capture target of around 34 animals in parts of the Tama region, including Hachioji.

Police are investigating after a custom-made chili pepper-shaped lantern worth more than 200,000 yen was smashed outside a restaurant in Kyoto's Gion district, with security camera footage capturing a person striking and destroying the shop's distinctive symbol.