Category: Missing

The city of Hachioji in western Tokyo has expanded its SOS Network — a system used to help locate missing residents — to include people with intellectual disabilities and others in need, following the death of a 16-year-old boy last year. Previously limited to elderly residents with dementia, the program allows families to register photos and physical details of vulnerable individuals so police, transport staff, and volunteers can be alerted instantly if they go missing. The move was prompted by the case of Daijiro Kubota, who left home without his GPS-equipped phone and was later found dead in a river in Yamanashi Prefecture. His parents and local advocates urged authorities to prevent similar tragedies, leading Hachioji to broaden eligibility this summer. While over 80 percent of municipalities nationwide operate SOS networks, only a few, such as Kushiro and Sagamihara, currently cover people with intellectual disabilities.