The classmates of Ana Saito, a 15-year-old girl from Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, who has been missing and feared kidnapped since March 10, 2014, held their graduation ceremony on Tuesday.
Photographs of a smiling Saito and images of her everyday school life before her disappearance were in a page dedicated to her in the school’s graduation album, signed by classmates, Sankei Shimbun reported. Two valedictorians from Saito’s class declared, “Today, all 268 students from our school will be graduating alongside Ana Saito.”
After the graduation ceremony, Noriko Inoue, the junior high school’s principal, said: “I wish I could have directly handed Ana her diploma on her graduation day. My feelings are the same as her parents and I will hold onto her diploma until the 31st of this month in the hopes of making this desire a reality.”
A male classmate of Saito, who has known her since preschool, said, “When I heard Ana’s name called out to collect her diploma during the ceremony, I became filled with sadness. Even after graduation, I will continue to participate in the search for her whereabouts.”
Saito, then 13, did not return home after school on March 10, 2014. Her mother found a note in the mailbox which said: "I need a little break from home and from school. I'll be at my friend's house for now. Please do not come searching for me."
The girl's mother phoned her daughter's friends but she was not with any of them. At first, police thought she may have been a runaway but now believe she may have been kidnapped.
Last year and again this year on the anniversary of her disappearance, police posted signs all over the area.
Police have asked anyone with any information regarding the case to call the Asaka police department at 048-465-0110.
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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shonanbb
Did they alternate the stripes at the ceremony as red/white/black/white/red/white?
Would be proper for a sad and happy occasion.
Monozuki
Very mysterious event. Hopefully Ana Saito will receive her diploma directly in due course.
WilliB
Not so mysterious. From the note, we know that a) she did not have an accident and b) someone forced her to write that. So, yes it does not take a Sherlock Holmes to assume a kidnapping.
sensei258
Why would a kidnapper allow her to stop by her house to leave a note?
I'll get thumbed-down for this but, what if she just ran away with an older boyfriend she met online? I bet they're living a happy life somewhere.
nath
Who says she was the one who left the note? Maybe the kidnapper put it there.
Kuribo1
Quite sad actually.
Monozuki
@WilliB:
That said, still no ransom request call or note from a kidnapper. I thought it was mysetrous or inexplicable in this regard. The chances were that the culprit may have kidnapped her for other purposes. At any rate, not hear a word from the kidnapper. I think it's still an arcane incident in this sense too.
WilliB
Monosuki:
Not all kidnappings are for ransom.
TheGodfather
I think the Japanese euphemism is "lost"
RIP Saito-chan!! :-(
Monozuki
@WilliB:
Hah. That's what I have already said in my feedback like "The chances were that the culprit may have kidnapped her for other purposes." I mean, that could be the case.
Derp Man
I understand she was kidnapped but they might change the missing part of the title to Kidnapped because missing so that it does actually sound like it belongs here.
sensei258
Does the idea that she may be alive and happy somewhere make some unhappy?
Aly Rustom
Unfortunately, usually when one goes missing for as long as this girl has, it usually means the worst. Fingers crossed she'll be found alive though.
WilliB
sensei:
I would assume everybody here would be happy if she was found alive. (No idea how you imagine the "happy" part...). However, the chances for that are slim. People are just stating a fact.
sado001
If no ransom was demanded, worst case scenario is that she was stalked by some perverted guy then abducted. All this years she maybe dead.
But it would be good if she just ran-away for a bit and safely returned to her parents..
WilliB
sado001
"run away for a bit"? At 13 years old?`Wearing her school uniform? For 2 years? Come one. This is not "running away for a bit".
sado001
@WilliB
One scenario that would be happy if it happened (eventhough the chances are slim).
As I said the girl maybe dead by now..
sensei258
@ willib et al - It's about not removing "hope" from the situation. Do I think she's okay? No, I don't. But I don't want to remove the last shred of hope, even when all hope seems lost. I worked with sick and dying people in nursing homes for years before moving to Japan, and that's one thing I learned was important. One particular example comes to mind. A young man, dying from AIDS, told me he wanted to take college classes. Should I have said "Why, you're gonna be dead soon." or "Well, you have to give me an idea of what school you want to attend, and what kind of classes." He died two weeks later.
TheGodfather
"Do I think she's okay? No, I don't"
GOOD NEWS!!! She has been found safe and sound!!!!!!!!!!! :-D
And the man has run away...
PS - I watch / read the Japanese news... ;-)