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Police step up search for missing French woman in Nikko

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Hopefully they find her soon.

I remember when the likes of Lucie Blackmann disappeared, the world media descended on Japan and the highest levels of government between Great Britain and Japan were involved.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

What were the temperatures around then? Where I live, it was hotter than heck, often over 40. If she underestimated the heat, she could have got into all sorts of difficulties.

Nobody's mentioned a cellphone. Does she have one with her?

13 ( +13 / -0 )

I believe the most likely scenario is that she has got lost. The Japanese mountains, even the surrounding hills and forests are deceptively easy to get disorientated in - even for experienced hikers. I am concerned that maybe the stress of getting lost or the usually hot weather could have brought on a seizure. I just hope that she is holed up somewhere near a source of water waiting for rescue.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

 the Japanese police are making efforts but not all means have been used to search for Veron in rivers and woods.

How does she know that?  I'm sure the Japanese police have been using all means to search for her.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

 the Japanese police are making efforts but not all means have been used to search for Veron in rivers and woods.

How does she know that? I'm sure the Japanese police have been using all means to search for her.

She doesnt, but this is generally what French people do. 

Because she is over there, in Nikko, looking for her sister. How can you be sure they are using all means to find her?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Its not that Im saying French people are bad, but they are a very emotional society. 

Your data is a bit old (FYI Quebec has been independent from France for a while...). The 80 persons were deployed AFTER the family made the trip and insisted for more search, a whole week after she went missing . And if they had not pushed there would be no search. It's expected that the family always considers more can be done and will try everything. They can be satisfied only when the person is found. Look at Megumi Yokota's family.

 I'm sure the Japanese police have been using all means to search for her.

It is a fact they had not. It's even written in the news for you : "police step up search". And I don't blame the Japanese police (will I lose my French passport for that ? oh anyway, I've let it in a hotel room somewhere...). It's like anywhere. They can't send the dogs, divers , helicopter, etc, to look after all adults not showing up at home/work/hotel. They have about 100 000 todoke a year. They can't possibly investigate all the people just failing to call Mum and forgetting their stuff at hotel for a few days. Some cases get priority. They immediately look after missing kids, teens, they send rescuers if a group is "known" to have left for a mountain hike, a trip in sea and did not come back. Tiphaine left 'with a shoulder bag' , so that did not look like a mountain rescue case at all. They still don't know at all if she really went on that mountain trail or was abducted by car or what.

Local police said they received a report from a male tourist saying he crossed paths with a foreign woman

It's a very uncertain hint.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

So far it doesn't sound like foul play or suicide, but there are many trails leading into the mountains around the tourist sites so I wonder if she got lost in the woods. I once went to Nikko by myself and spent a pleasant day wandering around the hillsides behind Toshogu on a trail I found near there. At the time there was snow on the ground so my reasoning was "if I get unsure of the path I'll just follow my footprints back" but in a maze of trails--old, new, and animal-made--it's easy to get disoriented even in small mountains near urban areas.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

ksteerToday 10:14 am JST

People have an image of japan that is entirely false.

How does she know that? I'm sure the Japanese police have been using all means to search for her.

She doesnt, but this is generally what French people do

You made me curious, what expertise of the French society make you believe that ?

1 ( +9 / -8 )

If it was one of my relatives lost in the woods and seeing here that the police haven't really used all possible means, I would consider turning bloodhounds or coondogs loose on track of her scent.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

but seriously, no phone or wifi spot?

Specially today it seems strange police wouldn't have more precise data of last place seen beyond just Nikko

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'm glad there's more involvement to locate her. With this kind of public concern, I'm sure they will locate her. It's great when others help the authorities to locate missing people and look after one another.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Coincidentally in the last 3 months it’s the third French person who gets lost in woods- two of them in Brazil and Japan., One, this week, was found safe and sound after 6 days. The other fell into a cravine, his body recovered after 15 days. Hope this third one is found alive and well. I don’t know this region of Japan, but isn’t it the same location where an American student disappeared some 15 years ago, without a trace?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Nakimushi-Yama is a nasty mountain... I’ve climbed it a few times. It’s extremely steep with narrow paths. One wrong step could cost you your life or leave you seriously injured. It’s also poorly maintained and few people climb it. If she wasn’t an experienced hiker with the proper gear, things could have gone wrong for her. An experienced hiker I know got severely injured there after a bad fall. She had to stay in the hospital for months...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So many possibilities, but I hope they can rule out the prolific Nikko groper referred to at the entrance to Takino-Ojinja (Futarasan Jinja), the warning sign in Takeshi Hasegawa's post above. If Tiphaine had reacted badly to being groped...., but then she could just as easily have hurt an ankle and fallen off one of the paths.

Sign.

"Warning! People are often approached by someone offering to act as a guide, but then taken advantage of and groped. The shrines here have never requested anyone to act as a guide, so please be aware."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

People have an image of japan that is entirely false.

How so? Japan is still one of the safest countries (statistically speaking) in the developed world. If people think that means Japan is completely crime free then that's up to them. But in comparison, its still a very safe place to live.

How does she know that? I'm sure the Japanese police have been using all means to search for her.

She doesnt, but this is generally what French people do. Blame the people who are actually doing the work, because the speed of the process doesnt match what the want it too. Im sure there are a host of reasons that this police havent found her. It doesnt necessarily mean they arent trying though.

0 ( +11 / -11 )

There has been a notice near the place she went missing.

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/vp/642f919f60879b2c7f1cda44a975eb6e/5BF9E7C7/t51.2885-15/e35/s1080x1080/30830241_2063382737268335_7933277849568411648_n.jpg

"Recently some tourists were spoken and got groped by a man on the plea of a guidance."

0 ( +2 / -2 )

According to witness, he saw her and remembered her because he didn'T think there is someone else going up in the mountain on the typhoon day like this besides him.

I found photos on twitter taken the same day she got lost, 29th July.

You can see water flow is rough..

In case she fell into river, we might search down stream...

https://twitter.com/uepon0302/status/1023544633064734720

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Glad people aren't here like they usually are concerned about the cost of her rescue.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Coskuri, thank you for that information...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

coskuri

Your data is a bit old (FYI Quebec has been independent from France for a while

Even independent from France Nous parlons toujours francais au Quebec, we just don't have the same accent.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Luckily we have 29 satilites over NK that can read number plates. Just a matter of time I hope if they divert their path.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

FRANCE IS A REPUBLIC, JAPAN IS A MONARCHY !

°

Sometime, that is the problem. England use monarchy to speed things. Between Royals, they tend to agreed on going slow with republics that have beheaded kings and queens (but not their children, a thing monarchy can't say).

According to me, I think Japan is probably investigating a kidnapping. It is strange to have found her passport in her room. It is very important to keep it with you at all time for police control when you are a foreigner.

Even more, in my country, we are very tie on identity official paper. We have an ID card that adults have to keep at all time if they want to keep their freedom and not end up in police station. Since Paris terrorism, it is an object you always keep at hand. You feel naked and unsafe without is.

To conclude, I think the family is not made aware of the investigation on purpose. It could have been an ex-boyfriend or a family friend that have seen an opportunity to act in a foreign country.

In the end, the investigation based on this ID document in her room is probably more important than it looks.

I hope I am wrong, but otherwise, she is probably dead and eaten, so at the same time I don't.

°

NCM

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Because she is over there, in Nikko, looking for her sister. How can you be sure they are using all means to find her?

You seem to have read this wrong. The mother is still in France, and it was her letter that stated the police werent using all means. The sister just posted a photo of it. The only people in Japan from that family are the siblings.

She doesnt, but this is generally what French people do

You made me curious, what expertise of the French society make you believe that ?

Knowing French people, having been to France, speaking French, having lived in Canada pretty close to Quebec. Reading the news etc.

Its not that Im saying French people are bad, but they are a very emotional society. And when things tend to not go the way they want, the mostly complain first. In this case, I assume the mother is pretty distraught and possibly not thinking the best she can, but to claim that the Japanese police arent doing all they can to find her daughter is a bit insulting when more than 80 people have already been dispatched to search for her.

In regards to cell phone data, https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/support/area/servicearea/index.html?rgcd=03&cmcd=LTE&scale=250000&lat=36.559712&lot=139.88671

According to NTT which has some of THE best rural coverage of any of the cell companies in Japan, the area around Nikko barely gets LTE coverage (not even their fastest one) Outside of that small sliver between the mountains, you may as well not even have a phone.

So yeah, its entirely possible that if she went hiking she went to an area with little to no coverage = no cell phone to trace.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Her suitcase and passport were left at the inn where she was staying alone.........

I wonder why she left her passport in the hotel when as a tourist she is required to carry it?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

going to France would suffice for the above

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Nobody's mentioned a cellphone. Does she have one with her?

Obvious not as sis would have.............

I do wonder what's the added value of some..... :)

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Hope she is found alive.

People have an image of japan that is entirely false.

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

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