Woman missing in Japan left note

A Chinese woman reported missing in Japan left a thank-you note addressed to her parents at a guesthouse in Sapporo, Hokkaido News reported.

Wei Qiujie, 26, a primary school teacher from Shaowu, Fujian province, disappeared on July 23 during an eight-day vacation to Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan.

In the note, which was left with other belongings in the guesthouse, she bade farewell to her family and said she was starting a new life, according to the report.

Her father, mother and younger brother traveled to Sapporo on Friday and met with police officers in Hokkaido on Saturday.

Wei, who was traveling alone, arrived in Hokkaido on July 18. She first stayed in Hako before moving to Sapporo two days later. She had paid the guesthouse in advance and was due to check out on July 25.

However, after leaving on the morning on July 22, Wei never returned, and the guesthouse called the police.

Wei Huasheng, the missing woman's father, said he received a message on WeChat from his daughter at 5:26 pm that day saying she had returned safely. She also "liked" a friend's post on Sina Weibo on July 23.

Hokkaido police traced Wei Qiujie to a hot spring resort next to Lake Akan in Kushiro on July 22, where she stayed overnight. Her whereabouts after she departed the next morning are unknown.

Japanese media reported that an employee at Akan Line, a tour company that operates cruises around Lake Akan, saw a woman who looked like Wei board a boat alone at 8 am on July 23.

With the search underway, Hokkaido police have released Wei's photo to the public and are asking people to report any sightings, according to Jiji Press.

Wei Huasheng said his daughter showed no change in character before leaving for Japan. He told Hokkaido police that it was her first time to visit, and that she does not speak Japanese and has no friends in the country, according to Kyodo News.

"I want to search for my daughter and bring her home," he was quoted as saying by Japanese media.

The airline with which the woman was booked to fly to Shanghai on July 25 said there is no record of her boarding the plane, rescheduling or canceling her ticket.

caihong@chinadaily.com.cn