Tokyo (AsiaNews) – Ten years without a word from her daughter: This is how much time has passed since 24-year-old Misaki Gojobori vanished in September 2016 in Oita Prefecture. Her parents continue to seek her and distribute appeals, hoping that someone might provide a useful lead.
Asahi TV featured this story on 12 October along with the case of Mayo Ide, who disappeared in 1999 at the age of 18, last seen near her home in Machida, in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Her mother, now 72, has kept her daughter’s room exactly as it was and has filled six notebooks with notes documenting her search efforts.
While there is insufficient evidence to determine the reasons behind the disappearances of these two women, there are dozens of families across Japan who continue to wait for their loved ones, even years later.
According to data from the Japanese police, 80,486 missing persons reports were filed in 2025 alone. Of these, 17,345, roughly one-fifth of the total, involved individuals with dementia, while nearly 40 per cent of those reported missing were between the ages of 10 and 29.
In 95 per cent of cases, the police note, missing persons are found alive within three days of the report being filed.
The phenomenon encompasses a wide variety of situations: senior citizens, minors, temporary departures, and missing adults.
Against this background, it is hard to measure and even harder to describe the phenomenon of Jōhatsu, a term that literally translates as “evaporation”, but is used to refer to men and women who choose to sever ties with their former lives, leaving behind their homes, jobs, and families without revealing their intentions.
People may be driven to disappear by factors such as debt, a failed business, divorce, workplace pressure, the shame of having fallen short of family expectations, or the need to escape an abusive relationship.
Vanishing becomes the only way out when an individual sees no possibility of a solution or no way to ask for help.
The term Jōhatsu gained visibility in 1967, when Japanese director Shohei Imamura released the film A Man Vanishes, an experimental documentary about the disappearance of a salesman.
Today, this choice is facilitated by yonige-ya, agencies that specialise in discreet relocations for those who wish to leave their homes without being tracked.
These agencies can find new accommodations, handle the moving process, and help clients begin a new life in another city, far away from family members, creditors, or anyone else who might be looking for them.
While some agencies focus solely on logistics, others provide more comprehensive support alongside the relocation itself.
The work of one of these agencies is explored in the documentary Jōhatsu – Into Thin Air, by German filmmaker Andreas Hartmann and Japanese film director Arata Mori.
Released in Japanese theatres last March, the film follows people who choose to disappear, those who assist them, and the family members left behind without answers.
Among the individuals featured is a woman who runs one of these services; having experienced domestic violence herself, she chose to dedicate her life to helping others in similar situations.
In an interview with GQ Japan, the directors explain that, according to the agency’s operator, domestic violence at the hands of a partner or spouse is one of the primary reasons women seek such help.
Men, by contrast, most often turn to these services due to financial troubles, personal conflicts, or pressures stemming from social and familial responsibilities.
The documentary shows how the agency provides a range of support, including telephone consultations, access to legal counsel, assistance with finding employment, and housing that ensures complete confidentiality.
Yet, the film also captures the anguish of those left behind, caught between the hope that their missing loved one is still alive and the realisation that the person may have no desire to be found.
While for some Jōhatsu, leaving everything behind may be a means of survival, for their families, this absence can turn into a desperate, unending wait.
In Japan, specific regulations govern the search for missing persons; when an individual is located, the police are required to verify their safety while also respecting their wishes.
Officers must encourage the person found to contact the individual who filed the missing person report, but they may also choose, depending on the specific circumstances, not to disclose the person’s location or other details to their family.
According to the film’s directors, when conducting certain types of searches, the police first turn to yonige-ya, which thus serve as an informal safety net for those unable to find a way out through institutional channels.
