Press "Enter" to skip to content

French police search for man after Japanese woman goes missing

Narumi Kurosaki
Narumi Kurosaki has been missing since December 4

FRANCE (TR) – Police in the city of Besancon are seeking the whereabouts of a man wanted in the disappearance of a 21-year-old female Japanese exchange student who was last seen earlier this month, reports Fuji News Network (Dec. 24).

Police are working with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in locating a man, aged in his 20s, suspected in the disappearance of Narumi Kurosaki, a student at the University of Tsukuba who is currently studying at the University of Franche-Comte in Besancon, located in eastern France.

Kurosaki was last seen on December 4, when she took a dance class at a sports facility, the local chief of police said, according to TV Asahi (Dec. 24).

Local media have reported that the man wanted in the case was confirmed to have fled France for another country in Europe three days after Kurosaki disappeared.

The man, who was seen in security camera footage taken at an airport during an examination by police, later departed on a flight for another continent, according to separate report by  Fuji News Network (Dec. 24).

In announcing that Kurosaki had gone missing on Friday, police said that that they believe she has very likely been kidnapped.

The whereabouts of Kurosaki remain unknown. Her friends have begun a search for her that includes the distribution of posters with her name and image near the dormitory where she lives.

A resident of the dormitory tells Fuji News Network that the police have been conducting interviews. “I was asked if there were any suspicious sounds around the time [she disappeared], but I did not notice anything,” the resident is quoted.

Kurosaki began language studies at the University of Franche-Comte in September.