WAKAYAMA (TR) – Wakayama Prefectural Police have announced that a 21-year-old German male university student who entered Japan as a tourist in late September and was traveling around Wakayama City has gone missing.
According to the police, Claudio Worm entered Japan on a tourist visa on September 21. After touring Tokyo, he entered Wakayama Prefecture on September 30.
Then, at around 5 a.m. on October 10, Worm exchanged messages with his mother on social media about photos and memories of the trip. Since then, his whereabouts became unknown.
On October 15, a Japanese friend of Worm’s father contacted the headquarters of the Wakayama Prefectural Police. “The son of a friend living in Germany went on a trip to Japan, but has not yet returned to Germany even though school has started,” the friend said.
A missing persons report was filed two days later.
Standing approximately 172 centimeters tall, Worm is of medium build and has blonde hair. He was last seen wearing a black backpack, whitish trousers, a black long-sleeved shirt and white sneakers.
According to police, a man believed to be Worm was seen in security camera footage entering Wakayama on September 30. He was later seen on security camera footage near Nankai Electric Railway’s Wakayamashi Station at around 8:30 p.m. on October 11.
Worm’s passport and mobile phone were also found near Wakayamashi Station.
Persons with information on Worm’s whereabouts are asked to call the Wakayama Prefectural Police, Personal Safety Division at 073-423-0110 or the Nishi Police Station at 073-424-0110.
