Japanese officials have admitted that Tokyo's oldest woman has not been seen for decades, days after the city's oldest man was found dead. Fusa Furuya, born in July 1897, had been registered as living with her daughter. But the daughter, who is 79, claims she has not seen her mother since the 1980s.
Efforts are now under way to trace Mrs Furuya's son to find out if she is living with him. The news comes after the discovery of the three-decade-old skeleton of Sogen Kato, thought to be celebrating his 111th birthday, sparked a nationwide check on the whereabouts of elderly residents in the city.
The family of Mr Kato is now being investigated on suspicion of abandonment and fraud, after allegedly claiming a pension on his behalf for over 30 years. According to government data, there are more than 40,000 centenarians in Japan, but the discoveries in Tokyo have cast doubt upon the accuracy of the figures.
Local council officials have confirmed they are trying to ascertain the whereabouts of other Tokyo residents by meeting them face-to-face. More reports of missing centenarians this week showed that their whereabouts were unknown or their family members were unaware of what had happened to them. "It is important for authorities to grasp the reality of where and how old people are living," Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma told reporters.
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