Japan records 19,000 missing people, 500 deaths due to dementia

Japan recorded the highest number of people missing and around 500 deaths due to dementia last year, police data released on Thursday showed.

The country's National Police Agency recorded that 19,039 people went missing, which is up 330 from 2022.

It is the largest since the police began compiling data in 2012, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

Of all missing persons, police found 18,175 people alive, while 502 were confirmed dead.

Some 250 were still missing at the end of last year.

The central Hyogo province reported the highest number of such cases at 2,094, while the Osaka province recorded 2,016 and Saitama 1,912.