Frustration, speculation mount in Japan as search for missing boy drags on

Frustration, speculation mount in Japan as search for missing boy drags onYuki Adachi’s disappearance on March 23 in Kyoto has renewed attention on the fate of missing children in Japan4-MIN READ4-MIN0ListenPublished: 8:00am, 9 Apr 2026Updated: 9:05am, 9 Apr 2026Frustration and desperation are growing in Japan amid a search for an 11-year-old boy who disappeared more than two weeks ago in a rural part of Kyoto-prefecture" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="112304" data-entity-type="location">Kyoto prefecture, with 700 Police officers scouring abandoned properties in the mountains surrounding the town of Nantan.The lack of sightings and clues has triggered speculation – a good deal of it sensationalist – on the boy’s fate and focused renewed attention on the number of children who go missing every year in Japan.The father of Yuki Adachi told Police he dropped his son off around 200 metres from his school at 8am on March 23, but the child failed to appear in class and a teacher informed his parents shortly before midday. The boy’s father immediately reported the disappearance to local Police.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x