A 21-year-old German university student who came to Japan in September to go sightseeing has gone missing in Wakayama Prefecture, with family members saying they haven't heard from him since Oct. 10, local police said Tuesday.
Police said Claudio Worm entered the country on Sept. 21. Worm was last seen in Tokyo before heading to Wakayama on Sept. 30. Police are investigating whether he visited other locations before heading to Wakayama.
About 172 centimeters tall, with a medium build and blond hair, Worm was last seen wearing a black backpack, light-colored pants, a black long-sleeved shirt and light-colored sneakers.
He last contacted his family on Oct. 10 at around 5 a.m. He exchanged travel photos with his mother via social media before communications stopped.
On Oct. 16, a Japanese friend of Worm’s father contacted the Wakayama Prefectural Police, expressing concern that Worm had not returned to Germany in time for the start of the school term, prompting police to launch an investigation. A missing persons report was officially filed on Oct. 17.
Security camera footage showed a man believed to be Worm visiting Wakayama on Sept. 30. Around 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, he was seen on a security camera near Nankai Electric Railway’s Wakayamashi Station.
Additionally, Worm’s passport and cellphone were found in a public restroom along the Kinokawa River, which flows north of Wakayamashi Station.
“Worm had reservations to stay at a non-contact-type accommodation facility, meaning he could have stayed there without interacting with staff,” according to a spokesperson for the prefectural police.
Although there have been no witnesses who saw him staying there, police presume he stayed at the hotel.
Wakayama police are asking people to contact their department at 073-423-0110 (Japanese only) if they have information on the case.
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