Found Deceased Japan - Alice Hodgkinson, 28, British English school teacher, Kanagawa, 1 July 2021

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More information has been released regarding the note discovered in Alice's flat. According to Alice's father, “[the note] was left addressed to myself and Peter, my son. I don’t know the exact text in the note but I understand it suggested that she was in a distressed state when she wrote it..." Police are currently going through CCTV in the surrounding area to try to find out when Alice left and where she may have gone.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/06/police-japan-search-missing-british-woman-alice-hodgkinson
 
So was she in Kamakura or Yokohama? They are about 25km apart. If her intent was self harm, it is worth checking if she took a train to Aokigahara which is on the north side of Mt Fuji and has been romanticised as the "suicide" forest, especially with foreigners. With the Olypmics and covid lockdowns I think it is unlikely she did it in any public place or that she has been abducted.
 
Unless it has been the explicit wish of Alice Hodgkinson's family that news of the search NOT be disseminated via mainstream Japanese media, it does appear to be the case, with the one exception of a Yahoo Japan online article that appeared yesterday (which cited the postings on social media and the articles that appeared in British online media such as the Telegraph, Sky News and Daily Mail ), that no Japanese mainstream media appears willing to cover it. Not even the English-language JapanTimes or even the online site JaoanToday.com The only Japan-based English-language non-social media site to have put out an article was the TokyoReporter.com : British woman, 28, goes missing in Japan

I know one major Japanese TV news production dept was well aware of this story from 1800 on July 5th 2021, and indicated both interest and positivity about covering it. Then no response. It’s possible that there is pressure not to cover it for the “sake of the Olympics”.

In any event, if a particular story is deemed to be blacklisted , it will be. Case in point, simply google the 2018 case of convicted kidnapper and rapist Takehiko Ogihara Japanese investment banker Takehiko Ogihara jailed for 11 years | | Express Digest who was convicted and sentenced to over 11 years in Her Majesty’s prisons. The story was extensively covered in the UK, of course. However, in Japan, there is zero mention in any mainstream media - and certainly not Ohihara’s employer at the time, Nomura International; only online blogs.

And, to address the potential defense that this is somehow business as usual and one shouldn’t expect “special treatment” because she’s British etc … we have the 2018 case of French woman Tiphaine Veron:

After last being seen on the morning of July 29th 2018, one of the major newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun , reported on her case from August 5th 2018: French woman goes missing in Nikko

If we were to apply a similar timeline for Alice Hodgkinson’s case where she reportedly last spoken with her father via video call on the 21st of June and email on June 30th, we should have seen coverage in Japanese mainstream media starting from around July 6th ( yesterday ) at the latest.
 
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The father of an English teacher who has gone missing in Japan says her disappearance is "out of character".

Alice Hodgkinson, originally from Nottingham, was reported missing by her manager on 1 July after she failed to arrive at work in Tokyo.

The 28-year-old teaches at Shane English School and lives in the neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture.

The government said it was "in contact with local authorities" and Miss Hodgkinson's family.

Stephen Hodgkinson, from Bestwood Village, said he last heard from his daughter more than a week ago.

"I had emailed her to say 'thank you' for a Father's Day present she had sent me and she replied on 30 June," he said.

"She was chatty and it was a bog standard email for Alice, nothing suspicious in it at all.

"But her boss was concerned for her welfare and reported her missing to the police.

"They broke into her room and she wasn't there."

Mr Hodgkinson said his daughter's friends in Japan had been helping to search for her, setting up social media groups and creating posters.

"The main support has been from them and they have been tremendous really," he added.

"If I went to Japan what would I be able to do there? I would just be pacing around.

"We are just milling through the best we can really. But Alice's mum, Julie, is quite distressed."

Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan
 
Going through some of Alices instagram posts, some wonderful photos and a very regular poster which stopped on the 19 Feb. This sudden stop may not be lockdown related, but maybe loss of motivation to continue post. I have read in comments that wallet and ID were left in the flat. Aokigahara forest is known as Suicide forest and about 80 miles away from her flat, lets hope Alice hasnt gone here. Maybe worth the search to go to some of the sites Alice took pictures from. I hope Alice is found soon.

This forest is 90 minutes by bus.
 
The father of an English teacher who has gone missing in Japan says her disappearance is "out of character".

Alice Hodgkinson, originally from Nottingham, was reported missing by her manager on 1 July after she failed to arrive at work in Tokyo.

The 28-year-old teaches at Shane English School and lives in the neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture.

The government said it was "in contact with local authorities" and Miss Hodgkinson's family.

Stephen Hodgkinson, from Bestwood Village, said he last heard from his daughter more than a week ago.

"I had emailed her to say 'thank you' for a Father's Day present she had sent me and she replied on 30 June," he said.

"She was chatty and it was a bog standard email for Alice, nothing suspicious in it at all.

"But her boss was concerned for her welfare and reported her missing to the police.

"They broke into her room and she wasn't there."

Mr Hodgkinson said his daughter's friends in Japan had been helping to search for her, setting up social media groups and creating posters.

"The main support has been from them and they have been tremendous really," he added.

"If I went to Japan what would I be able to do there? I would just be pacing around.

"We are just milling through the best we can really. But Alice's mum, Julie, is quite distressed."

Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan

"But her boss was concerned for her welfare and reported her missing to the police."

I wonder what Alice's boss knows, if anything. Other than the fact that Alice didn't show up for work (possibly having changed her mind about the job).

Is there something (else) in particular that made the boss concerned for Alice's welfare?
 
"But her boss was concerned for her welfare and reported her missing to the police."
Is there something (else) in particular that made the boss concerned for Alice's welfare?

I think 'concerned for welfare' is just a standard phrase employers trot out when someone doesn't show up for work without telling them. It makes them appear concerned and caring, and makes it appear they have a genuine reason for overstepping any privacy boundary without being considered nosy.
 
I think 'concerned for welfare' is just a standard phrase employers trot out when someone doesn't show up for work without telling them. It makes them appear concerned and caring, and makes it appear they have a genuine reason for overstepping any privacy boundary without being considered nosy.

I guess what I am wondering is why the boss reported Alice missing. How many bosses would report someone missing if they didn't show up for their job? The police would be dealing with a lot of missing persons reports if that was any kind of norm.
 
I guess what I am wondering is why the boss reported Alice missing. How many bosses would report someone missing if they didn't show up for their job? The police would be dealing with a lot of missing persons reports if that was any kind of norm.

I think it depends on the context of the person. I personally don't read that much into a boss who is probably aware she's a lone female in a foreign country who relies on the job for her income to report her missing at some point if it's out of character for her to not miss work and she's not responding to texts/calls as usual.
 
I guess what I am wondering is why the boss reported Alice missing. How many bosses would report someone missing if they didn't show up for their job? The police would be dealing with a lot of missing persons reports if that was any kind of norm.

I know in the UK this is standard practice if an employee does not turn up for work and can't be contacted either directly or through emergency contacts/next of kin.
 
An update based on a brief survey online of Japanese media for the Alice Hodgkinson story; still zero coverage by Japanese mainstream media. However, one new article by the online news arm of another Japanese ISP:


The article below was posted online 1916 Wednesday July 7, 2021; similar to the July 6th online article by Yahoo! News, BIGLOBE News is also not a mainstream Japanese news media source. And, it also largely references the coverage from the foreign ( mostly British ) press. There still hasn’t been any coverage by mainstream Japanese media , even English-language news sites such as JapanTimes or even JapanToday.

**Archived URL** https://archive.is/d8uWz

**Original URL** 28歳イギリス人女性が日本で行方不明 メモ発見の神奈川県警が公開拒否との報道も(2021年7月7日)|BIGLOBEニュース


[**Machine translation**]

[ 28-year-old British woman missing in Japan; Kanagawa police who found the note reportedly refuse to release it. ]

Wednesday, 7 July, 7:16 pm 


Caption for stock photo: A British woman who lived in Kanagawa Prefecture and worked as an English teacher has been missing for about a week. The Sun, Wales Online and other media outlets around the world have been reporting the story.

English teacher in Japan.

Alice Hodgkinson, a 28-year-old woman from Nottingham, England, has been missing since the 1st of this month. She came to Japan from the UK in March 2020 and came to live in Kanagawa Prefecture, where she worked as an English teacher. She had been absent from work on the same day as she went missing, although she had not appeared to have changed recently.

She emailed her father on 30 June.

Alice was last seen on the 29th of June, and on the 30th she was in contact with her father, Stephen, who is in the UK, by email. According to Stephen, who spoke to the media, there was nothing suspicious in the texts and he always said she was "living happily in Japan".

There is nothing we can do at the moment," he said. We are just waiting to hear from the Foreign Ministry," he said, his shoulders slumping.

I love Japan. Every day is fun.

Alice's contract as an English teacher in Japan was for one year, but she had extended it for another year because "I love Japan and every day is fun". Her colleagues and friends at work are concerned and have made posters calling for help in finding her and providing information.

Her brother Peter has also been spreading information about Alice's disappearance on social media. The family and friends are working together to find Alice as soon as possible.

The police have refused to release the memo.

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police, Nottingham Police, the British and Japanese Foreign Ministries, and the Commonwealth Development Agency are currently in contact with each other, but there are some disturbing stories circulating. The Kanagawa Prefectural Police, who found what appears to be a note in Alice's home, are refusing to release the information to the public, according to foreign media, and this is attracting criticism.

Alice is 167cm tall and has shoulder-length blonde hair. The Kanagawa police are currently expanding their search for Alice, but have not made any comment to the media, saying "nothing is known for sure yet".
 
Wondering if there are any Ws members from Japan?
Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan
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Fears for Brit, 28, who vanished in Japan as dad 'anxiously waits by phone'
 
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Stephen Hodgkinson, from Bestwood Village, said he last heard from his daughter more than a week ago.

"I had emailed her to say 'thank you' for a Father's Day present she had sent me and she replied on 30 June," he said.

"She was chatty and it was a bog standard email for Alice, nothing suspicious in it at all.

Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan


Wait. This says she replied to his email? I thought they talked on Skype?
 
Wait. This says she replied to his email? I thought they talked on Skype?

I think it was:
Email on 30th June.
Talk on Skype: 1st July.

Although bear in mind Japan is 8 hours ahead of UK, so may technically have been a different day there if it was after midnight. I'm not sure if these are Japanese times and days or UK ones from her father.
 
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In addition to all the coverage by British & foreign media, notable is the article put out by the BBC last night:

Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan

By this point, one would expect that one of the major mainstream Japanese media arms would include coverage of the Alice Hodgkinson disappearance case - at minimum, one with reciprocal agreements with BBC if only to just cite the article without any novel research of their own. However, nada - at this point, aside from social media and social media news aggregator sites, articles from the news dept of two Japanese Internet services firms: Yahoo! Japan and BigGlobe/Nifty.

TokyoReporter puts forth the question “Why?” and provides a number of contrasting examples of other foreign women who went missing where media coverage was near-immediate and significant:

TokyoReporter on Twitter: "A French woman went missing in Japan in 2018. She has not been found. After her disappearance, major Japanese news outlets ran many stories. Mother of missing French woman: 'I can't live if my daughter is not found' " / Twitter

 
In addition to all the coverage by British & foreign media, notable is the article put out by the BBC last night:

Alice Hodgkinson: English teacher reported missing in Japan

By this point, one would expect that one of the major mainstream Japanese media arms would include coverage of the Alice Hodgkinson disappearance case - at minimum, one with reciprocal agreements with BBC if only to just cite the article without any novel research of their own. However, nada - at this point, aside from social media and social media news aggregator sites, articles from the news dept of two Japanese Internet services firms: Yahoo! Japan and BigGlobe/Nifty.

TokyoReporter puts forth the question “Why?” and provides a number of contrasting examples of other foreign women who went missing where media coverage was near-immediate and significant:

TokyoReporter on Twitter: "A French woman went missing in Japan in 2018. She has not been found. After her disappearance, major Japanese news outlets ran many stories. Mother of missing French woman: 'I can't live if my daughter is not found' " / Twitter


I am not yet convinced that someone significant has not been in Alice's life. Someone their police don't want to leak reports about.
 

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