Family of missing Japanese still hopeful

The daughters of a Japanese woman who went missing a year ago are desperately holding onto hope that she may still be alive.

Hinato and Madoka Tanahashi came here for a four-day manhunt and left for Japan last Friday, after appealing for help in their search from Gangwon Province Gov. Lee Kwang-jae, a women’s group in the town where she was last seen, and Hallyu star Ryu Si-won, of whom she was a devoted fan.

Mother of three Eriko Tanahashi, who was 58 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen on the night of Jan. 1, 2010, with eyewitness reports of her staring off into the distance in a restaurant in Jumunjin.

Eriko Tanahashi

Heavyhearted and concerned about the disappearance of his avid fan, Ryu has been with the family throughout the ordeal. He sent a handwritten letter to the family last April and offered condolences to the worried daughters during their most recent visit to Korea.

Ryu has appeared on national television, pleading for the nation and his fans to help search for the Hallyu fan.

The singer and MC became an international star after starring in the hit SBS drama “Beautiful Days” which also aired in Japan.

The daughters met with the Gangwon Province governor, who offered consolation, and the promise to devote resources to help locate the woman.

“We will mobilize all of Gangwon Province’s administrative power,” said Lee.

In a meeting with Tanahashi’s daughters, Lee said that it is Gangwon Province’s “duty” to find their mother.

Lee has since been on a PR offensive, posting information about Tanahashi on all official and non-official websites within the provincial government, and requesting the help of many local newspapers.

The province also distributed banners, containing descriptions and a picture of the woman throughout the area.

“Even though we are very worried that so few people have seen our mother, with the help of the governor we believe that we will find our mother,” Hinato Tanahashi, the youngest of the three daughters, was quoted as saying in other news reports.

Hinato Tanahashi meets with Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae, in an appeal for help in finding her missing mother. (JoongAng Ilbo)

Heartbroken by the woman’s story, Jumunjin Women’s Group Council president Kim Sae-yun jumped at the chance to provide support to her family.

“Your mother is still alive somewhere,” Kim was quoted as saying in a daily newspaper.

“We will continue to look for your mother,” she told Hinato and Madoka Tanahashi.

Kim and other members of the council went out to help look for the missing woman, passing out flyers and asking people if they had seen her.

Kim promised that she would keep raising awareness and find Tanahashi.

After hearing her story earlier in the month, James Lee, CEO of Couple.net, also expressed a willingness to help and offered a 10 million won ($9,000) reward for information on the whereabouts of Tanahashi.

The widow of three years arrived alone in Korea on Dec. 28, 2009, and checked into a hotel in southern Seoul as a nine-day vacation gift from her daughters.

According to hotel staff, Tanahashi left for Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. After “Winter Sonata” was filmed there, the province gained enormous popularity among Japanese tourists.

Tanahashi, however, never checked out of her hotel or returned to her home in Japan. Worried, her daughters filed a police report at home.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency ordered a massive manhunt at the time of her disappearance but was unable to locate her.

An eyewitness reported seeing her at a bus terminal in Gangneung, some 100 kilometers east of her intended destination on Jan. 1, 2010.

Another eyewitness said the widow was alone at a restaurant in the coastal city at 7 p.m. the same day.

At 9 p.m., Tanahashi sent text messages to her friend in Japan using her mobile phone, her last reported activity.

According to her daughters, Tanahashi had been to Korea several times in the past and loved Korean culture.

At the time of her disappearance, Tanahashi was wearing a long white coat, black boots and a purple scarf.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Eriko Tanahashi contact Gangnam Police Station in Seoul at (02) 3497-3037.

By Robert Lee (rjmlee@heraldcorp.com)