Missing Fisherman Found Safe in Akita After 19-Hour Search

A 75-year-old man from Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, who went missing while river fishing in Higashinaruse Village, Akita Prefecture, was found safe on the morning of September 3, approximately 19 hours after he entered the mountains. The man entered the forest with his wife around 1:40 p.m. on September 2, and they split up. When he failed to return by 5 p.m., his wife reported him missing to lodging staff. A search team found him walking toward the lodging facility on National Route 342 near the entry point. The man was able to converse and had no life-threatening injuries. He had apparently descended the mountain on his own before being spotted by searchers.