The Stars & Stripes has this sad story of a sailor trying to find this daughter who disappeared with her mother in Japan 40 years ago:
James Walker with his Japanese girlfriend, Tomie, and daughter, Kim at their apartment near Atsugi in 1969. Walker lost touch with his Japanese family after being sent to Vietnam. Nearly four decades later, he is still searching for them. Courtesy James Walker
It’s been 45 years since James Walker went to war in Vietnam, leaving behind his daughter and her mother in Japan.
The young sailor thought they’d be reunited once he got back from deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. When the letters he wrote to his young family were returned marked “wrong address” Walker realized something was wrong. Almost four decades later, he’s still searching for them. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but hopefully Mr. Walker is able to find his lost daughter.
This is very odd. There is another dimension to this story that isn’t being reported.
Her name is Tomie Hashimoto (probably 橋本富子 (とみえ)) and the American embassy could certainly ask the Japanese government to look through their meticulous citizen database to identify people with that name, from that area, and with daughters born near that time… with expanding search criteria if there were no hits.
There are no hidden people in Japan unless they are (very) actively trying to be hidden.
Another possibility is that was her “working name” in which case hospital/district/prefecture records are the place to start.
This does not seem to be a problem that takes 45 years to solve… more like 45 hours… or 45 minutes if all information is correct.
Hmmm…
This is very odd. There is another dimension to this story that isn’t being reported.
Her name is Tomie Hashimoto (probably 橋本富子 (とみえ)) and the American embassy could certainly ask the Japanese government to look through their meticulous citizen database to identify people with that name, from that area, and with daughters born near that time… with expanding search criteria if there were no hits.
There are no hidden people in Japan unless they are (very) actively trying to be hidden.
Another possibility is that was her “working name” in which case hospital/district/prefecture records are the place to start.
This does not seem to be a problem that takes 45 years to solve… more like 45 hours… or 45 minutes if all information is correct.