Stepfather confesses to killing missing Japanese boy, police say

The stepfather of an 11-year-old Japanese boy who vanished in Kyoto prefecture more than two weeks ago has been arrested and confessed to killing the child, according to investigative sources cited by The Japan Times.

The arrest on Thursday morning marked a dramatic turn in the case of Yuki Adachi, who was last seen on March 23. The 37-year-old stepfather, who shares the same name, admitted to the killing, telling police, "There is no doubt that I did it," as reported by the Japan Times and corroborated by the South China Morning Post.

Police suspect the man hid and abandoned the boy's body in different locations in Nantan between the morning of March 23 and Monday afternoon. An investigation is underway to determine how and why the boy died, with the cause of death yet to be established, according to the same sources.

The confession brings a grim resolution to a search that had gripped the nation. For weeks, 700 police officers had scoured abandoned properties in the mountains surrounding Nantan, while 400 fire brigade members joined the effort, using drones to scan the terrain and inflatable boats to search a nearby reservoir, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

The boy had been reported missing after his stepfather said he dropped him off about 200 metres from his school at 8am on March 23. The child never arrived at class, and a teacher notified his parents shortly before midday. The boy's father immediately reported the disappearance to local police, per the South China Morning Post.

The only clue in the initial search came the following day, when officers discovered the boy's backpack along a mountain track about 3km northwest of the school. But no further progress was made until the stepfather's arrest.

The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of missing children in Japan. According to an annual survey by the education ministry released on March 3 covering the 2024 academic year, school authorities were unable to account for 74 children across the country. The ministry has called on local education boards to work with welfare organisations and regional governments to locate these children, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

As the investigation continues, police are working to piece together the circumstances leading to the boy's death. The stepfather was sent to prosecutors on Thursday, according to the investigative source cited by The Japan Times.

Authorities have not released further details on the possible motive or the sequence of events, and it remains unclear whether the stepfather's account has been fully corroborated.

The case has raised questions about the effectiveness of child safeguarding measures and the role of family members in such disappearances, though experts caution against drawing broader conclusions until the investigation concludes.

The boy's death has left the community in Nantan mourning, with local residents expressing shock and grief. The school, which reported the boy's absence on the day he disappeared, has not released a public statement.

Japan's education ministry has pledged to review its procedures for tracking student attendance, though no official policy changes have been announced.

The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have appealed for public cooperation while discouraging speculation.

This article was compiled from reports by the South China Morning Post and The Japan Times.