Wei Qiujie was last seen on CCTV footage at her hostel in Sapporo, Japan, before disappearing.
Wei Qiujie was last seen on CCTV footage at her hostel in Sapporo, Japan, before disappearing.
By Lauren McMah
Wei Qiujie was only meant to be in Japan for a week.
The 27-year-old primary school teacher from China had travelled there for a solo trip and was staying in a hostel in Sapporo, a picturesque, mountainous city on the island of Hokkaido.
She checked in on July 20, having paid in full ahead of her five-day stay, and was captured on CCTV in happy spirits, leaving and returning to the guesthouse as she went about her holiday.
But on July 25 - the day she was meant to check out of the hotel and fly back to her hometown of Nanping, in China's Fujian province - she apparently vanished. There is no record of Wei boarding her flight home or leaving Japan.
No one knows the whereabouts of Wei Qiujie, the pretty young woman whose disappearance in Japan has sparked a major police search and sent her loving family back home into a panic.
But she did leave behind a clue - a devastating note to her parents that are now desperate to find her.
Wei Qiujie was last seen leaving her Sapporo hostel. Photo / Supplied
'I want to search for my daughter'
Loved ones back home had no idea Wei wouldn't be returning as scheduled after her trip.
She had been keeping in touch with family and friends, and her brother said she seemed "fine", the South China Morning Post reported.
A friend said on Friday, July 21 Wei had been texting her mates as normal.
"She said in a group chat on Friday that there were many Chinese in Japan who could help her with directions at stations," the friend said.
Her father, Wei Huasheng, said he received a message from Wei on the Chinese social media app WeChat at 5.26pm the following day - July 22, the day she was last seen - saying she had returned safely, although it is unclear where she had returned. On July 23, she liked a friend's post on the social media app Weibo.
Those were the last times anyone who knew Wei had heard from her. She was last seen on CCTV camera leaving the hostel on July 22, leaving her bulky luggage in her room.
When hostel staff grew concerned she hadn't checked out, they went into her empty room and found the suitcase, which contained a hand-scrawled note to her parents, Hokkaido police have confirmed.
According to Shanghai's The Paper, in the note, Wei thanked her family for raising her and said goodbye. She said she was not satisfied with her life and wanted a fresh start.
Wei's family have confirmed she wrote the note but denied it was a farewell letter, and insisted it was just a "travel note". Her father has flown to Japan to help local police with their search.
"I want to search for my daughter and bring her home," he said, according to China Daily.
Loved ones said the primary school teacher seemed content with her life in China. Photo / Supplied
Wei's abandoned luggage. Photo: Supplied
Did she really disappear on purpose?
It's possible Wei left Sapporo for a hot spring resort near Akan Lake, about 300 kilometres from Sapporo. Police have been told she checked into a hotel there on the night of July 22 and left the following morning.
A tour boat operator at the lake reportedly said someone who looked like Wei boarded a boat at 8am, but they're not sure where she went after that.
Wei's father told the media a search of the lake had found no trace of his daughter and police have expanded their search to the whole of Hokkaido island, so far with no results.
Back home, panicked friends and family have been circulating images of Wei online in the hope of finding out what happened to her.
Wei's disappearance has created major buzz on social media as it came weeks after two Chinese sisters went missing in Japan. They were found dead days later, their bodies shoved into their suitcases. China's embassy in Japan has warned its citizens to be extra cautious of their safety.
Wei's apparent intention to start a new life is reminiscent of the Japanese phenomenon of the Evaporated People - the 100,000 Japanese men and women who purposefully disappear each year, banishing themselves of their former lives and starting anew.
These people typically flee perceived indignities such as divorce, debt or job loss, experts say.
But loved ones of Wei said there was nothing to suggest the young woman was unhappy with her life in China. A friend toldThe Paper Wei had never shown any intention of leaving her home country.
Wei Huasheng said there was no change of character in his daughter before her trip. He said it was her first visit to Japan, and that she didn't speak the language and had no friends in the country.
Her brother, Wei Lin, said she loved her job as at a primary school Fujian's Shaowu city, where she was reportedly popular with staff and students, and she had shown no particular interest in Japan beyond her holiday.
"My sister admires the work of some Japanese writers, but she is not obsessed with Japanese culture," he said.
"She doesn't have financial problems. She can't stay in Japan illegally to work."
The Chinese consulate general in Sapporo is assisting the family and police in the search for Wei.
