Unsolved Case: Five Young Girls Disappeared in Japan Decades Ago
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Decades ago, five young girls disappeared one after another in the Tochigi and Gunma areas of Japan.
This remains one of Japan's most famous unsolved cases, and no one has ever been officially charged.
Police believe that one man was responsible for the disappearances, though he has never been identified with certainty.
According to witnesses, the man's appearance was similar to Lupin the Third, a famous character from Japanese manga and animation.
One of the victims was only four years old when she disappeared.
Her mother has spoken publicly about her loss, saying her daughter would now be 41 years old if she had lived.
The case has drawn new attention because of a television program made by NHK, Japan's national broadcaster.
The program looks closely at old DNA test results connected to the case.
It suggests that there may have been problems or unclear points in how the evidence was examined at the time.
Because of this, many questions about the real culprit still remain unanswered.
The case has stayed in the public memory for many years, partly because so many young children were affected.
Families of the victims continue to hope that the truth will one day be discovered.
For now, the identity of the person responsible remains a lasting mystery in Japan.
Vocabulary7 words
- unsolved case
- a crime that police could never fully explain
- manga
- a Japanese style of comic book or drawing story
- NHK
- Japan's big national television company
- DNA
- tiny body parts that can show who a person is
- culprit
- the person believed to have done something wrong
- mystery
- something that people cannot explain or understand
- witnesses
- people who saw something happen
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Tochigi and Gunma 2. That her daughter would be 41 years old now 3. Old DNA test results from the case
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Decades ago, five young girls _____ one after another in the Tochigi and Gunma areas of Japan.
This remains one of Japan's most famous _____ cases.
Police believe that one man was _____ for the disappearances.
According to _____, the man's appearance was similar to Lupin the Third.
One of the victims was only four years old when she _____.
Her mother has spoken publicly about her _____.
The case has drawn new attention because of a television program made by _____.
The program looks closely at old _____ test results connected to the case.
It suggests there may have been problems in how the _____ was examined.
Many questions about the real _____ still remain unanswered.
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