Ukrainian man goes missing in Tokyo

TOKYO (TR) – A team is set to begin a search of trails leading up Mt. Fuji in looking for a Ukrainian man who went missing in Tokyo last month, an acquaintance said on Sunday.

According to latest available information posted on Facebook, Oleksii Borysenko, 37, was staying at the Oak Hostel Cabin in Chuo Ward. On February 28, he disappeared after entering a nearby subway station.

Borysenko’s luggage remains at the hostel. He also is known to have missed his flight back to Ukraine.

“There is a possibility that he could have headed towards Mt. Fuji,” wrote acquaintance Kirill Kudinov without elaboration. “Japanese police are refusing to conduct a search operation because they do not believe that he could have gone to the mountains.”

Weather permitting, the search will commence on the trails of Mt. Fuji this Wednesday. The organizer of the search is Alexey Zemlinsky.

“We managed to assemble a team of climbers, which, at the earliest availability, will trek the Yoshida route,” added Kudinov. “We are looking for local climbers (either Japanese or those currently in Japan) who are willing to join the Gotemba route search.”

Kudinov and other acquaintances are in contact with the Embassy of Ukraine in Tokyo.

Borysenko is an active trail runner. He came to Japan in February to run in the Tokyo Marathon on March 1. However, he did not participate after the event was restricted to only elite athletes following the outbreak of the coronavirus.