Japan recorded the highest number of missing persons and nearly 500 deaths due to dementia last year, police data released on Thursday showed.
The country's National Police Agency recorded that 19.039 people went missing, which is 330 more than in 2022.
It is the largest since police began compiling data in 2012, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Of all the missing people, the police found 18.175 people alive, while 502 were confirmed dead. About 250 were still missing at the end of last year.
Central Hyogo Province reported the highest number of such cases with 2.094, while Osaka Province recorded 2.016 and Saitama 1.912. /AA
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