TOKYO - Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.
Hatta has remained on the run for more than four years after allegedly driving into two male university students riding motorcycles at an intersection in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, in 2022, killing one of them.
He fled the scene barefoot immediately after the incident and has not been located despite an extensive nationwide search.
According to Oita Prefectural Police, approximately 4,950 reports of people resembling Hatta have been received from the Kanto region, making it the area with the highest number of reported sightings in Japan.
By comparison, around 2,420 reports have been received from across Kyushu, including Oita Prefecture, where the incident occurred.
Police also reported an increase in sightings in the Kanto region between August and September, suggesting that public attention to the case remains strong more than four years after Hatta disappeared.
The case is being investigated as murder, meaning there is no statute of limitations under Japanese law, allowing police to continue pursuing Hatta indefinitely.
In an effort to generate new leads, authorities have prepared updated wanted posters and other publicity materials, which will be distributed throughout Japan beginning in November.
Police are urging anyone with information about Hatta's whereabouts or possible sightings to contact Beppu Police Station at 0977-21-2131.
Source: FNN
