Based on data released by the National Police Agency
By Akiha Komatsu
The map below shows the number of dementia-related missing persons per 100,000 people in each prefecture from 2012 to 2024.
You can switch between years using the tabs to see how the situation has changed over time.
We invite you to take your time exploring the map and noticing any trends or patterns that stand out to you.
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Source: National Police Agency
According to the National Police Agency, the number of dementia-related missing person reports in 2024 was 18,121.
While this represents a decrease from the record high of 19,039 in 2023, the figure remains at a high level.
In Japan, it is estimated that over 4.4 million people aged 65 and older are living with dementia, and the proportion continues to rise each year.
Source: National Police Agency
In 2024, Nara had the highest rate of dementia-related missing persons.
Hyogo, which has ranked first seven times since 2012, continues to show a high rate.
Toyama and Osaka have also consistently remained in the top 10 since 2012, indicating a persistent trend.
Source: Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan (e-Stat)
As of 2012, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan was estimated at approximately 4.62 million, meaning that about 1 in 7 people aged 65 and over (a prevalence rate of 15.0%) had dementia.
It is also projected that by 2025, about 1 in 5 elderly individuals will have dementia.
However, as this graph shows, there does not appear to be a clear correlation between the aging rate and the rate of dementia-related missing persons by prefecture.
A higher aging rate does not necessarily correspond to a higher rate of dementia-related disappearances.
In 2024, 382 people with dementia who had gone missing were later found dead within a five-kilometer radius of where they disappeared.
Many were discovered in places that are difficult to search, such as rivers, forests, and irrigation canals.
In Toyama Prefecture, which tends to have a high rate of dementia-related missing persons, over 11,000 kilometers of agricultural waterways run through both farmland and residential areas, creating unique risks.
In 2022, 16 people died after falling into these canals—accounting for about a quarter of such deaths nationwide.
One common factor among prefectures with high numbers of dementia-related missing persons is that families often don't realize their loved one is missing until several hours have passed.
Additionally, it is often difficult to predict where the person may have gone. However, the exact reasons why these particular prefectures have higher rates of dementia-related missing cases remain unclear.
While GPS devices that track location and drone-assisted searches are considered effective tools for the early discovery of missing individuals, the implementation of such measures is still a work in progress.
These figures only reflect cases in which families or others have filed official missing person reports.
It is believed that there are also many unreported cases—particularly among elderly people living alone—that are not captured in the data.