Female body found in Kushiro may be linked to missing Chinese teacher

The Chinese Consulate-General in Sapporo, Japan received a report Sunday from local police that a body of a female had been found in Kushiro, where missing Chinese national Wei Qiujie was last seen.

The body of a female was found at the seashore of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido, according to a statement by the Chinese consulate. Local police said the clothing found on the body was similar to what Wei was wearing before she went missing, Kyodo news reported.

Wei Qiujie, a primary school teacher from east China's Fujian Province, was reported missing on July 23, four days after her arrival in Japan. Her father asked the consulate-general for assistance after losing contact with his daughter on July 25.

According to media reports, a woman who looked like Wei was seen several times at different places at the Lake Akan area of Kushiro in Hokkaido since July 22.

Wei's father arrived in Japan on July 28 and confirmed that a letter police found in her belongings left at the hotel was written by Wei, on which the 27-year-old said she was not satisfied with her life and wanted a new start.

The Chinese consulate has notified the families of the report and urged Japanese police to confirm whether the body found is linked to Wei, the statement said.