In Japan, the topic of jouhatsu is taboo in regular conversation, like the topic of suicide.[1] It has been estimated that 100,000 Japanese people disappear annually.[2] However, jouhatsu may be underreported in the official numbers.[2] In 2015, Japan's National Police Agency had registered 82,000 missing persons, and 80,000 were found by the end of the year.[2] In comparison, that same year, Britain had 300,000 calls to report a missing person, although it has about half of the population of Japan.[2] Furthermore, a database of missing persons does not exist in Japan.[2]