Mount Yarigatake: Missing 19-year-old student found dead

The body of a 19-year-old university student, identified as Taira Taniguchi from Minamiminowa Village, Nagano Prefecture, was discovered on August 9 near Mount Yarigatake in the Northern Alps.

A helicopter from the Nagano Prefectural Police located the body at an altitude of approximately 2,200 to 2,250 meters near the Kita-kama Ridge. The student was found on a steep slope several hundred meters below the ridge, leading authorities to believe he may have fallen.

Taniguchi had entered the mountain area on August 6 for a two-day solo hiking trip. Police were alerted on the evening of August 8 after friends reported that he had failed to return home as scheduled. Investigators are currently looking into the specific circumstances of the incident.