Increasing numbers of Japanese students are traveling overseas for intern-style placements, despite the possibility of being left disoriented and vulnerable when arriving in an unfamiliar location.
A female university student from Tokyo went missing Aug. 15 after arriving in Bucharest. A body, believed to be that of 20-year-old Yurika Masuno, was later found.
"Given the latest case, we will advise students to avoid flights arriving at night and to contact host organizations upon arrival," said an official at the Overseas Human Resources and Industry Development Association. The association arranges internships in Southeast Asia and China.
"We can give safety guidance if students take part in school-approved programs, but in other cases it's largely left to intermediary agencies," an official at a private university in Tokyo said.
In the Romania incident, sources said Masuno, who was from Hyogo Prefecture, had flown to Bucharest after accepting a Japanese language teaching post in the city of Craiova.
A witness at the airport says a man apparently approached Masuno after she arrived at Bucharest Otopeni International Airport via Vienna on Wednesday night and offered to help Masuno reach her destination. The two took a taxi together, but got off at a bus stop near the airport. They reportedly got out on a state road several kilometers from the airport. The location was in the opposite direction to Bucharest North Station, where Masuno was reportedly heading.
Two days later, a body was found in a nearby wood. Masuno's luggage was nearby, but her purse and valuables were reportedly missing.
Local media said an autopsy found that the victim had been likely strangled and raped.
The 26-year-old Romanian man witnessed at the airport has been arrested but reportedly denies murder, telling police he left Masuno waiting for a bus.