Mystery as Tokyo loses track of its centenarians

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_he_me/as_japan_missing_centenarians;_ylt=ApalPNfrfGr4sWAw43Dmm2Ws0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFkY2tiaXBiBHBvcwMxMzYEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9oZWFsdGgEc2xrA215c3Rlcnlhc3Rvaw--

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Writer – Tue Aug 3, 11:54 am ET

TOKYO – Japanese authorities admitted Tuesday they'd lost track of a 113-year-old woman listed as Tokyo's oldest, days after police searched the home of the city's official oldest man — only to find his long-dead, mummified body.

Officials launched a search this week for Fusa Furuya, born in July 1897 and listed as Tokyo's oldest citizen, after it emerged her whereabouts are unknown.

Several other celebrated centenarians are also unaccounted for due to poor record-keeping and follow-up in a country that prides itself in its number of long-lived citizens but also frets about an unraveling of traditional family ties.

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The missing elderly people could cast doubt on the exact number of centenarians in Japan, a figure that has been rising for decades.

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