five years later, a march “to show the Japanese authorities that we are still here and that we will not give up”, assures his brother

Five years after the disappearance of Frenchwoman Tiphaine Véron, her relatives are organizing a march this Sunday in Nikkō, north of Tokyo. “The objective of this gathering is to show the Japanese authorities that we are still here and that we will not give up”, explains his brother Damien Véron on franceinfo. He also announced that he would meet on November 21 with the governor of Tochigi prefecture, where the city of Nikkō is located. A meeting with the police is also planned for November.

In July 2018, Thiphaine Véron, then 36 years old, left for a three-week vacation in Japan. This school assistant has not given any sign of life for five years. She disappeared in the small town of Nikkō. Japanese police say she fell into a flooded river, but her relatives don’t believe it. After several trips to the country, they are convinced that someone has attacked her.

For five years, those close to Thiphaine Véron have been mobilizing to advance the investigation. But she is struggling to move forward because the Japanese and French judicial systems are very different. In Japan, “the criminal investigation is opened when the person is arrestedexplains Thiphaine Véron’s brother. However, there have been no arrests in this case.”.

“So, we’re stuck. For example, blood was discovered in Thiphaine’s hotel room but there was no analysis, the suspects were not interviewed in a real legal framework.”

Damien Véron

at franceinfo

A UN intervention

In March 2023, the UN, through the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, an organization of independent experts, sent a note to the Japanese state summoning it to “take immediate measures to search, locate and protect Ms. Tiphaine Véron”. When the UN “asked Japan to open a criminal investigation, it changed a lot of things”rejoices Damien Véron. “At that moment, there was something of a revelation for the Japanese. They said to themselves that our demands were legitimate.”

In January 2023, the pole “cold cases”based at the Nanterre court, took charge of this case. “Things that have not been done in France will take place, such as the hearing of European tourists”, explains Damien Véron. He believes that from now on the Japanese police authorities will have to take into account the requests of the UN, collaborate with the pole “cold case” and private investigators hired by the family of Thiphaine Véron. And “it is thanks to this collective work that we will find Thiphaine”continues his brother, who promises that he “will never give up until all avenues have been closed”.