"Kaerigishi" Leader Traced to an Earlier, Now-Dissolved Group; Two Missing Still Not Found

Police confirmed by the 8th that they had compared a photograph of the man who identified himself as the leader of "Kaerigishi no Kai" against records of a different self-development group that dissolved five years ago after drawing consumer-affairs complaints, and judged it likely to be the same person. That earlier group had dealt not in claims of "awakening permeation sensitivity" but in dubious health products, and while several complaints were filed at the time, no charges were brought; the man reportedly used a different alias even then. "There's a suspicion he has kept running similar operations under different names, offering different products," an investigator said, adding that police are cautiously checking for any other past activity.

A former associate of that earlier group, in his fifties and speaking anonymously, told this paper, "The face is certainly similar. But back then he came across as much softer-spoken, and it wasn't the kind of retreat-based recruiting we're seeing now." According to this person, the earlier group dissolved after a few years when its leader disappeared from public view, citing poor health. Police say they are also working to corroborate this account.

As previously reported, the person named on the mountain house's lease cannot be confirmed to exist through residency records, and the real estate agent who arranged the rental has since had its registration lapse, making voluntary interviews difficult to arrange. "We need to find out how a contract with no verifiable match between the name and the person ever went through," the officer leading the search said. Neighbors say the house had seen an uptick in short-term retreat use over the past two years. "A handful of cars would show up once or twice a month," one resident said. "We'd exchange a nod, nothing more. We never really knew what they were doing in there."

The search for the missing pair, both in their twenties, continues with a smaller team than the roughly 140 personnel previously deployed, but has been expanded geographically from the area immediately around the house to a wider stretch along the stream valley. As of the 8th, no new evidence or sightings have been reported. Investigators say they have also found no records to corroborate an earlier, anonymous former member's claim that one participant in last year's retreat failed to return for several days. "We're not dismissing the account itself, but without records we can't treat it as confirmed at this stage," the officer leading the search said.

The city's consumer affairs center, which has kept open its hotline for complaints related to "permeation awakening" schemes, said it had received six new calls it believes are connected to this case, two of which mentioned knowing about the leader's past activity under a different name. "The same scheme may be recurring in a different form," a center official said. "If anything sounds familiar, please don't hesitate to come forward."

The family of one of the two missing people relayed a brief statement through police: "When we heard about the retreat, we supported it. All we'd heard was that they wanted to feel more confident in themselves. Right now we can only think about wanting them to be safe." An investigator said, "Even with little to go on, we try to share what we do know with the family as it comes in." Neither the fate of the two missing people nor the true nature of the group has been resolved.