Shoe linked to Japanese tourist washes up on Clare beach
A shoe believed to belong to a missing Japanese woman, whose partner’s body was pulled from the sea on Sunday, has been found on a beach.
The discovery was made by Clare County Council staff carrying out a clean-up in the bay in Kilkee, Co Clare, as surface and dive searches continue for the woman.
Eiji Takagi, 63, who has joint American and Japanese nationality, and Ushio Azaki, 61, arrived in Ireland from Tokyo on August 18 and were last seen four days later.
Mr Takagi’s body was recovered on Sunday afternoon in water off George’s Head, a beauty spot overlooking the Atlantic, with the woman’s shoe found nearby on the beach in Kilkee.
Kilkee coastguard confirmed an item of clothing was discovered and searches by Navy divers and the Coastguard Rescue 115 helicopter were continuing.
Staff from the Japanese embassy in Dublin were on the scene.
Mr Takagi and Ms Azaki hired a car at Shannon airport and stayed at a number of lodgings along the west coast before the vehicle was seen parked at George’s Head over the course of several days over a week ago.
The pair had checked out of a hotel in Spanish Point, Co Clare, on the day they are believed to have disappeared, Saturday August 22, and were due to catch a flight from Shannon Airport back to Tokyo, via Heathrow, last Monday.
