Search for missing Japanese tourist stands down

The search for a Japanese woman, feared drowned off the Co Clare coast, has been formally stood down, three weeks after she was reported missing with her partner.

The multi-agency operation concluded on Tuesday after 21 days, with no trace of Ushio Azaki (61).

The body of her partner, Eiji Takagi (63), was found by divers from Kilkee Sub Aqua Club on day six of the search, in about 27m of water near George's Head.

The couple were last seen on the morning of August 22nd, when they parked their rental car at Byrnes Cove in Kilkee.

However, gardaí were only contacted about the vehicle three days later, when it hadn’t been moved for some time.

A search was then mounted on the afternoon of August 25th.

It is believed the couple had gone for a walk along the cliffs at George’s Head and Chimney Bay .

The pair arrived in Ireland on August 18th and spent three nights in Doonbeg, before moving onto Spanish Point, where they stayed in a local hotel.

The pair failed to board a flight from Shannon to London on August 24th, from where they were due to catch a connecting service to Tokyo.

On Tuesday, the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter, Rescue 115, carried out further sweeps along the coast from Kilkee to Quilty.

During the operation, the Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard undertook low water searches in the area around Kilkee, while personnel from the Coast Guard station in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, searched the south shore of the Shannon Estuary.

The search also involved the Coast Guard unit from Doolin, as well as Civil Defence teams from Clare, Dublin, Laois and Tipperary.

Drone technology

Drone technology and specially trained cadaver dogs were also used for the first time in Co Clare during the search.

On day seven of the operation, a shoe believed to belong to Ms Azaki was found washed up on the beach at Kilkee by local authority workers.

Members of the Naval Service Diving Section spent four days in Kilkee, where divers carried out searches over a wide area.

Divers from the Kilkee, Burren, Ennis, Aughinish and Lough Derg sub aqua clubs were also involved in the search.

The Kilkee Coast Guard officer in charge of the search, Martony Vaughan, said: “The operation has been formally stood down after 21 days. We’ve been carrying out low water and coastal searches over the past few days and the helicopter has been out with us as well.

“Unfortunately we’ve found no trace of the missing woman.

“We are very grateful to An Garda, Naval Service, Civil Defence and all the voluntary groups and dive clubs who were involved in the search,” Mr Vaughan said.