Body found on Mount Arafune may be missing cartoonist Usui

MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. (Kyodo) A body thought to be that of missing cartoonist Yoshito Usui, the creator of "Crayon Shinchan," was found on a mountain straddling Gunma and Nagano prefectures Saturday morning, police said.

The body, which was found by a climber at the base of a steep cliff on Mount Arafune, will be recovered Sunday to determine if it is that of the 51-year-old cartoonist, who went missing Sept. 11, the police said.

Usui told his family he was going hiking on Mount Arafune that morning and would return to his home in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, by evening, the police said. His family reported him missing the next day.

The Saitama, Gunma and Nagano prefectural police forces have been conducting a joint search for him ever since.

Usui started drawing "Crayon Shinchan," the story of feisty kindergartner Shinnosuke Nohara and his family in Kasukabe, in a comic book published by Futabasha Publishers Ltd. in 1990. The popular cartoon series was adapted for both television and film.

The city of Kasukabe issued a special residence card to the Nohara family to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the municipality, and has also been using Shinchan as a mascot for its child-rearing campaign since April.