British girl, 12, who vanished during family holiday in Japan is found safe days later after going off on her own 'to visit famous anime locations'

Published: 18:03, 16 August 2026 | Updated: 18:25, 16 August 2026 A 12-year-old British girl who vanished during a family holiday in Japan has now been found, according to reports.  Carmelita Lakdesha Paul is said to have told officers she ventured away from her family's accommodation in Tokyo to visit a famous anime location.  The high school student arrived in Japan along with her parents and older brother on July 21, but went missing more than two weeks later. Her family said they last saw Carmelita on August 12 at their accommodation before reporting her missing at 9.30am the following morning.  The schoolgirl was spotted walking through Tokyo's Kamata district on CCTV footage that morning.  She however later boarded a train 20 minutes south to Yokohama Station, where police lost track of her whereabouts. Carmelita did not take her phone or passport and her family said she had no more than a few thousand yen - around £70 - with her.  Japanese officers spent more than two days searching for the Brit before she arrived unharmed at a police phone box in Yokohama at around 8pm on Saturday evening. British girl Carmelita Lakdesha Paul, 12, has now been found after going missing on a family holiday in Japan Carmelita was taken into protective custody and will be reunited with her family.    The youngster told officers she had visited an anime location and spent time at internet cafes, according to Japan Today, but eventually began to miss her parents.