300 kg “Princess Momiji” Statue Disappears from Park in Central Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:40 JST, October 3, 2023

A bronze statue of “Princess Momiji,” a symbol of Momijihime park in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, disappeared in late September, it has been learned. The Takaoka city government reported the disappearance to the police on Monday as a likely theft.

According to the city government, the 2.3-meter tall statue, which weighs about 300 kilograms, was donated by Takaoka-based copperware producer Takenaka Doki in 2002.

The city government received a report that the statue was missing on Sept. 29. Someone is believed to have used heavy machinery to remove the statue sometime after Sept. 25, when it was last seen.