A body believed to be that of a missing Japanese tourist in his 60s has been found in a bay in western Ireland, according to media reports.
The search for a missing Japanese woman who was last seen with the man, also in her 60s, continues, The Irish Times reported Monday.
According to the Irish daily, the pair are Eiji Takagi, 63, and Ushio Azaki, 61, who flew from Tokyo to Ireland on Aug. 18 and were supposed to return home via London's Heathrow Airport on Aug. 24.
The pair had not been seen since they checked out of a hotel on the morning of Aug. 22, according to Kyodo News. The car they rented was found in a seaside parking lot in the resort town of Kilkee, about 1.5 km south of George's Head peninsula, in County Clare.
Divers found the body Sunday while searching a coastal area near the scenic point, which is popular with tourists, the newspaper said.
A Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo said Tuesday that the ministry was aware of the reports of the missing Japanese pair and is in contact with Irish authorities.
"Regarding their identities, all we can say is that they are one Japanese male in his 60s and one Japanese female in her 60s," the official said, citing privacy.
The official said the ministry had not yet confirmed whether the body found Sunday was that of the missing Japanese male.
An earlier Japanese media report quoted the Japanese Embassy in Ireland as saying the man had U.S. citizenship. But the ministry official in Tokyo denied the report, saying embassy staff never said that.