Kumamoto mascot Kumamon has been missing in the wake of last week's devastating earthquakes in Kyushu, spurring concern on social media for its safety as well as criticism for the prefectural government's failure to use the furry animal's network to share information.
Kumamon is a round-faced bear about 1.5 meters tall tasked with promoting tourism and local products. It has more than 460,000 followers on its official feed.
However, it hasn't sent a tweet since Thursday, when it said it was looking forward to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. That night a magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck the region.