NewsWorld newsMissing personsCarmelita Lakdesha Paul, aged 12, has been reported missing while on holiday with her family in Tokyo, Japan, with a major search underway to locate her18:00, 14 Aug 2026A 12-year-old British girl has been reported missing while on holiday with her family in Japan.‌Carmelita Lakdesha Paul travelled to the country with her parents and older brother on July 21, but has not been seen since she vanished from the family's Tokyo accommodation on August 12.‌Emergency services in Japan were contacted at around 9.30am the following day after the rest of her family woke up to find she had gone, sparking a major search operation to find the missing schoolgirl.‌Her dad says he spoke with her the night before her disappearance and said there was nothing strange about her behaviour, Japanese broadcaster ANN News reports.Carmelita was later seen on CCTV walking in the Kamata district, near to where the family were staying, later that morning. The footage examined by detectives shows her dressed in a blue sleeveless top, black and white skirt, black pumps and carrying a pink handbag.‌Her phone was also found in the rental accommodation, so the family had no way of getting in touch with her. The schoolgirl was not carrying her passport, and her family believes she had no more than a few thousand yen - no more than £70 - on her when she disappeared.The girl is then believed to have boarded a train at Kamata Station and travelled 20 minutes south to Yokohama Station, but police have been unable to track her movements beyond that point.Carmelita has been described as being 5ft 3in and of medium build with curly dark hair, and police have urged anyone who knows where she is or has information that can help the investigation to get in touch with authorities in Tokyo.‌A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Mirror: "We are supporting the family of a British child who has been reported missing in Japan and are in contact with the local authorities."It comes as record breaking rainfall has flooded cities east of Tokyo, killing at least five people, injuring over two dozen others and stranding thousands, authorities said today.As the deluge subsided, the Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its most severe heavy-rain warning in more than a dozen municipalities in the prefecture of Chiba while forecasting more rain later Friday.Article continues belowThe prefecture saw unprecedented rainfall levels Thursday, with 1.5cm in just one hour in Chiba City and 9.7cm fell in one hour in the city of Sakura, JMA said.Photos and television footage showed widespread damage, with homes, cars and parts of railway tracks filled with muddy water. Roads and dozens of homes were also flooded and some areas remained without power.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Missing personsJapan