@Pantera 22 July 2021 edited more from that month

The Mysterious SOS Sign in Japan

July 24th, 1989. A simple rescue mission turns into a baffling enigma. Embark on a riveting exploration into the unexpected twists of the S.O.S. sign modern legend of Northern Japan! Content creators attempt to perplex this mystery further, yet, we performed extensive research, deliver the events precisely as unfolded, and reach a definite conclusion. **This is the true story of The SOS Sign In Japan.** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb3v5CxSKoQ Hit play and watch in 4k for the best video experience. Leave a comment, like and subscribe on Medium and YouTube! The transcript follows.

**Part I : The Rescue** Mount Asahi-dakee, Hokkaido island, Northern Japan. On the afternoon of July 24th, 1989, a police helicopter started a rescue operation in an attempt to locate two hikers that had gone missing. The sun was about to set when the rescue crew spotted a large SOS sign made of wooden logs, miles away from the mountain trail hikers are using. The helicopter landed at the site, and the rescuers located the missing hikers coming out of the woods north of the giant S.O.S. sign. Everyone was delighted as they embarked on the helicopter for the return trip. The rescue operation was successful.

*Source:* *japan-guide.com* *(**Licence* *for Non-Commercial Use)* https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6776.html https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e410copy.mv A huge SOS sign made of enormous tree logs standing up to 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide in an open area inside the woods helped the rescue team locate the two missing hikers. However, right at this point the story takes an unexpected turn. The events that unfolded generated one of the most confusing mysteries the world had ever witnessed, with a plethora of theories about what actually happened. This, is the true story of the S.O.S. sign mystery in Japan. A mystery that shook the world. **I recently converted this story into video format for YouTube!** **Watch here (up to 4k):** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb3v5CxSKoQ **Don't forget to give a like, and subscribe!**

**Part II:** The Plot Thickens

Back at the helicopter the two rescued hikers were given food and water and had a chat with their rescuers. A rescuer praised their intuition for creating that S.O.S. sign as otherwise, he mentioned they would have not been able to spot their location. The two hikers looked at each other in confusion. “What do you mean, what S.O.S. sign?”, they asked. This reaction was unexpected, and since they were still above the area a rescuer pointed it and responded. “This one, right here. This is not yours?” The hikers were taken aback and promptly refuted any involvement in its creation, insisting they had not seen it before while on the ground. It was a haunting moment of realization for everyone involved. If it wasn’t the two hikers that created this massive sign, then who was it? Apparently, someone else was lost down there.

*Image from:* *Wikipedia* *(**Creative Commons licence**)* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daisetsuzan-asahidake.jpg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en This new revelation came as a surprise to everyone. They all felt a sense of dread washing over them, wondering who might be in danger and how long they had been stranded. Who was this person, and why weren’t the rescuers notified to search for more people in the surrounding area? An amazing stroke of luck saved the lives of these two men, yet even more could still be in danger.

**Part III: The Search For Answers**

As it was already getting late, the helicopter flew back to base and a second search and rescue operation was scheduled for the following day. On the morning of July 25th, 1989, the rescuers began a second search, this time on the ground. The S.O.S. sign was located 2,5 miles away from the peak of Mount Ashaki, so the rescue team, together with the local police, conducted an extensive search of the surrounding area. The discovery was horrifying. It was the kind of thing that sends shivers down your spine and leaves you feeling uneasy. Rescuers discovered scattered human bones lying around the area. Bite marks were visible on the bones, presumably from wild animals like foxes or brown bears that inhabit these woods. The condition of the remains suggested that the victim suffered a tragic fate, but perhaps several years ago. They transferred the bones to the Asahikawa Medical University for examination, and the university the same day replied that the bones belonged to a woman with blood type zero. Furthermore, just 300 feet from the sign, the police recovered a discarded backpack that contained various personal items including a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, and a towel.

*(Items in the backpack - Source:* *Youtube**)* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93EudwJ5PXQ To their surprise, the officers also discovered a tape recorder and four tapes containing theme songs of popular Japanese anime of the era. The authorities were puzzled as these cassettes were also covered with anime girl pictures and stickers, so they assumed the dead person was an otaku, which is someone obsessed with anime and Japan’s pop culture. One of these cassettes featured the theme song of a popular anime series of the 80s called Magical Princess Minky Momo.

*(Tape containing: Magical Princess Minky Momo)* Interestingly, this anime is considered to be cursed, as several times natural disasters such as earthquakes have struck Japan at the same time key episodes were being broadcasted on national television networks. Obviously, the S.O.S. incident added even further depth to this legend. However, the strange discoveries did not stop there. The story gets even more bizarre as the investigators were frozen in shock when listening to the audio.

**Part IV: Desperate Cry**

*Source of Image:* *japan-guide.com* *(**Licence* *for Non-Commercial Use)* https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6776.html https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e410copy.mv This chilling message shocked Japan in 1989 as national TV networks reported the story. It does not matter if we don’t understand the language. The gruesome tone of the voice of this man alone makes it terrifying for everyone. The tension and fear in his voice are also recorded. Adding the fact that this person didn’t survive makes it worse. A desperate cry for help that reached nobody until it was already too late. Translation: *I’m on a cliff and can’t move* *SOS help me* *I’m on a cliff and can’t move* *SOS help me* *I’m at the spot where I first met the helicopter* *the bamboo grass is thick and you can’t go up* *lift me up from here* The tape recording did not solve anything but perplexed the investigation further. The man was clearly saying he was stranded on a cliff unable to move yet the bones and the tape recorder were located next to the SOS sign not near a cliff but at a lower ground. New questions emerged regarding the bones. The victim had been identified to be a woman with blood type 0 yet the voice in the recording belonged to a man. The police had also found the bones to be fractured in two places the leg and upper body. The man also mentions in the recording he couldn’t climb and seemed like he couldn’t move. And still, his remains were found far away from any cliff. How did he move down there, but most importantly how did he cut and move these heavy logs on his own, especially considering the harsh weather conditions and the possibility he was already injured? Such a task would demand extreme physical strength and a tremendous effort. This construction would also require a tool like an axe or hatchet to cut the trees however the search team retrieved no such an item. Some questions can be answered others not. The investigator in the case had to double-check with the University the validity of their analysis, so he requested Sahakawa Medical University an additional examination of the bones. Within the day, new results came out, this time admitting their initial mistake and stating that the bones belonged to a man with blood type A. I searched to find out if it is common for medical research centers to mess up this badly, and to my surprise, it appears that this is not uncommon. At least this part of the mystery was solved and the bones belonged to a man. Yet, this formidable enigma is still far from a solution. The man probably was not seriously injured when he recorded the tape. He did not mention any injury but instead revealed he could not move to higher ground because of the deep bamboo grass. Apparently, he had no choice but to climb down the cliffs, where he successfully reached the open area and created the SOS sign. The bones also contained a fractured leg, still there is no mention of any injury on the recording. It is reasonable to assume this timeline: First, he recorded the tape, then he moved down the cliff and created the SOS sign, and some time after that, he suffered a fracture.

**Part V: National Shock**

The incident immediately reached the global news with reporters flocking to the area to cover the story. Five days into the investigation, on July 30th, 1989, a journalist from the Japanese TV station HBC discovered more items related to the case in a hole inside a nearby tree. Inside the hole, the reporter found two cameras, a notebook, and a driving license under the name Kenji Iwamura of Conan City, Aichi Prefecture.

Police searched their records and discovered that this man was reported missing in the area five years ago, in 1984, while hiking Mount Asahi-dakee, yet, he was never found. Apparently, he found shelter in this tree hole, although perhaps he was fatally wounded by a wild animal. With the new clues, the puzzle finally seemed solvable as the police theorized that the man who built the giant SOS structure and left behind an SOS message in a cassette was someone who had died five years ago. Still, even more questions emerge. How could this SOS sign sustain its structure for five years without weather conditions like heavy rain, mud, and plantation demolishing and burying it to the ground? Moreover, authorities contacted Kenji’s parents but they also seemed unable to recognize the voice of their son. While they verified that the objects the search team discovered belonged to him, they were unsure and could not confirm the voice in the recording belonged to their son.

**Part VI: The Timeline of Events**

From the tape, we learn the timeline of events. At first, the hiker was stranded on a cliff, initially planning to stay there and wait for the helicopter to return. He had noticed the rescue helicopter passing nearby, perhaps he shouted and waved his hands to attract attention, but soon realized they could not notice him due to the distance and the environment. The hiker recorded a loud and clear message, as he might have realized that he could become exhausted within a day and incapable of shouting for help. He might have even thought that the recorder would be louder than his own voice, which would increase his chances of being located. However, he probably realized the loud buzzing sound of a helicopter would not allow his voice or the sound of the voice recorder to penetrate and reach the rescuers. As time passed, he acknowledged this was not the best idea to come up with. Therefore, Kenji decided it wasn’t going to help him at all and he had to think about something different. He provides unspecified coordinates about his location and mentions the bamboo plantation, which was too thick to allow him to return to the mountain trail, and he finally requests to lift him from the cliff where he was stranded. With his last phrase, he asks the helicopter to rescue him by lifting him from this location. The recording undoubtedly preceded the construction of the SOS sign. As he couldn’t return to the mountain trail, he descended to the lower grounds and discovered the clearing where he constructed the massive SOS sign. It appears that no other rescue team scouted the region again, maybe the weather conditions didn’t allow that, and the hiker was unlucky for his SOS message not to be seen by any following rescue operations. At this point, some analysts suggest that it would be difficult for a man with average physical strength to accomplish this feature. In a later interview, a coworker expressed his belief that Kenji would have indeed tried to build an SOS sign in this situation as taking decisive action fit his character. However, the mystery that remains is why no tool was ever found.

*Image from* *Unsplash* *(by* *Simon Berger**)* https://unsplash.com/photos/3BNnMjTZros https://unsplash.com/@8moments How he cut the birch trees is a mystery, therefore, we can only speculate what might have happened. It seems that he must have been carrying some sort of tool with him, such as an axe or a hatchet. There is no other explanation. Perhaps Kenji also used this tool as a weapon to defend himself against the plethora of natural predators inhabiting these isolated woods, but most likely failed. The police did not expand the search in the surrounding area, considering the findings were enough to close the case. In the end, this was the logical course of action as they had discovered the exact identity of the missing person, and no one else seemed to be in danger. During the investigation, they also examined aerial photos of the region and discovered that the SOS sign was observable in aerial photos of 1987 but not in earlier photos taken in 1982, while no other aerial photos of the region were taken between these years. We can also speculate that the voice in the recording sounded different than the natural one, therefore Kenji’s parents could not recognize it. The quality of these recordings was always poor. Cassette players distort the voice, making it sound heavier and deformed, specifically when someone is shouting, as Kenji did.

**Epilogue**

Kenji’s desperate cry for help is truly heart-wrenching, especially knowing that those were some of his final moments. Some content creators on the internet complicate this mystery further, making it seem unsolvable and increasing the tension by concealing details, yet, the most reasonable explanation is that Kenji Iwamura was most likely responsible for both the recording and the SOS sign. The only unclear detail was how he cut down the birch trees and created the SOS sign. No tools were found lying around that could have helped Kenji. Perhaps a part of this story that will remain forever a mystery. The past aerial photographs prove the SOS sign was there for at least two years, leading us to only one logical solution. This story is a testament to the human spirit and the power of hope, even in the darkest of moments. Despite Kenji’s tragic end, his actions ended up being a beacon of hope for two other lost hikers who found themselves in a similar situation… five years later. **A reminder that even in misfortune, our actions can have a lasting impact on those around us.**

**References:** Sources (Japanese): *Togetter.com* https://togetter.com/li/1427291 *Twitter* https://twitter.com/dragoner_jp/status/1192074862933659652 *Yamareco.com* https://www.yamareco.com/modules/diary/148886-detail-232743 *Ceiling-Gallery.com* http://www.ceiling-gallery.com/blog/2014/12/21/sos *business-career.jp* https://business-career.jp/articles/FgNGJ4I35dGz59q6kgUT?page=1 *Wikihouse.com* https://www.wikihouse.com/dorosuki/index.php?1989%2F07%2F26%A1%A1%C2%E7%C0%E3%BB%B3%A3%D3%A3%CF%A3%D3%BB%F6%B7%EF *Wikipedia* *(japan)* https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS%E9%81%AD%E9%9B%A3%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6 Youtube: *The SOS Sign Incident - An Unsolved Mystery* *- Barely Sociable* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snWvNkJCCs8 *Unsolved Japan: The Mystery SOS Sign (Scary Tape Found!)* *- KyotoRobato* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93EudwJ5PXQ *Dead Body With a Mysterious Tape Recording - The SOS Sign and the Skeleton - Japanese Mysteries* *- By Kenji Pictures* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWhZryAkbho *Bizarre Crimes & Disappearances: SOS Disaster Incident**, by Tara A. Devlin* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5o3nAeBqwg ***Lead Image:Source****:* *Facebook* https://www.facebook.com/HistoryThatShookTheWorld/posts/the-sos-incident-on-the-24th-of-july-1989-two-mountaineers-from-tokyo-who-were-c/280595766749637/ Also Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkvzV15kXIg Notes: *DISCLAIMER: All material published in this content, is used for entertainment and educational purposes and falls within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this article, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an* *email**.* ***Active on:*** *●* *****ReadCash***** *●* *****NoiseCash*****  *●******Medium*****  *●******Vocal*****  https://read.cash/@Pantera https://noise.cash/u/Pantera99 https://medium.com/@panterabch https://vocal.media/authors/pantera *****Don't forget to Subscribe and Like if you enjoyed this article!*****