── National Library Database: Excerpt from the XX Prefectural Newspaper, Morning Edition, August 24, 1976

Mountain Sanatorium Suddenly Closes; Whereabouts of Inpatients Unknown

"Twilight Sanatorium" - Prefecture Investigating Circumstances [XX Town, 23rd = Staff Reporter]

It was learned on the 23rd that the "Twilight Sanatorium," a private care facility located in the mountains of XX Town, XX County, had suddenly closed.

The sanatorium was opened around 1940 and had accepted patients requiring long-term care for severe physical and mental illnesses. Due to its remote location, it was hardly known to the general public, but it reportedly accepted patients from both inside and outside the prefecture as a facility promoting "end-of-life care."

However, from the morning of the 23rd, all telephone calls to the sanatorium ceased to go through. A family member of a patient, becoming suspicious, inquired at the XX Town Hall on the afternoon of the same day, and it was discovered that no notification regarding the closure had been filed by the facility. Town officials headed to the site, but the main gate was firmly closed, and there was no response from anyone inside.

According to the Prefectural Health Department, they have received no communication regarding closure or suspension from the sanatorium. Furthermore, there have been no reports confirmed to date regarding the simultaneous transfer of inpatients to other medical institutions. A man (48) in the prefecture, who has his mother entrusted to the sanatorium, told this paper during an interview: "I just received a letter last week. It said her condition was unchanged. I never heard anything about her being discharged." He appeared bewildered.

According to nearby residents, lights were visible in part of the building until the night of the 22nd. On the other hand, by the evening of the 23rd, there was no movement of people at all, and cars believed to belong to the staff had also disappeared. It is believed that there were doctors, nurses, staff, and many patients at the sanatorium, but the exact number of inpatients is unknown. The prefecture plans to dispatch health center officials to the site on the 24th to hear from the facility manager. Additionally, as inquiries are flooding in from families of patients who cannot be contacted, they are also hurrying to confirm the location of the patients.

As of the night of the 23rd, the director of the sanatorium has not been reached.

"Supposed to have been discharged" - Conflicting Records

Regarding the sudden closure of the Twilight Sanatorium, it was discovered through this paper's investigation on the 23rd that there are also unclear points regarding patients who were admitted to the sanatorium in the past.

A woman (56) living in the prefecture says of her younger brother, who was admitted to the sanatorium in 1972, "I suddenly received a notice from the hospital saying he had been discharged." However, her brother did not return home after that, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

According to the woman, when she inquired at the sanatorium, she received the explanation: "He was discharged at his own request. The hospital does not know his whereabouts after discharge." The woman says, "My brother was not in a state where he could live on his own. I cannot imagine him being discharged without notifying his family." The Prefectural Health Department states regarding this matter, "It is an old case, and we are currently investigating."

August 23, 1976 Twilight Sanatorium was closed. Since then, no new patients have been accepted.

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