Without a trace
The makers of Japan-Singapore drama Lost & Found discuss the unique collaboration behind this adventure series, appealing to Gen Z and how it is rooted in the real-world phenomenon of people who choose to disappear.
A unique collaboration between partners in Singapore and Japan, Lost & Found is a series set between the real and virtual worlds – and designed to appeal to Gen Z viewers specifically.
The six-part adventure series, inspired by true events, focuses on introverted Singaporean gamer Richie Chiang, whose world is turned upside down when his online Japanese gamer girlfriend disappears.
On a whim, he decides to head to Tokyo to find her, enlisting support from gamer friend Yuka. As they are thrown together in their shared mission, the search for Sakura, they become embroiled in the city’s dark underworld, where young people are unwittingly trapped in a web of scams, trafficking and illegal workers.
Shot in Japanese and English on location in Tokyo and Singapore, Lost & Found comes from a collaboration between Singaporean producers Empire of Arkadia and Mocha Chai Laboratories, and Japanese producer TV Man Union and public broadcaster NHK. Empire of Arkadia is handling international distribution.
The series will air in mid-March 2026 on NHK Japan and in Singapore, as part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Here, Empire of Arkadia founder Fotini Paraskakis and NHK drama director and deputy head of content strategy department Taku Kato tell DQ more about the partnership behind the series, how it is rooted in real life and how they sought to bridge the gap in language, culture and customs between the two countries.
What are the origins of the project?
Paraskakis: Lost & Found was devised by Singapore-based creators Empire of Arkadia and Mocha Chai Laboratories with a dream to create Asian-inspired stories that travel, and with a focus on creating a cross-border story inspired by real events that truly speak to underserved Gen Z global audiences. Partnering with top Japan production house TV Man Union allowed us to further deepen and develop the story, keeping it as real as possible. And with NHK coming on board as a partner, the project became a dream collaboration.
How was the international coproduction behind the series pieced together – and why?
Paraskakis: Due to the cross-border nature of the subject matter, the story organically lent itself to international coproduction. The original story was created in Singapore by producer Michelle Chang and me. We then brought TVU to the project to help authentically develop the Japanese story elements. The focus was to create a series through a distinct Gen Z lens to meet the growing global demand for this audience in the most authentic way possible. At the same time, all three partners were keen on trying a different global distribution model, which would allow us to control more of our own IP, working with strong broadcasting partners who understood our needs and who were open to new ways of working. On hearing about the project and our fresh distribution approach, NHK was keen to participate and premiere the series. We could not have asked for a better broadcast partner; NHK has been incredibly supportive and understanding.
Why did the project appeal to NHK?
Kato: When Lost & Found was brought to NHK through TV Man Union, I felt it was a wonderful opportunity. Asia’s diverse values and cultures are attracting global attention, and the story appealed to us because, while centred on exchanges among Gen Z, it also carries the classic structure of a boy-meets-girl narrative. Through the journey of Richie, a young man from Singapore, the story unfolds in a way that blends light and shadow in contemporary Japan – a perspective that felt truly refreshing.
I believe this collaboration not only adds a global dimension to NHK’s content line-up but also provides a valuable chance for NHK to further engage with creators from Asia and the West. Just as Singapore finds Japan fascinating, we too see Asia as deeply compelling. We hope initiatives like this will expand NHK’s possibilities to deliver even more captivating content to audiences in Japan and around the world.
How is the story inspired by real events, and how do the lives of Richie and Yuka reflect the experiences of young people in Japan and Singapore today?
Paraskakis: Many young people today struggle on a day-to-day basis given the complexities of modern-day politics, economics and technology. With the huge rise in social media and the way in which content is shared globally, they are unable to properly navigate their daily lives, becoming introverted, depressed, unable to communicate or cope with what is happening around them. This is especially true for young people in Asia, where this story starts, and is becoming a growing phenomenon across the world.
In Lost & Found, we have tried to capture the essence of these mental struggles that young people face with the increasingly complex world of digital crimes and scams they are confronted with on a daily basis. Coincidentally, as we began our project, a notorious South Asia fraud scam was shut down in Myanmar, with many of those arrested operating across Asia and within Japan itself. This real-world incident added a fresh, multi-faceted, authentic and very current perspective to our narrative, creating a uniquely compelling viewer experience.
This incident circles back to what is actually happening on the ground in modern-day Tokyo, as pressure on society mounts. The practice of Johatsu [when someone intentionally ‘disappears’ from their life] is increasing daily, with people facing dire consequences, having no other option but to completely disappear from society, erasing their identity and severing ties not just from the constraints of their own lives, but also those of their families and friends – and just completely vanishing.
This phenomenon sees as many as 90,000 people, many below the age of 30, going missing every year, facilitated through the use of ‘disappearance brokers’ or ‘night movers’ to wipe all traces of their identity. We therefore decided to set our story against this backdrop, as a young man from Singapore travels to Japan and, with the help of his friends, struggles to rescue his missing online girlfriend – a seemingly classic boy-meets-girl story that goes awry.
How did you cast Anna Yamada (Golden Kamuy) as Yuka and Shawn Thia (TiTouDao) as Richie Chiang?
Paraskakis: Casting the roles of Yuka and Richie was obviously key to how the series would eventually be executed. Our priority was to cast actors that naturally and organically leaned into these roles. We instantly felt, that both Anna and Shawn were the right fit for Yuka and Richie. They truly understood and empathised with the characters, their anxieties and their ability to move between the real world and the virtual world. Their on-screen chemistry was amazing, with very little direction.
What was the writing process on the series, and how did you want to use both Japanese and English in the scripts?
Paraskakis: We all understood the writing process would be slightly more challenging than usual, but it was an intriguing challenge nonetheless, with many interesting conversations revolving around culture, society, language and even trends. We wanted the series to be as organic as possible, so we developed the script using Japanese, English and even Mandarin where it made sense, to give the characters and narrative a real-life feel. With today’s advances in technology and language translation, communication was not as much of an issue as it has been in the past.
The series is filmed in Tokyo and Singapore – where did you shoot and how are real locations used in the series?
Paraskakis: To keep true to our ‘inspired by real-life events’ tagline, we spent quite some time trying to find authentic locations in both Tokyo and Singapore. Whether it was Yuka’s family home in the suburbs of Tokyo, Richie’s simple apartment he shared with his father in Singapore, the low-rent area where a typical gaming café might be found in Tokyo or the iconic waterside locations in Singapore, each location was carefully chosen. Finding the right locations that matched our storyline and cast was a crucial part of the production process.
The series is targeting Gen Z viewers. How do you hope to achieve this?
Paraskakis: We really wanted to create a series to highlight the difficulties young people face in navigating our complex world today. We felt the intricacies of this story would genuinely resonate with Gen Z viewers within Asia and around the world, as the story is relatable to all on some level. By setting this story predominantly in Tokyo, we wanted to show viewers the juxtaposition of how a country like Japan can be a leading economic powerhouse and trendsetter with a darker criminal side trapping young people, giving them the option to escape. This is now happening not just on a local level, but on a huge global scale. This element helped us take the story to another level, giving the series a fresh yet very real perspective on the complicated world we live in today – something that is no doubt relatable to all Gen Zs and, we hope, will create strong talking points.
What challenges did you face in development or production?
Paraskakis: The real task was in bridging the gap between language, culture, different customs and processes – this did make the development and production processes a little longer but, knowing it would take more time, we tried to allow for this. Some things did inevitably get lost in translation, but we also all learned a lot from each other – exchanges on production and shooting tips, ways of working, developing storylines and characters. It has been an amazing and unforgettable experience thus far, with all the fruits of our labour definitely shining through in the final product, making this a standout series.
Are there any scenes or moments from making the series that stand out?
Paraskakis: There are some great emotional moments in this series, as there are so many relationship layers and connections among all the characters that speak not just to Gen Z viewers but to millennials and Gen X, as everyone tries to navigate and manage rapid changes in daily life as they happen. The story is really rich in this way.
One key element we have in this series is the way in which we have crafted and executed how our main Gen Z cast live seamlessly both in the real and virtual worlds, finding it difficult to separate the two. We have teamed up with some great former game graphic designers in Tokyo to create a virtual gaming world where Richie, Yuka and Mari spend a lot of their time. This is a world where they can truly be themselves and share their feelings, in a way they are not able to in the real world. Aside from this being a great visual for the series, we tried to portray the stark reality of how many young people are living their lives today, so this component is extremely key to our storytelling process.
What can viewers expect when watching Lost & Found?
Paraskakis: This series has everything and something for everyone – it has a multi-layered plotline, characters that resonate strongly with viewers, comedy, drama, emotion, romance, current true-to-life cross-border storylines and locations, cool game graphics and virtual world settings. In fact, there is so much to unpack in this series, we are not sure if one season is enough to do the story justice.
How do you hope to build on the international partnerships forged through making Lost & Found?
Paraskakis: We have learned a lot from this very special project and we hope its success will lead to further cross-border storytelling and collaborations, giving more producers and creators in Asia the opportunity and confidence to partner internationally. The world is a much smaller place these days, with so many stories now resonating globally and across generations. It’s the ideal time to explore new ways of working on multiple levels. It’s very exciting.
Like that? Watch this! Suggested by AI, selected by DQ
Alice in Borderland: A Japanese thriller where an introverted gamer and his friends are pulled from everyday Tokyo into a deadly, gamified parallel city, forcing them to turn gaming skills into real-world survival as they uncover who is running the ‘game.’
Tokyo Girl: A young woman leaves her small town for Tokyo and navigates work, love and identity in a grounded portrait of modern Japanese urban life and the pressures on young adults.
Unnatural: Forensic lab drama in which a team investigates suspicious deaths that expose exploitation, bullying and institutional failures in contemporary Japan.
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tagged in: Empire of Arkadia, Fotini Paraskaki, Lost & Found, Mocha Chai Laboratories, NHK, Taku Kato, TV Man Union