Cartoonist took photo from cliff top

Futabasha Publishers Ltd. said Monday that Yoshito Usui, creator of the popular "Crayon Shin-chan" comic book and animated TV series, took a photo near the edge of a 100-meter-high cliff shortly before he apparently fell to his death.

Paying their respects: Officials of Futabasha Publishers Ltd. hold a news conference Monday in Tokyo to talk about the death of "Crayon Shin-chan" creator Yoshito Usui. KYODO PHOTO

Usui, 51, was found dead Saturday at the base of the Tomoiwa cliff on Mount Arafune on the border between Gunma and Nagano prefectures.

Identification of his body wasn't possible until Sunday because of poor access to the rugged area.

Police also recovered Usui's broken digital camera.

At a news conference in Tokyo, Futabasha officials said the camera held about 30 photos, and that the final shot was taken from the edge of the cliff, looking down toward its base.

"Usui apparently took that one last shot and then slipped and fell," an official said. "We are completely shocked with this consequence."

Usui went missing after telling his family Sept. 11 he was going to climb the 1,422.5-meter mountain. The Tomoiwa cliff is on one of the climbing routes to the summit.