Alabama student, 20, who vanished in Japan had been 'bickering' with parents and decided to spend some time apart from them when he disappeared

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:43, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 15:59, 4 June 2026 The American college student who vanished in Japan had been 'bickering' with his parents and decided to separate from them before he went missing, his family said.  James 'Weston' Higginbotham, 20, was last seen in Kyoto on May 29.  The Auburn University student traveled to the country with family to celebrate his younger brother's graduation, and was described as being 'emotionally distressed' when he went missing.  His distraught mother, Nancy Higginbotham, has since revealed that there was a family argument before her son disappeared.  'We decided to separate. We had been, you know, kind of bickering with each other, and we decided, you go do your own thing, we do our thing,' Nancy told Fox News.  'I mean he's 20 years old, he's extremely well-traveled, he's a wonderful navigator, and so we went to the temples, and then he went by the river,' she added.  James 'Weston' Higginbotham, 20, was last seen in Kyoto on May 29. His parents have since revealed that the family was 'bickering' before he went off on his own James (far right) traveled to the country with his family to celebrate his younger brother's graduation Nancy described 'bickering' as normal, with the family sharing twin beds in a hotel room for six days together.  She also noted that her son 'just needed time by himself,' and that his 'happy place is going on a trail or just going on a hike.'  'It's not an abnormal thing to want time. When you're 20, you're an adult. You can do that,' Nancy explained.   After his disappearance, James' family was able to track him down on Life360, an app that allows families to track their locations, Nancy said.  It showed that James, who also goes by Weston, was by a river, visited a few stores, and then boarded a local train before his location went 'completely dark,' she stated.  He was last seen on surveillance footage getting off a train at the Yamashina Station on Tuesday morning.  On Wednesday, Nancy and her husband, Keith, shared a heartbreaking video on social media amid the search for their child.  The couple thanked everyone who had offered support for their 'thoughts and prayers,' with Nancy adding, 'We truly feel them.'  James (left) was described as being 'emotionally distressed' when he went missing 'We do feel the love and the support that you guys have given us and that the community in Japan has given us as well. 'Every time that you guys repost on social media, it's an opportunity for somebody in Japan to see it,' Nancy continued, explaining that their 'ultimate goal is for people in Japan to see Weston's face so they can report back to us.' The parents encouraged people to continue sharing their posts about Higginbotham on social media as it is a 'chance for somebody in Japan to see it.' 'That's our ultimate goal, for people in Japan to see Weston's face, so that they can report back to us. It's just been instrumental,' Nancy said. 'If you know Weston, you know what a great kid he is. He has a heart of gold, and we all want him to come back safely.' Keith then said that the support they have received on social media thus far has gotten them 'closer and closer to finding him. 'We're confident we're going to find him because of everybody's help and posting, and getting the word out so we can find the person who's gonna find him.' Breaking news... updates to follow.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.