Record ¥4 Billion in Lost Cash Handed in to Tokyo Police in 2022

The Metropolitan Police Department reports that 3.4 million lost items were handed into police stations in Tokyo in 2022, up 21.9% year on year. This included a record ¥4.0 billion in cash, which was an 18.3% increase over the same period.

The total amount of reported lost cash in 2022 was approximately ¥7.0 billion, with 57.4% of that amount handed in to the police, as compared to 46.0% in 2019. It might be the case that public morality has improved over the past few years or that an increased number of people are not consulting the police when they lose money.

The total number of lost items reported to the police totaled 3,707,990 (year-on-year increase of 22.8%). Identification documents, such as driver’s licenses and credit cards, accounted for the largest number of items at 732,358 or 19.8% of all items. This was followed by transit smart cards, commuter passes, and gift certificates at 390,682 or 10.5%: clothing and footwear at 329,826 or 8.9%; wallets and purses at 306,474 or 8.3%; and umbrellas at 280,763 or 7.6%.

Average of 540 Cellphones Reported Lost Every Day

The number of cell phones reported lost by their owners in 2022 totaled 197,544, for an average of 540 per day. Meanwhile, 127,577 phones were handed in to the police after they were found. More than half the phones, or 110,525, were eventually returned to their owners.

According to the National Police Agency, if items have not been claimed after three months by the original owner, ownership transfers to the finder. However, after a further two months, if the finder does not claim the item, ownership passes to the prefecture.

An examination of the roughly ¥3.99 billion in cash handed in to the Tokyo police in 2022 shows that around ¥2.95 billion was returned to the owner, ¥478 million went to the finder, and ¥523 million reverted to the metropolis of Tokyo.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Lost umbrellas at the Lost-and-Found Center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police in Bunkyō, Tokyo, on June 19, 2023. © Jiji.)