News Tokyo sees record ¥4.5bn in lost cash returned to police in 2025

[thomas]

A record ¥4.5 billion ($29 million) in cash was handed to Tokyo police as lost property in 2025, up 0.5% from a year earlier, police statistics released Monday showed. The figures add to research placing Japan among the world's most honest societies in handling lost money. The largest single sum delivered to police reached ¥27 million, according to the Metropolitan Police Department's lost-and-found centre. More than 70% of reports originated in public facilities. Many customers involved left change behind at supermarket self-checkout machines. About ¥3.23 billion was returned to its owners. Roughly ¥590 million went to those who found the money. Another ¥680 million was added to metropolitan government revenue. Police also recorded a peak in the total number of lost items. Around 4.5 million articles were submitted during the year, a 3 per cent increase from 2024.

Driver's licenses and other identification documents made up the largest share at around 820,000, while the number of small electronic devices, including wireless earphones, handed in continued to increase, police said.

Record 4.5 billion yen in lost cash turned in to Tokyo police in 2025

A record 4.5 billion yen ($29 million) in cash was turned in to Tokyo police as lost property in 2025, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, police statistics showed Monday, reinforcing studies that have shown Japan ranks among the highest in the world for civic honesty.

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