If you found a bag with a large sum of money in it, say 10 million yen, in some isolated spot, and there was nothing to indicate who the owner was, what would you do with it?

Whatever I would do, it wouldn't involve me broadcasting it on the internet....

Of course, I would hand it in at the Koban and request that they put up a public notice as required by the Lost Property Act. If nobody came around to claim it within 3 months, I would claim it as my own in accordance with Article 240 of the Civil Code.

Finding of Lost Property

Article 240 - If the owner of lost property is not identified within three months of the time when public notice thereof is effected as prescribed by the Lost Property Act (Law No. 73 of 2006), the person who found the lost property shall acquire ownership in the same.

Many Japanese people believe in destiny so I would apply that belief when in Japan.

Nice one, Geoff !

The Coen Brothers 'No country for old men' compells me to walk right by, thats run actually!!!!

I'd do what I'd hope anyone else would do if I lost/misplaced something valuable; hand it in and look forward to getting either a heartfelt 'thank you' from the absent-mined person who left it in the isolated spot or becoming the legal owner in six months' time if the owner didn't show up. Do as you would be done by.

What I would not do is pick it up and tacitly assume possession. I would not like to be done to by the kind of people who leave large sums of money in isolated spots for nefarious purposes.

Many Japanese people believe in destiny so I would apply that belief when in Japan.

destiny to get caught and convicted.

it seems that most Japanese will take it and report it to koban except some kinda jerks/idiots. It must be a criterion of ordinary Japanese.

If you keep it, it's not theft. Technically it's appropriation of lost property. +look at the circumstances, "in an isolated spot." I'd say that's a pretty nice come-up. Your loss my gain.

Of course there is always the likelihood that on the way to the police station, booty in hand, some Sanma character, all teeth and gums, pops up out of nowhere, with accompanied national network film crew, howling busted!!

I found a platinum lady's wrist watch on the ground, near our house on my birthday (many years ago). I took it to the nearest Koban and was told that if it wasn't claimed, it would be mine a few months later and the date they gave me to pick it up was hubby's birthday ! It became mine - only to be stolen later - in France - together with my handbag...

If you keep it, it's not theft.

It is. Penal Code Article 235:

A person who steals the property of another commits the crime of theft and shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.

Tina is right. You can be charged in Japan if you keep found money.

"it seems that most Japanese will take it and report it to koban except some kinda jerks/idiots. It must be a criterion of ordinary Japanese."

I'd rather call it doing the right thing.

i would buy a bunny suit and give the money away to people in need!!

Yikes. 10 million yen in an isolated spot? That is dirty money, and I would want no part of it. I probably wouldn't even bother informing the police, or anyone else. I'd just leave it there.

I have a feeling that frequent visitors of isolated places are not the kind of people who would deal will the police.

A person who steals the property of another commits the crime of theft and shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.

Its still not "stealing."

Tina is right. You can be charged in Japan if you keep found money.

Sure. I can be charged. But its still not larceny / theft. And if I hop on a miltary flight (C-130) form Yokota Air Base? How could I be charged? SOFA is also on my side.

I have turned in wallets, cash, credit cards and phones. When I lost a really nice gold and turquoise necklace, no one turned it in. Sort of put a bad taste in my mouth after all the nice stuff I did for other people.

i would turn it in. But, this is a hypothetical situation. If at the time I had heaps of money problems, the situation might pan out differently. I like to think I would still hand it in, but I cannot say for sure. I HAVE in the past found wallets, and even twice found large, single bills (5000 or 10,000) which I took to the Koban after waiting in the place where I found it for an hour (to see if someone came running and looking for it), and have turned in anything else I've found as well. The only time I've found money that I did not turn in was when it was a 10, 50, or 100 yen coin which, depending on where I found it, I either left it there or else turned it in to the convenience store outside of where I found it, etc.

If you're rich, turn it in, if you're poor, keep it so you can make a living in this world that is ruled by only money!

@Tina It is. Penal Code Article 235:

Thanks for the Japanese perspective.

if I hop on a miltary flight (C-130

Hopefully you're representing yourself; hopefully that's not a mindset shared by those in the military here or anywhere else.

Finders keepers, losers weepers!

Hopefully you're representing yourself; hopefully that's not a mindset shared by those in the military here or anywhere else.

Yeah, that was a pretty frivolous post. Surprised the mods let it ride. On the other hand, I'd say it wouldn't be too unreasonable to "keep" that 10 million yen. I mean, look at the scenario: "in an isolated spot" and "nothing to indicate who the owner was."

You don't have 2b a SQUARE 24/7 you know.

And if I hop on a miltary flight (C-130) form Yokota Air Base? How could I be charged? SOFA is also on my side.

By entering the U.S. with more than $10,000 in negotiable monetary instruments you don't have a legal claim to followed by extradition.

That's one way.

(...again this is all hypothetical)

By entering the U.S. with more than $10,000

Naw really Sherlock Holmes. So don't claim the $.

Surprised the mods let it ride.

Why? You only described what SOFA is for. I don't know why your govt wants to spoil its people.

Hopefully you're representing yourself; hopefully that's not a mindset shared by those in the military here or anywhere else.

Don't worry. Most are decidedly not unscrupulous rubes.

You only described what SOFA is for.

For once you're spot on. It helps us "beat the rap." Besides, I found the money in "an isolated spot" . . . so of course there's room for leniency.

I found the money in "an isolated spot" . . . so of course there's room for leniency.

The police may be hiding to see who would come to collect the money. Lots of explaining to do for leniency.

If you're rich, turn it in, if you're poor, keep it

The owner may be poorer than you are.

(...again this is all hypothetical)

I'm taking you guys on a ride aren't I?

The police may be hiding to see who would come to collect the money

LoL. My lawyer can explain that one- entrapment. There would be lots of leniency. Look at how easy that former "School Principal" got off the hook for having sex photos of all those Filipinas he bought.

I don't believe Japan has entrapment laws, though I could be mistaken.

Of course, I would hand it in at the Koban and request that they put up a public notice as required by the Lost Property Act.

You wouldnt have to request anything, they would do it as a part of their job.

I don't think so either, I'm just being an instigator. But seriously 39% are saying. "I'd keep it" vs the 60% saying they would turn it in to police. It's not so much of a landslide.

I would keep it, as would any person who lives in the real world.

I dont know, I guess in response to the post quoting the penal code perhaps? Like, if I kept the money, a strict interpretation of the penal code states im violating the law? Theres the penal code and then there is reality.

I would keep it

and your value as humanbeing would be eroded little by little without realizing it because you know for the rest of your life that you stole the money that might have been important for the owner a matter of life or death..

I dont know, I guess in response to the post quoting the penal code perhaps? Like, if I kept the money, a strict interpretation of the penal code states im violating the law? Theres the penal code and then there is reality

Do you have anything to show that the police don't actually persecute if someone keeps found money?

Japan is one of the few places in (or outside of the "real") world where a majority of people would hand it in to the police. On the other hand, in some places in the "real world", handing it in to the police is not even considered, and giving some one else's money away thought "inspiring." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-6Uk6cvcaI

Gosh I am glad I live in Japan.

Gosh I am glad I live in Japan.

Me too. One of my favorable experiences in Japan was way back in '89. On Hibiya Line, I dropped a 500 yen coin from my right pant pocket. I had a sony walkman @full blast and did not realize I had dropped it. A little school boy tapped me on the shoulder & returned it.

Bck in LA, my five-bucks would've been gone. But the circumstances dictate the situation. If that boy didn't "see" me drop the coin from me pocket, and there wasn't another soul on that subway train car, its not unreasonable to say the young lad might've "kept" it.

and your value as humanbeing would be eroded little by little without realizing it because you know for the rest of yo

What a ridiculous thing to say. No, it wouldn't.

Taking a significant amour of money that's not yours may not make you less moralistic, but it would definitely expose a lack of morals.

There was this experiment on young kids at a bus stop (posted here I think) a while back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ16XqAc2Ck And this test on 12 "lost" wallets where all 12 were handed in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmFkqoSTXzM

Realistically speaking, couldn't you take it to the cops and claim the 10% reward? (Shareiken system). 1 million yen is still pretty sweet, and if no one claims it, even better.

Moral arguments aside, theft is simply taking something that doesn't belong to you. There is a lot of room for common sense and gray zone, but the law takes care of any ambiguity.

For example, taking a shell on a public beach in most cases nobody will care..but there are certain beaches where taking even the sand is a punishable office and it is posted.

tl;dr: The law says taking money in Japan that isn't yours is a punishable offense, regardless of how or where you found it.

the young lad might've "kept" it

Impolite way to describe a boy who was kind to you. Not many people would risk being caught just for 500 yen.

Japan is one of the few places in (or outside of the "real") world where a majority of people would hand it in to the police.

But would they if this were not hammered into their heads in school and if the goods or cash handed over just went straight into the coffers of the city?

and your value as humanbeing would be eroded little by little without realizing it because you know for the rest of your life that you stole the money that might have been important for the owner a matter of life or death..

I can't stand these "holier-than-thou" kind of people.

Imagine how boring they must be in real life... telling everyone how to behave "properly" according to their infinite wisdom and oh-so-sacred moral code...

To be honest, I prefer people with some kind of dark side...

easy peasy, does not matter if there is potential reward at the end- call me a boy scout- i did not earn the money - turn it in

Turn it in to the police, because that is the law. After one year it may become yours if it is unclaimed.

@chouwarioyaji,

aint it true..lol. They living in Asia, the place best known for the most shaddiest of shade, but playing hollier than thou.

To be honest, I prefer people with some kind of dark side...

Me too. @choiwaru- . . . Can't some poster keep it real here on JT? Majority of us would never commit a felony and actually "jack" 10M yen.

. . . . but look at the hypothetical situation. "an isolated spot" & you found it. That equals= come up. Throw a party and invite everyone you know with that money. Is that so, "wrong."

Too many squares.

Square, boring or whatever you like to call it, taking someone elses property and not intending to return it to the owner is stealing. I cant abide a thief. While it seems like a decent enough some of money, its only life changing if youre really on your uppers.

Square, boring or whatever you like to call it, taking someone elses property

What?? Taking someones property "out right" as in- by force, using methods of fear, weapon, to intentionally deprive the "owner" of that 10M yen sum on a felonious level is wrong.

. . read the fine print. "an isolated spot" . . . . do you jog ToneGawa 10 km from time to time? Its very, very isolated.

Finders keepers, losers weepers.

Oh dear Wc, You are disappointing. The location is irrelevant, if the property isnt yours, don't keep it.

Is that so, "wrong."

Not until the bad boys who left that money in their supposedly safe 'isolated' drop-off/pick-up point come and find you. They won't want to listen to any whining about 'finders, keepers'. They might say they 'found' your fingernails, or kneecaps. And SOFA isn't likely to stop them, either.

@WC: So you're saying if you came across, say, a Bicycle in an isolated spot you would be free to just take it? Or a car?

Keeping such a large amount of money would only make me paranoid that the cops would look for me, or worse the people who lost the money.

My heart says to keep the money, but my instincts says, turn it over to the police, which would be the right thing to do, maybe not logical, but ethically, it's definitely the right and honest thing to do.

@WC: So you're saying if you came across, say, a Bicycle in an isolated spot you would be free to just take it? Or a car?

Cars have VIN# and can be traced. A bicycle? LoL, can't you do better than that?

The vote now stands @40/60. All you squares won, but not by a landslide. It was an entertaining thread thanks-

I'm not sure I'd hand it into the police. We might just stand off to the side somewhere discreet and call the police. Beyond being the right thing to do, there's a chance someone is watching it. I don't know of any illegal transactions that involve leaving a lot of money lying around like that. Pretty stupid situation, to be honest, even as an intellectual exercise in "what if?" Anyway, on the off chance the world's dimmest drug dealers/kidnappers are involved somehow, we'd play it as safe as possible while still doing the thing that allows us to sleep at night and look at ourselves in the mirror in the mornings.

Remember "No Country For Old Men" and "A Simple Plan." And plenty of examples from real life. Free money is rarely free. Even people who win the lottery sometimes pay a heavy price that goes beyond the monetary gain. I certainly have a "dark side" as someone above mentioned, but it doesn't include stealing someone's boodle of cash. Doing the right thing is usually my default, but when tempted by the Dark Side, I do a quick cost/benefit analysis. The risk has to be worth it.

Trust me... and I'm the guy who wouldn't steal the money, so I think you can... it's not worth it. If we're imagining some consequence-free fantasy Candyland scenario where you were meant to have the money, go on a spree and no one ever gets hurt, then I suppose you can justify it. But if this were real-- as ludicrous as the set-up is-- someone is going to get hurt. And you are that someone as well.

Cars have VIN# and can be traced. A bicycle? LoL

So anything that can't be traced is fair game? (You do know that money can be traced, don't you?)

I'd hand it in, of course, but the only problem is that the police make you sit there for about an hour answering questions, etc., and generally making themselves objectionable. I always get the impression that they are not pleased that I have given them extra work to do.

I once found 57 yen in small coins in a supermarket telephone booth; presumably someone wanted to make a call, fished through their pockets until they found a ¥10 or ¥100, and forgot to take the unusable coins back.

Brought the coins to the customer service desk and filled out the "finder" papers.

A week or so later I got the postcard from the police that you usually get after bringing in a lost item. There was a note saying that they had a few questions for me and would I please come to the police station to answer them?

Needless to say, I did not follow up on this opportunity.

I hope the 57 yen was spent on a cup of ramen for a homeless person or something similar.

(You do know that money can be traced, don't you?)

Naw really Sherlock Holmes? But there are ways to filter it, layer it and make it come back cleaner than clean. Its so easy.

So you start off claiming 'it's not theft', then you're hiding behind SOFA and hopping on a military flight out of the country with the money you didn't steal, then you're calling your lawyer and comparing your 'not stealing' with buying underage sex in the Philippines, then you're throwing a party coz it's 'finders keepers', and now you're thinking of ways to launder the money and make it untraceable.

Wouldn't it be easier just to hand it in and claim the 10% reward?

Wouldn't it be easier just to hand it in and claim the 10% reward?

You're right, yes it would. It was just an entertaining topic and thread, I just thought I'd run with it & ramble-on.

You're right, yes it would. It was just an entertaining topic and thread, I just thought I'd run with it & ramble-on.

You wouldn't be satisfied with 10% of what you think already belongs to you.

@wc626

A little school boy tapped me on the shoulder & returned it.

Tapped you on the shoulder? You must be very small then.

Straw man argument. I've found money and other items several times, turned them in to the nearby koban, and never heard back from any of them. Not even the supposed 10%. No, I didn't follow up because of the further inconvenience.

I've turned in many things to our local koban, including but not limited to 2 cell phones, a man's wedding ring, a JCB/JP bank card, and the latest... a Man's Louis Vuitton wallet that had been cleaned out (but still had ID) before I found it at a bus stop. I never ask for anything in return. I've also turned in a few Suica cards to the station.

I'd probably just leave it there... if I were Japanese I'd turn it into the station, but being a foreigner... and it being such a large amount of money - yeah I don't want to put myself in the middle of anything shady. I don't even jaywalk on country roads here, you never know what could get you into trouble and I'm certainly not looking to get deported lol... But I definitely wouldn't take it, however that's coming from a place of privilege. If I were a person in dire financial trouble, with loads of debt, etc... Who knows.

@cleo BEST ANSWER!! You don't want to keep something that does not belong to you. Never. It kind of scares me that anyone would even make an excuse for keeping something that does not belong to them. You don't know what situation they are going through.

Wc262 - You are the reason that a lot of us have trouble. You only care about yourself. Your rules have made people like me and so many others very uncomfortable. Personally, I want you to get on that plane and never come back. I am ashamed to call you MY military.

@tinawatanabe - I feel you. You are right. It would be just losing your humanity. You do lose yourself by acting that way.

@Tony Alderman - You can only say this if you have no value and behave like a cockroach. This is what is wrong with the world. The "Cockroach Mentality".

and your value as humanbeing would be eroded little by little without realizing it because you know for the rest of yo From Tina

What a ridiculous thing to say. No, it wouldn't.

You obviously lack an ethical background.

LoL. Why is everyone all butt-hurt? It was a hypothetical scenario. Jus having a lil' fun.

The vote currently stands 43% vs 57 . . . . It aint' a landslide like 4example , 10% vs 90. So u see, there are lots of people who would "keep" that dough-

Butt hurt are the people who lost the money. It is not just a fictitious question. It is talking about how people are. I am a retired Army guy and to be honesty, you have disgraced us American soldiers with your answer. SMH!

The 44% tells me that given this scenario, it is NOT so unreasonable to go ahead and "keep" it. I mean, Its not as if I'm sticking a gun in someones face.

It happened to me, kind of. This was back in the late 80s. I was in Italy, outside of Florence. I was walking on a dirt road up to some monastery. I went to, ah, relieve myself, and I saw something in the weeds. It was a money belt with roll of US hundreds. A few thousand or so. At first, I was pretty psyched. Big blobs of cash can have that effect.

But then I thought, what about the poor sap who lost it? So I rummaged around and found some ticket stubs and receipts. Possible clues to the true owner.

So I brought it back to hostel where I was staying, and put up a lost and found poster. No one claimed it, so I eventually turned it over to the hostel.

From the FBI

If someone comes across an unusually large sum of cash, then one should turn the money over to local law enforcement as having large sums of cash are not normal behaviors of law abiding citizens. If the rightful owner(s) cannot be located, then the money would be returned to the finders.

The vote stands 45% vs 55. Heh- the crickets are chirping louder and louder.

It's interesting to read all these morally justified posts about handing it in. However, I wonder if these people would do the same if they found ¥10. It is the same moral, just a different amount.

What would prevent the police from telling you, three months down the road, that the rightful owner claimed the loot and said to thank you when you show up?

Tapped you on the shoulder? You must be very small then.

Perhaps that little boy has at least one arm which extends above his head and can be used to tap a man on the shoulder. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing has occurred.

10 Mill Yen in an 'isolated' spot. That in itself is suspicious. The size of the largess and the location make me suspect it has arrived at it's location through nefarious means. I'm not really thinking grandpa has merely dropped his bag on the way to the bank after emptying out the mattress. It could be the proceeds of crime, or, be there directly as a result of crime. To wit, someone, somewhere might be missing cash that was stolen. So if I choose to keep it, I am benefiting from someone else's misfortune.

The more I think about it, the more I would probably hand it in.

It's interesting to read all these morally justified posts about handing it in. However, I wonder if these people would do the same if they found ¥10. It is the same moral, just a different amount.

Same moral, but no one is going to starve due to the loss of ¥10.

Most people won't notice 10yen missing and I don't think it is worth it.

I would hand the 10 mill in, that amount of cash is kinda hard to hide.

Yes, I would let the police know. But I sure as heck wouldn't tell them how much or where I found it. I wouldn't trust them to not have one of their buddies show up and claim it with all the right details. No, you get someone to explain where they lost how much money and if I'm convinced, they get it. Otherwise, I'm buying a safe.

I have turned in wallets, cash, credit cards and phones. When I lost a really nice gold and turquoise necklace, no one turned it in. Sort of put a bad taste in my mouth after all the nice stuff I did for other people.

Yep! Karma has never really worked out for me.

Straight report to ministry of tax office / or bank of Japan to collect officially! One : you don't do anything to with that money( might to do with in wanted and troubled money! Who knows what!) two: even you entitled to receive some after while reporting to police, I wouldn't want to pay tax for that money which I never worked for it! Three: due to the nature of money originally comes from, I never want to become a wrong target from mob/ or loan company. But if that money clearly tell belong to one particular own ! ! that person Should contact local authority to solve his/ her issues that associating with sum of money at first place.

I'd keep it.

I'd keep it, buy a small safe to put it in at home, and use it in a small trickle over years

Exactly. The cops would never know too. One could also inconspicuously insert￥10,000 into slot machines / pachinko machine. Only play down 500 yen (of the 10,000) and then cash the rest out- 9,500, clean and untracable.

If you did this over the years around various pachinko parlours, it'd be a walk in the park.

To be honest, I'd be extremely suspicious of it, so I'd most likely back away slowly with my hands on top of my head, for fear of being in some sniper's sights. For all I know that could be ransom money, a mob bribe, or who knows what else. 10 million yen isn't worth a bullet to the head.

I would hand it in for sure, I like to sleep nights. If I were then lucky enough for it not to be claimed I could spend it when and on what I like with a clear conscious. The 10% reward would do nicely otherwise.

I would take it to the police but make sure that I was accompanied by a Japanese witness who would be able to verify that I was the person who brought the money in.

I found a bag on a rainy day at an intersection near my home. I picked it up and immediately headed for the closest convenience store. In front of the store employees, I opened this bag and realized the person's Id and other things were there to include a bank book. I then headed home. If someone had been following me after I picked it up, at least I would have had help from the store I visited. After getting home, I emptied out the contents of the bag and noticed an envelope with 150,000 yen in it. Ah, the bank book was there along with the person's ID and phone numb- er. I immediately called this person and because the person is hard of hearing, I had to more or less yell that I had his bag. Still not sure of who this person was, I told him to meet me at the same convenience store that I opened the bag just previously. So off I went to meet this person. The person came about 15 minutes after I called and it turned out to be my 83 year old neighbor who I often said hello to and since this man was hard of hearing, he never heard my hellos. He was elated and I was happy to give him his bag back. I saw him approaching the store at a very fast pace despite having to use a cane to walk. The next day, the man brought me an envelope with 10,000 yen in it a a very large box of cookies that I believe he purchased at Tokyu department store. Initially I did not want to accept anything, but he would not take NO for an answer. The neat part of this story is .... after almost ignoring him because I thought he was ignoring me after I greeted him daily for the longest time, he now meets me with a big smile and a nice hello as he walks his dog on a daily basis. I always remember to speak in a loud voice so that he can hear me. Moral of this story - maybe best to give the money back if you know who the owner is or turn it into the police if not known. Can't imagine the guilt I would have felt if I had kept the money!!

Taking a lost item to the police box is one of the Japanese nationalitis, so taking that bag should be taken to the police box.

I'm too grateful to the people who have returned my lost wallet with his contents in the past to not do so for others. This Japanese ethic is just one more reason why I've been here 17 years. I'd hate to see it change.

Of course, I would hand it to the Police and request that they put up a public notice as required by the Lost Property Act. If nobody came around to claim it within 3 months, I would claim it as my own in accordance with Article 240 of the Civil Code.

Finding of Lost Property

Article 240 - If the owner of lost property is not identified within three months of the time when public notice thereof is effected as prescribed by the Lost Property Act (Law No. 73 of 2006), the person who found the lost property shall acquire ownership in the same.