Millions of dollars worth of lost and found items left unclaimed in Japan 0
Mr. Shoji Okubo, director of the Tokyo Police Department’s lost and found center, stood among the derelict umbrellas.
Tokyo’s 660 square meter lost and found center receives millions of lost items each year, from everyday items such as glasses, keys, phones or driver’s licenses to things that are seemingly invisible.
Umbrellas are the most lost items, according to center manager Shoji Okubo.
According to statistics, in 2016, up to 3.83 million lost objects, not including cash, were given to Tokyo police, an increase of nearly three times compared to 1997.
Japan requires lost objects to be returned to the owner or delivered to a local police station.
Last year, more than $32 million in cash was handed over to Tokyo police, but only 74% of the money was returned to the right owner, while about $8.3 million unclaimed was confiscated.
The disease of absent-mindedness in modern society
Mr. Shigeru Haga, professor of psychology at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, said that today, technological devices such as tablets or smartphones make people lose their ability to concentrate.
`Our ability to concentrate is limited,` Professor Haga advised people who often forget things on the train to put their phones in their pockets or hold an umbrella in hand before a stop.
Besides, everyday items such as clothes, shoes, or umbrellas are now mass-produced so they are much cheaper than before.
Handling unwanted items
Before storing, employees at this center must carefully label the lost items with detailed information about when and where they were found.
`We really have to work very hard to store items systematically,` Mr. Okubo said, adding that the center’s six-story building is no longer large enough to accommodate all the lost items.
Every day, Mr. Okubo’s staff has to make an average of 250 phone calls and send hundreds of notifications to find the owners of the items.
`The workload is huge,` Okubo said.
Except for items that can easily trace the owner’s identity such as credit cards, ID cards or passports, most everyday items such as hats and umbrellas cannot be found.
After a period of storage without finding the owner, the lost items will be sold for confiscation money.
An auction of old goods.
Saneyoshi Yogi, director of Saitama-based PX Co., which specializes in buying and selling used goods, said he often participates in auctions of lost items.
`It’s no different than gambling,` Mr. Yogi said, `God knows what you’ll find.`
Last year, Mr. Yogi’s company spent more than half a million dollars at four auctions.
`People forget all kinds of things,` Mr. Yogi said. `One time we bought a bass. I couldn’t understand how someone could forget something that big.`
Mr. Yogi’s company then exports the purchased items to the Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand markets.
`We just packed 20,000 umbrellas to Myanmar,` Mr. Yogi said.
