A record 29.79 million reports of found property, excluding cash, were made to Japanese police nationwide in 2023, police agency officials said Monday, as the miniaturization of electronic devices has made them easier to lose.
The figure, an increase of around 3.15 million from the previous year and the highest since comparable data became available in 1971, also comes as foot traffic has returned after an easing of restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Police Agency officials said.
The total amount of found cash reported to police in 2023 also reached an all-time high at around 22.85 billion yen ($145 million), increasing by approximately 1.7 billion yen from the previous year.
According to the agency, reports of found items had been increasing until the pandemic, with the previous record of 29.75 million items set in 2019.
Small electronic devices -- such as wireless earphones, mobile batteries, and heated tobacco products -- have particularly been notable in recent years, it said.
"The increase is likely due to people nowadays carrying more smartphone accessories and other small devices than in the past," an agency official said.
The official also speculated that the spread of cashless payments may have resulted in more people losing their wallets with unused cash still inside them, contributing to the increase in found cash.
According to the lost property law, cash and items, excluding mobile phones and those containing personal information, generally become the property of the person who found them if not claimed within three months. If the finder forfeits that right, it becomes the property of the prefectural government.
Around 3.41 billion yen in found cash, including the amount reported in 2022, has ended up as prefectural revenue due to being unclaimed.
Meanwhile, around 12,722 dogs, 4,382 cats, and 8,431 other animals including birds, were found in 2023, remaining at a high level similar to the previous year.
As feeding and caring for the animals while they are temporarily held takes up resources, a senior agency official has urged owners to be responsible in looking after their pets.
