¥10 Mil. Found in Sapporo Garbage Draws a Dozen Claims

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:39 JST, March 1, 2023

SAPPORO — The Hokkaido prefectural police are having a hard time identifying the owner of ¥10 million in cash, which was found at a recyclable garbage collection facility in Sapporo. 12 people have so far claimed ownership.

The ¥10 million was found on Jan. 30 among paper waste collected in the Nishi and Teine wards of Sapporo, and the Hokkaido police announced they were seeking information on the owner of the money on Feb. 21. As of Tuesday, 12 people from Hokkaido and other prefectures had told the police that they are the owner, saying things like, “I lost the money when I was carrying it wrapped in newspaper” and “I lost it while traveling around.”

Nine among the 12 filed an official report of lost property.

The Hokkaido police are trying to identify the true owner based on the trash collection route and whether the cash matches the descriptions given by those claiming the money.

The ¥10 million was found by a contractor commissioned by the Sapporo city government, which was sorting the garbage. If the owner of the cash is not identified by April 30, the city, as the “finder,” is expected to take the ownership of the cash.