When you lose something in Japan, there is a good chance that it will be returned to you.

Japanese people are honest in reporting found items and there is a good tracking system available where you can search and retrieve your lost phone or wallet.

Still, not everything is found so it is a good idea to have copies of important things like passport, resident card, health insurance card, etc.

Here is information on how to find your lost things

【Bag/Purse etc. on the Train】

Many things that are left behind on the trains are retrieved by kind  people and end up in the “lost & found” department of the railway companies. First, inquire at the nearest station. If they have not got it may still turn up so inquire again at the lost & found office after a day or so. For Tokyo Metro, lost items are kept at Tokyo Metro Lost & Found center at Iidabashi station for 3-4 days, after that unclaimed items are moved to the Metropolitan Police Lost & Found Center at Iidabashi station. (Nanboku line, Iidabashi station, exit C2).

You can search the Tokyo Metro by internet as well;

https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/faq_lost/index.html

The Police also has a Lost & Found webpage;

https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/finding_services/lost_and_found/information_map.html

                                                ＊＊＊ NOTICE ＊＊＊

If you think your bag/purse was stolen, you need to report it at the police station nearest to the crime scene.

【Passport】

Report to the police station and not to a local police box.

They will issue a “Ishitsubutsu todoke juri shomeisho” (a certificate that you have reported the loss to the police). If the passport is not found and returned to you, you need to contact your embassy to find out what you should do to get a new one issued. It is advisable to make a copy of your passport to have handy for such unforeseen situations.

★Useful words at the police station:

Police station = keisatsu-sho　けいさつしょ　警察署

Police box = koban　こうばん　交番

Certificate that you have reported to the police = ishitsubutsu todoke juri shomeisho　いしつぶつとどけじゅりしょうめいしょ　遺失物届受理証明書

“I have lost my XXXX” = “XXXX wo nakushimashita”　「XXXXを、なくしました。」

“My XXXX was stolen” = “XXXX wo nusumaremashita”　「XXXXを、ぬすまれました。」

“Please give me a certificate” = “ishitsubutsu todoke juri shomeisho wo kudasai”　「遺失物届受理証明書をください。」

【Resident Card】

Same as with your passport, report to the police station as soon as possible that your resident card was lost. Take your passport and other identification if you have, like health insurance card etc. with you and they will issue the “Ishitsubutsu todoke juri shomeisho” certificate. Take that certificate to the Immigration office and apply for a new residence card. Unless there are some problems, you will get the card on the same day.

【Drivers License】

You go to the police station and report it lost and apply for a new one. It usually takes 1-2 weeks before you get your new license (the expire date will be the same as on the one you lost, not 3 years from the day you got the new one). You cannot drive until you get your new license so if you absolutely need to drive your car, you can go to the “driving license center” of your prefecture and apply and get a new license on the very same day. In either case, you need to bring:

# Resident card

# Photo (3cm x 2,4cm)

# Fee (2,250yen)

Be sure to check the homepage of your prefecture’s Driving Center before going.

【Credit Card】

If you have a Japan based credit card you call the following number and have your card frozen. If your card is from abroad, the operator will give a special number to call for information since foreign credit cards cannot be frozen by phoning the usual credit cards help numbers.

Visa Card            00531-11-1555   (toll free)

Master Card        0053-11-3886     (toll free)

American Express             0120-020-120     (toll free)

【Mobile Phone】

If you lost your Mobile phone, you can temporarily suspend your service and then reactivate your phone when you have found it.

■NTT Docomo

Call 0120-524-360(24hours), but unfortunately only Japanese speaking service so the best thing may be to go to a nearby Docomo shop.

■au

Call 007-77-111 (9am-8pm), there will be a recording in Japanese. Just press “0” and when you get the operator, ask for an English-speaking person. You can also activate a remote lock for “osaifu-keitai” through the phone.

■SoftBank

You can call 157 from another Softbank phone or 0088-21-2000 from a regular phone and press “8” for English guidance. You can also go to a nearby Softbank shop.If you have an “osaifu keitai” you can activate the remote lock at a nearby Softbank shop.

■Rakuten Mobile                                                                                                                                    

You can suspend it online

https://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/guide/sim-lost/

or call 0800-600-0500