Millions in cash salvaged after tsunami

TOKYO – The unmarked envelope floated into the living room of the home in northeastern Japan, riding the wave of tsunami floodwaters. Inside, the astounded resident found $40,000 in yen notes.

More money has been found in wallets, paper bags, and other containers swept away from their owners and scattered across a landscape ripped apart by the March 11 earthquake. One woman found $26,000 in a purse she had spotted atop a pile of debris. One police locksmith opened the heavy door of a recovered safe to find $1.3 million in yen notes.

What followed is a testament to a culture of honesty and altruism: The Japanese have turned over more than $48 million in loose cash to authorities.

“People tell me they just want the money to go to its owner,” said Kouetsu Saiki, a Miyagi prefecture police officer who oversees the collection, identification and return of salvaged money and valuables.

It will never be known whether the less altruistic pocketed what they found. But add the $30 million collected from recovered safes, and Japanese citizens and authorities in the three main prefectures damaged by the tsunami have helped salvage a stunning $78 million.

Just as remarkable, authorities say, some finders have waived their right to the money even when the rightful owners cannot be found in a region where 25,000 people are either confirmed or presumed dead.

According to Japanese law, any unclaimed money reverts to the authorities after three months. It was unclear whether the government was planning to offer the uncollected proceeds to a general victims’ fund.

Police officers and firefighters scouring the debris recovered much of the lost cash, but individual citizens have also done their part.

“Everyone wants to help each other in any way that they can,” Saiki said.

The tsunami in March carried away houses, automobiles and safes, dragging many of them out to sea.

However, more than 5,700 safes have been recovered, many spotted by residents who summon police to provide the muscle needed to lift the heavy objects.

The recovered safe was the largest single find. The money belonged to the owner of a local company whose offices were swept away. All of the cash, police say, was given to company employees.

“He was so grateful to have his money back,” Saiki said. “He didn’t keep it but distributed it among his workers and their families. It’s not about personal gain here. Everyone has suffered in this tsunami.”