Tokyo police set up lockers for lost property around the clock

Tokyo police will introduce 24-hour lost property lockers this summer to make it easier for owners to return their missing items and reduce the workload of staff involved in recovering items.

The move comes after police recorded 4,087,000 cases of lost property last year as foot traffic in the capital returned to pre-pandemic levels following the downgrade of COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu.

About 900,000 unclaimed items are typically stored at the Metropolitan Police Department’s lost and found office in the city’s Bunkyo district, where shelves are lined with items such as suitcases, crutches and even a naginata – a spear-like traditional Japanese blade.

Items found on trains and stations are packed in color-coded bags depending on the train company.

The basement is already crammed with almost 30,000 umbrellas in April, before the rainy season in Japan. According to the center’s director, Harumi Shoji, the number of unclaimed umbrellas can be as high as 70,000 during a typical rainy season.

Most umbrellas are commonly available plastics, of which only about 1 percent is reclaimed by their owners.

In 2019, police handled a record 4,152,000 lost property cases. Although that number fell to around 2.8 million between 2020 and 2021 following the outbreak of the pandemic, cases rose again, reaching the third-highest level ever last year.

The most commonly lost items in recent years include identification documents such as driver’s licenses and items such as train tickets equipped with IC chips.

Electronic products are particularly on the rise, with items such as wireless headphones, portable mini fans and heated tobacco devices coming into focus.

Lost items are usually held at police stations for a certain period of time before being sent to the lost property office. However, items can only be accessed on weekdays, which may be inconvenient for people who work regular office hours. Sometimes queues form outside the facility.

The lockers are installed outside the center entrance so that it is accessible even when the reception is closed at night and on non-working days.

Owners can reserve a locker online and access it using a QR code to retrieve their items.

Depending on the results of the trial at the center, the police will consider introducing lockers at police stations.

Since lost property reports have been able to be filed online since 2022, Shoji said she hoped people would use the system and file reports “at their leisure, without having to go to the police station or police station.”