# Japan Lost Item Check

> Free, unofficial guide for anyone who lost something in Japan (wallet, phone, passport, residence card 在留カード, My Number card, bag, umbrella...) on a train, subway, Shinkansen, bus, taxi, at an airport, shop, hotel or on the street. Gives the steps in order (stop cards and phone, ask the place, file a police lost property report 遺失届, search the police found-items lists), the right contact (Tokyo Metro, JR East / Central / West, Toei, Osaka Metro, Tokyo taxis, Narita / Haneda / Kansai, police search by prefecture), and dated deadlines under the Lost Property Act (遺失物法). Rules as of 2026-11-03. Educational, not legal advice and not an official service; not affiliated with the National Police Agency, any police force, the Immigration Services Agency, the Digital Agency, or any railway, airport or taxi company. It can't search for the item.

Site: https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app

## Key facts (official sources below)
- Found items are kept 3 months from the day they're handed in (police, or a railway / airline keeping them itself). After that they go to the finder (2-month pickup window) or the prefecture. Items with personal information (phones, cards, IDs) never go to the finder.
- Umbrellas, clothing and similar items can be sold or disposed of if unclaimed 2 weeks after the public notice (遺失物法 9条2項).
- Finder must hand in within 7 days (within 24 h to staff if found inside a facility) to keep reward rights (34条).
- Shops, hotels, taxi companies: pass items to the police within 1 week. Railways, licensed route buses, scheduled ferries and airlines (and designated department stores / amusement parks) are 特例施設占有者: they may keep items themselves if they report to the police within 2 weeks (17条); items worth ¥100,000+ (cash, securities, jewellery; 施行令6条) must go to the police within 1 week.
- Reward: 5–20% of value if the finder asks; found inside a facility → 2.5–10% each to finder and facility; claim lapses 1 month after return (28–29条).
- Lost property report: any police box or station; keep the acceptance number (insurance, reissues). Police match reports, they don't search. Not possible for items lost at home, at work or outside Japan. Overseas residents: give email / phone and a proxy in Japan.
- 45 prefectures share the NPA found-items search (lostproperty.pcf.npa.go.jp); Tokyo (Keishicho) and Osaka run their own.
- Residence card: police report, then reissue at the regional immigration office within 14 days of noticing (or of re-entry if noticed abroad), 入管法19条の12; passport + photo + 陳述書 with the police number; usually same day.
- My Number card: suspend on 0120-95-0178 (24 h, every day), then reissue at the city office.
- Tokyo Metro: same day at the station; next day–4 days later Iidabashi Lost and Found Center; then the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost and Found Center. Through-service: ask the connecting operator too.

## API (free, no key, CORS open)

### GET
GET https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app/api/check?items=wallet,residence_card&place=subway&operator=tokyo_metro&lostDate=2026-11-01&today=2026-11-03
→ verdict "act_now", facility {kind "special_facility", toPoliceWithinDays 14}, dates {safeLastClaimDate "2027-02-01", daysLeft, likelyGoneAfter, shortHoldDisposalFrom}, residenceCard {reissueBy "2026-11-15", daysLeft 12, overdue false}, contacts {operator {name, url, phone "0570-033-777", hours, note}, policeSearch}, steps[], timeline[], reward, links, note, sources, disclaimer

### POST
POST https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app/api/check
{"items":["phone"],"place":"taxi","lostDate":"2026-11-02","visitor":true,"valueJPY":120000}
→ operator "tokyo_taxi", facility kind "facility" (to police within 7 days), reward {minJPY 6000, maxJPY 24000}, visitor steps

Parameters: items (comma list: wallet, cash, phone, passport, residence_card, mynumber_card, credit_card, ic_card, drivers_license, keys, bag, laptop, camera, jewelry, umbrella, clothing, other; aliases 財布, スマホ, 在留カード, suica...), place (train | subway | shinkansen | bus | taxi | airport | plane | shop | hotel | street | unknown), operator (jr_east | jr_central | jr_west | tokyo_metro | toei | osaka_metro | tokyo_taxi | narita | haneda | kansai | other | unknown), prefecture (47 romaji names or unknown), lostDate, today, noticedDate (YYYY-MM-DD), visitor, departureDate, valueJPY, cashJPY.

Verdicts: act_now | in_window | window_closing | likely_gone.

Bad input → 400 {error, docs, example, disclaimer}: unknown item / place / operator / prefecture, invalid or future dates, non-boolean visitor, negative amounts.

### Other endpoints
- GET https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app/api/rules
- https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app/openapi.json
- https://japan-lost-item.vercel.app/.well-known/ai-plugin.json
- MCP: tool japan_lost_item_check on https://free-agent-tools.vercel.app/mcp

## Sources
- https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/418AC0000000073 (遺失物法)
- https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/419CO0000000021 (遺失物法施行令: special facility operators, ¥100,000 high-value line)
- https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/en/index.html (NPA lost property site, English)
- https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/en/lost-institution.html (lost in a facility: 3-month hold, 2-week umbrellas / clothing)
- https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/en/loss.html (what a lost property report is)
- https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/en/others.html (facility 1–2 weeks, transit → final terminal police)
- https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/todofukenishitubutu.html (prefectural search links)
- https://www.police.pref.kanagawa.jp/tetsuzuki/otoshimono/mesa1905.html (特例施設占有者 explained)
- https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00010.html (ISA: residence card reissue after loss, 14 days)
- https://services.digital.go.jp/mynumbercard/lost-stolen/ (Digital Agency: My Number card lost or stolen)
- https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/finding_services/lost_and_found/lost_found.html (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost and Found Center)
- https://www.tokyometro.jp/lang_en/support/lost/index.html (Tokyo Metro Lost & Found)

## Other free tools by the same maker
- Japan High-Cost Medical Expense Check (高額療養費 monthly/annual caps, refund, 多数回): https://japan-medical-cost-cap.vercel.app
- Japan Job Loss Check (ISA 14-day notice, 雇用保険, 任意継続/国保, pension after leaving a job): https://japan-job-loss.vercel.app
- Japan Visa Renewal Window Check (在留期間更新 window, 特例期間, 2026-10 fees, PR card renewal): https://japan-visa-renewal.vercel.app
- Japan JLPT Level Check (JLPT N1–N5 vs HSP points, 46号, Business Manager B2, SSW, PR B1): https://japan-jlpt-check.vercel.app
- Japan Disaster Prep Check (防災庁 emergency request: water, food, portable toilets, 旧耐震): https://japan-disaster-prep.vercel.app
- Japan Leaving Tax Check (住民税 and 納税管理人 when leaving Japan): https://japan-leaving-tax.vercel.app
- Japan Pet Quarantine Check (dogs and cats into / out of Japan, 180-day wait, 2027 export rule): https://japan-pet-quarantine.vercel.app
- Japan Re-entry Deadline Check (last day to be back in Japan: deemed re-entry, re-entry permit, renewal-pending special period): https://japan-reentry-check.vercel.app
- Japan Customs Allowance Checker (duty-free allowance on arrival, duty estimate, cash declaration): https://japan-customs-allowance.vercel.app
- Japan Luggage Check (Shinkansen oversized-baggage rule + luggage forwarding cost): https://japan-luggage.vercel.app
- Japan My Number Card Expiry Check (foreign residents' card ends with the period of stay): https://japan-mynumber-card-check.vercel.app
- Japan Visa Fee Calculator (residence permit fees from 2026-10-01): https://japan-visa-fee.vercel.app
- Japan PR Guideline Check (permanent residence guideline revised 2026-10-01): https://japan-pr-check.vercel.app
- Japan HSP Points Calculator (Highly Skilled Professional visa points, 70 / 80): https://japan-hsp-points.vercel.app
- Japan Overseas Dependents Check (国外居住親族 dependent deduction): https://japan-overseas-dependents.vercel.app
- Japan Part-time Work Check (資格外活動許可, 28-hour rule): https://japan-parttime-check.vercel.app
- Japan Driving Check (foreign licence, IDP, 外免切替): https://japan-driving-check.vercel.app
- Japan International Postage 2027 (Japan Post prices now vs from 2027-02-01): https://japan-intl-postage.vercel.app
- Japan Tax-Free Refund Checker (refund-method tax-free shopping from 2026-11-01): https://japan-tax-free-refund.vercel.app
- Japan TB Screening Check (JPETS TB clearance for COE / visa): https://japan-tb-screening.vercel.app
- Japan Alert Decoder (Japanese emergency alerts explained): https://japan-alert-decoder.vercel.app
- Japan Dual Pricing Check (resident vs non-resident prices): https://japan-dual-pricing.vercel.app
- Kyushu Travel Discount Calculator (九州ふっこう応援割): https://kyushu-travel-discount.vercel.app
- House Rules Check (Airbnb house rules from 2026-11-20): https://house-rules-check.vercel.app
- Japan Trip Brain (Japan trip planner): https://japan-trip-brain.vercel.app
- Free Agent Tools MCP (all these tools as one MCP server): https://free-agent-tools.vercel.app