Lost or stolen items | Japan is Nippon

First, do this

If you lose a credit card or mobile phone, contact the card company or phone company at once to have it stopped.
File a lost-property report at the nearest koban or police station, and give a Japanese phone number for them to reach you.
If you lost it on a train, in a taxi or in a shop, contact that company or shop too.
If something has been stolen, or a crime is happening right now, call 110.
If you lose your passport, contact your country's embassy or consulate first.

First, file a lost-property report at a koban or police station

If you lose something in Japan, go to the nearest police station or koban and file an ishitsu todoke (lost-property report). A koban ("police box" in English) is a small police post that accepts lost-property reports. Every police facility has the form. You can also print the form from the website of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (Tokyo's police), fill it in and bring it with you. Reports by email or similar are not accepted, however, and neither are reports of items lost outside Japan.

If the police think your item has been found, they will contact you, so give them a Japanese phone number. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says that, as a rule, it does not make calls abroad. If you are leaving Japan first, give the contact details of a friend or someone else living in Japan when you file the report, and they can be contacted if the item turns up.

Items handed in within Tokyo can be looked up with the "lost property search" on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's website, though it is in Japanese only. Details of items whose owner is unknown are shown for three months from the day they were handed in to the police. Items whose owner has been identified, such as things with a name written on them or mobile phones, are not shown. If you lost something outside Tokyo, contact the police responsible for the place where you lost it.

Things left on trains, in taxis or in shops

If you lose something on a train or at a station, file a lost-property report with the police and also contact the railway company. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, railway companies keep items left behind for a set period (usually about a week). Taxis are the same: report it to the police and contact the taxi company too.

If you leave something on a plane or bus or in a shop, the company or shop may keep it for a few days. Ask them first.

Lost property handed in to the police is kept for three months from the day it was handed in, under the Lost Property Act. After that period, the item becomes the property of the finder or of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and items containing personal information are disposed of.

Collecting your item once it's found

When the police station or the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center contacts you, take the necessary documents to the place you are told. You need valid ID (a passport, residence card, driving licence or similar), a lost-property report if you haven't filed one yet, the notification letter if you received one, and the lost-property receipt number. To collect a mobile phone, you also need the SIM card number or the serial number.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center, in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (closed on public holidays and from 29 December to 3 January). Someone else can collect the item for you. In that case they need their own ID, a copy of your ID, a letter of authorisation and so on.

If neither you nor a representative can go, the item can be sent to an address in Japan after checks. You pay the postage.

Stop your credit cards and phone straight away

If you lose a bank card, credit card or mobile phone, contact the card issuer or your mobile phone company immediately so it can't be misused. If the police find it, they may also contact you through the card company or the phone company.

Visa advises contacting the company that issued your card first, to stop the card and arrange a replacement. If you can't reach your issuer, Visa Global Customer Assistance Services can help you report a lost or stolen card and get an emergency replacement. Calling from a mobile phone or a hotel may incur call or roaming charges.

If something is stolen, go to the police

If you are a victim of crime or in a traffic accident, call 110. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, if you can't speak Japanese, a police interpreter joins the call to help. If it isn't urgent, you can also report it at the nearest police station or koban.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department urges people to report crimes to the police as soon as possible, even if the loss is small or the process seems like a hassle, because otherwise you may fall victim to the same crime again.

For non-urgent matters when you don't know who to contact, you can call the police consultation line, #9110. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department General Consultation Center handles Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.

If you lose your passport

If you lose your passport, file a lost-property report with the police too. Whether you need a police certificate to get a new passport depends on your country, so check with your embassy or consulate first. If you do need one, ask the police station that took your report. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center does not issue this certificate. For details, see the page "If you lose your passport".

Tips

Before your trip, write down your card companies' lost-and-stolen contact details and keep them somewhere separate from the cards.
You need the lost-property receipt number to collect your item. When the police contact you, make a note of the number.
Without a phone number you can use in Japan, it is hard for the police to reach you. If you have a friend living in Japan, give their number too.

Sources

Checked: 29 September 2026