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Act todayChecked against official sources on 12 October 2026

Lost wallet or phone

Japan's lost-and-found system works remarkably well — but block your cards and SIM first. Then file a report at a kōban and check the police lost-property search.

Do this first

Block anything that can be misused: call your card issuers and phone carrier, and lock or erase the phone remotely (Find My / Find My Device). Then file a lost-property report (遺失届) at the nearest kōban.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Block cards, SIM and the phone

    Card issuers and carriers run 24-hour lost-card and lost-phone lines (find them in the issuer's app or website; many apps now offer a temporary 'freeze' if you may just have misplaced it). Suspend the SIM so nobody can run up charges or receive your one-time codes. If your My Number card was in the wallet, suspend it on 0120-95-0178 (Japanese, 24 hours) or 0120-0178-27 (English and other languages). A lost passport goes to your embassy; a lost residence card has its own 14-day procedure — see that guide.

    Official page

  2. Step 2: Retrace your steps and ask the operator

    Trains, buses, taxis, shops and venues keep found items for a few days before handing them to the police. Station staff can check the railway's lost-and-found log on the spot; say the line, the time and the car position if you can. Phone or visit the same day — the first 24 hours give the best odds.

  3. Step 3: File a lost-property report at a kōban

    Go in person to any kōban or police station and file a 遺失届 (lost-property report) — or a 盗難届 (theft report) if it was stolen. Give a Japanese phone number the police can call (a friend's if yours is gone); they do not call abroad. You get a receipt number — keep it for the insurer, the carrier and immigration. In Tokyo you can fill in the English form online first, then hand it in.

    Official page

  4. Step 4: Search the police lost-property database

    Items handed in across Tokyo end up at the Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center (search online by item type and date, Japanese only — use a translation app). Other prefectures run their own search pages. If your item shows up, bring ID and the receipt number to collect it; someone else can collect it with a copy of your ID and a letter of authorisation.

    Official page

  5. Step 5: Replace what did not come back

    IC card: a registered Suica/PASMO (記名式) can be stopped and reissued at a station counter with ID — the balance is carried over, a handling fee (about ¥520) plus a card deposit applies, and the reissue is normally collected within 14 days. An unregistered card and its balance cannot be recovered. Mobile Suica is reissued from the app's member menu. SIM: a carrier shop reissues it with your residence card for a small fee. Cash card: your bank branch, with residence card. Credit cards are mailed by the issuer.

    Official page

Who to contact

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Police — Lost Property Center

    0570-550-142

    Weekdays, office hours (outside Tokyo: your prefectural police lost-property page)

    English page with a printable lost-property form

    Website

  • My Number card — suspend a lost or stolen card (Japanese line)

    0120-95-0178

    Suspension 24 hours, every day (menu 2 for lost/stolen; from IP phones: 050-3818-1250, charged)

    Japanese

    Website

  • My Number card — foreign-language line

    0120-0178-27

    Suspension 24 hours; general questions 8:30–20:00

    English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Thai, Nepali, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog 9:00–18:00)

    Website

  • Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO)

    050-3816-2787

    24 hours, every day

    English, Chinese, Korean (and Japanese). Built for visitors, but it will help anyone in an emergency.

    Website

What to bring

  • Any photo ID you still have (passport or residence card) — for the report and for collecting a found item
  • A Japanese phone number the police can call
  • Description of the item: colour, brand, contents, where and when you last had it
  • The police receipt number (for reissues, insurance and immigration)
  • For a registered IC card reissue: the name and date of birth registered on the card

What to say at the counter

Tap copy and show the Japanese on your screen, or read the romaji aloud.

  • 財布をなくしました。

    Saifu o nakushimashita.

    I lost my wallet.

  • 携帯電話をなくしました。

    Keitai denwa o nakushimashita.

    I lost my phone.

  • 遺失届を出したいです。

    Ishitsu-todoke o dashitai desu.

    I would like to file a lost-property report.

  • 〇〇線の電車の中に忘れました。

    ○○-sen no densha no naka ni wasuremashita.

    I left it on a ○○ Line train.

  • 届いていますか。

    Todoite imasu ka.

    Has it been handed in?

  • 記名式のSuicaを再発行したいです。

    Kimei-shiki no Suica o saihakkō shitai desu.

    I would like my registered Suica reissued.

Common pitfalls

  • The police only call Japanese numbers — if your phone is gone, give a friend's number or your school's office.
  • Cash in a found wallet usually comes back, but under the Lost Property Act the finder can claim a reward of roughly 5–20% of the value.
  • An unregistered Suica/PASMO is as good as cash: register it (記名式) or move to the mobile version so a loss can be stopped.
  • Don't cancel a card you may have simply misplaced if your app offers a temporary freeze — replacements take a week or more.
  • A lost residence card has a separate 14-day deadline at immigration — do not let it slide while you sort out the phone.

Read next

Sources

Checked on 12 October 2026. General information, not legal advice — offices differ and rules change, so confirm on the official page or by phone before you go.

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