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If you found a large sum of money in a secluded spot, would you keep it or hand it in to the police?

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I'd turn it in and do all the paperwork. If nobody claims it within the required time limit (not sure, maybe 3 or 6 months?), it's mine. If somebody does claim it, I can still claim a percent as a finder's fee. I'd hate to think I kept some pensioner's life savings.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Finders keepers!

0 ( +11 / -11 )

Normally I would say hand it in. But hidden in a secluded spot would indicate to me that it may have derived from less than honest dealings. Then I'd sit on it for a while and not say a word to anyone. If news comes out that it was an OAP life savings or something similar then I'd hand it in.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

I'd keep it.

Have done in the past. Not a large amount though.

If you hand it in and someone does claim it, I think you're entitled to 30%.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

I would hand it to police, because I might have been eyewitnessed and would feel guilty about stealing it and would think if I were that person which lost the money unfortunately.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

In Japan, you can get charged with theft if you don't turn it in and get caught. So you'd be better off turning it in, rather than turning into an incidental criminal.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

What money? I haven't seen any money. I was at home all day that day.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Sounds like drug money or a police sting operation. Best to just leave it, keep walking and pretend you saw nothing.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I'd hand it in. Not for moral reasons purely, but also for logical ones.

Let's say its 8 million yen stuffed inside a discarded old futon. 8 million yen sounds like a lot, but when you balance it against the risk of legal fees, being fired and being permanently unemployable thereafter it becomes a lot less attractive.

... especially when there's a much lower risk way to get the money. Merely hand it in at a koban and wait 3~6 months and you get it all if it isn't claimed. In 2004 a trash collector got 24 million yen this way.

Risk-wise I'd say that keeping the money would be highly risky when lower risk alternatives exist with the same return.

Its just common sense, and a tiny bit of impulse control.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

I've watched enough crime dramas to know that said cash may have been left there for a reason.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I would keep it a couple days to try and see if it were drug money. Otherwise hand it in.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Gone with the wind!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

As others have said, my moral compass somehow depends on knowledge about the nature of the find. If I don´t know anything about it, I´d turn it in.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Only clever ones will be able to keep the sum. If it is from a secluded spot, no video no where, then finder keeper. If you don't need it, hand it to the police.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

If you hand it in and someone does claim it, I think you're entitled to 30%.

10%....

I have turned in lost items to the police before and filed the paperwork. There are a number of boxes to check with regards to making a claim for "rewards". It's up to you whether you even want to be notified if the owner makes a claim for the goods or not.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Don't think of it as cash. Think of it as Bad Karma Promissory Notes. Then what would you do?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If I found anything above 10,000 yens, I would hand it in. Anything less than that, I would just drink it up!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Secluded spot in the city, look around then take it home.

Secluded spot in nature, take it without a blink.

I have filed police reports before after losing stuff and not once has anything ever turned up. I don't trust them.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Depends how much it is I guess. If it were a small amount, I probably turn it in. On the other hand, everyone is trying to survive and if this makes it easier....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Don't think of it as cash. Think of it as Bad Karma Promissory Notes. Then what would you do?

I would go spend my new money, as I don't believe in karma.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I'd hand it in. If I lost a large sum of money I'd hope someone would hand it in - do as you would be done by. If it wasn't 'clean' money, I wouldn't want to be the one holding the bag when the bank robbers/drug dealers/arms runners/political secretaries came looking for their ill-gotten gains. I wouldn't want to be done by by the likes of them.

Hand it in to the police, do the proper paper-work, go and pick it up in 6 months' time if no one claims it or 10% of it if someone does, then spend it with a clear conscience.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Good point Cleo. Bank robbers are unlikely to find you, but if those were sequential notes from a bank or ATM robbery and you were caught with the you'd have a very hard time convincing the J-cops to ONLY charge you with not reporting lost property. You could be facing much more serious charges.

Frankly though I'm shocked how many JT readers would steal.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Of course this is a bit of a ridiculous premise. It's hard to imagine how you could stumble across a large some of money in a "secluded spot". Additionally, it's hard to imagine a sensible person who would hide a large sum of money (legitimately acquired or not) where someone else could find it.

But if we just accept that, then we have to acknowledge that it's at least possible that the money could be legitimate. If it's legitimate, you could really ruin someone's life. Keeping the money runs the risk of ruining an honest person's life. That's just... mean.

I don’t buy the “keep it and wait to see if someone claims it” argument either. Which is more likely, that you missed the news story about the money, or that the person forgot to check the police station? Again, you run the risk of ruining someone’s life.

“Finders Keepers” is not some divine utterance given from on high. When you keep other people’s belongings, you run the risk of seriously injuring their life or their essential projects.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

If it was a large sum of money, I would be asking why was it there? drug money? if your going to take a large some of money from "Mr Big" these guys are not going to be happy and when they find out that you have got it, well they are not going to be to polite in asking for it back. so I would 1 leave it well alown or 2 hand it in. if its drug money some one will be watching that transaction, so all they have to do is follow you, sorry folks I don't fancy my door being kicked of its hinges at 3 in the morning.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is this article necessary?

I've never thought about this kind of stuff since I was 8.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I've never thought about this kind of stuff since I was 8.

That's odd, I dream about things like this every day

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Depends whether or not I'd buried it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Check out "A SIMPLE PLAN", a much underrated movie with Billie Bob on a karmic roller coaster.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Without any form of ID? Can you say "cha ching?"

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I'd turn it in to the nearest Koban.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Nothing but bad luck follows spending money that is not your own. You might end up losing more than you found.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

In 1972 in Sasebo I just got paid and changed $300.00 to yen and went shopping but later I found that I had dropped it out of my back pocket and at yen was 360 yen to the dollor so $300.00 wasa large sum so I checked with the local cop shop and a young married couple found it and I was required to take a form to the to get my money back and I offered them a reward but they would not even take it. The thing is I was not even going to go to the police shop and report it but my girlfriend convenced to. I was fresh from the U.S. Stationed at the Marine barracks Fleet Activities Sasebo and I did not believe that anyone would turn it in to the Police and from then till now I Believe that the Japanese people are the most honest people in the world.the Young couple that turned it in was not well off and needed and could have used that money much more than me.So yes I would turn it in drug money or not.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Hand it to the police. Just because the money is not mine and this is the right thing to do.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I'd most likely keep it. Times are tough, wages are poor, taxes are too high. Little boost to my nest egg, why not? A large sum of money doesn't just get randomly left lying around in broad daylight, somewhere public. The money itself would be suspicious no matter how you look at it, most likely being used in some criminal dealing. Stealing from a thief isn't really stealing, and I can put it to better use than buying drugs or underage girls or whatever the hell's being sold by gangs. There's no way it'd be left by an honest person making an honest mistake. Most honest people don't even have a large some of money to walk around with, let alone leave sitting around somewhere. Any money they did accidentally walk away without, they'd immediately come back for before anyone else could find it.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I see I'm in the 53% bare majority who would turn it in.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Secluded spot is meant that it was hot, or hiding from tax....but if that secluded spot was in a house, then I guess I would be guilty of stealing, unless I did not tell. More info needed here.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Frankly though I'm shocked how many JT readers would steal

Agreed. Amazing.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Fox Sora WintersOct. 27, 2014 - 09:46PM JST I'd most likely keep it. Times are tough, wages are poor, taxes are too high. Little boost to my nest egg, why not?

Because it might be someone else's entire nest egg?

A large sum of money doesn't just get randomly left lying around in broad daylight, somewhere public. The money itself would be suspicious no matter how you look at it, most likely being used in some criminal dealing.

Or it could be some dementia-suffering old person's entire life-savings.

Stealing from a thief isn't really stealing, and I can put it to better use than buying drugs or underage girls or whatever the hell's being sold by gangs.

... no, stealing is always stealing. That's why it is called stealing. Even if it was that proceeds of crime you'd still be stealing it. That money might more rightly belong to the victims of those crimes.

There's no way it'd be left by an honest person making an honest mistake.

Yes, there is. I proposed one very possible scenario, that a dementia-suffering old person put it there as a "safe place" in their somewhat confused state.

I think you may need to attend one of those "morality classes" they're proposing for elementary schoolers Fox, because your moral compass is pointing the wrong way.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Contrary to what many people here seem to think, drug dealers don't go around leaving money in secluded areas.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

For those who say finders keepers, I hope in a karma sense, that you will lose something precious someday.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If I were to find something like that, I'd hand it in, although it would be difficult for someone in my country to reclaim that money though, then I would also tell the media so that money would be handled properly (be subject to an investigation, and if it is "honest" money be returned where it belongs). The media would act as a countermeasure for possible corruption in the police (yeah, this is not Japan though).

Thing is, maybe it is not "yakuza money" (I mean money from organized crime), there is a small chance that a person saved that money and lost it, but most likely it would be stolen money or money obtained by fraud by someone not that smart (there are also not brilliant criminals), after all it is in a "secluded area" meaning there was and effort to hide it and keep it

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I was raised with the saying, "Do unto others .... ", so yes, I would of course turn it in, and then go home and imagine all the things I COULD have bought....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

50 out of 113 votes for keeping it. I am shocked and disheartened that there are so many dishonest people here.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It's not my money I didn't earn so its not mine. It wasn't given to me so its not mine. I remember I was in Japan I left my bag on the train along with my passport and around $2000 in US currency and about $1500 in Japanese money. When I got up at my train stop I grabbed all of my bags and realized i didn't have my shoulder bag when I realized this the train doors closed and was on its way. I couldn't speak any Japanese but a nice Japanese guy knew something was wrong and I explained to him. He took me to a place where they made a call I got back on the next train and at the next stop someone had left my bag there. In the US that would HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!! So my thinking is what I wrote above.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

At first i'd have a yen to keep it but my non-stop hyena like laughter would get me arrested!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It depends how large the sum is. If it was under a million bucks I'd keep it. :P

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Personally, I'd leave it and walk away

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I once found a wallet in the park containing 230000 JPY. No ID. I turned it in at the nearest koban. Never heard a peep about what happened to it.

On the flip side, I once left my bag on the shinkansen. About two minutes later I realized what I'd done and rushed back to the train which was still sitting in Tokyo station being cleaned. No bag. Nothing at the lost and found. So I started going to every exit in Tokyo terminal. Sure enough, some honest person had dropped it off at the exit as they were going out. They never left a name, but I sure wish I could have thanked them and offered some reward.

So yeah, I'd turn the money in.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Depends on "how much". xD

Honestly though, it is best to turn it in. If the "large sum" was only a few hundred or so and didn't have any identification information of the previous owner then it's "finder's keepers". If any amount of money has indentity information on it I would definitely turn it in no problem. If you find a bag of money, you'd better turn it in as it could be a companies bank deposit, ransom money, or "crime" money.... and "crime" money is never claimed by criminals unless they're really stupid.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What kind of money are we talking about here?

If its a few bucks I might be inclined to just keep it; not worth the hassle to turn it in really. But, someone's wallet? Turn that in! Good chance it will get back to its original owner, and you'd be appreciative if the situation was reversed. Big ol' sack of cash or briefcase full of bills? You bet your ass I'm turning that it (or, running away real fast and then calling the police). That's either dirty money, in which case I don't want to meet whoever it belongs to, or its some hapless idiot's life savings, who'd probably be ruined without it. Either way, best to play it safe.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

An explanation why there are so many "keep it" votes. I suppose that most of the people who said "keep it", belong to some social groups through upbringing, way of thinking, hobbies, work, etc.. If the money was found in a place where it was likely to have been lost or placed by a member of a shared social group, the answer would likely be "turn it in".

In other words, the choice of "keep it" or "turn it in" has to do with whether the voter perceives the abstract original owner of the money as somebody towards whom he feels a sufficiently high level of social allegiance.

Loyalty towards the group, and selfishness towards the out-of-group, these are two behaviors evolved in humans for survival purposes. In terms of survival there is risk in investing loyalty towards an out-of-group person who is less likely to reciprocate than an in-group person.

The groups attracting loyalty can get very large - e.g. nations with hundreds of million of members which have developed protocols for the fair and non-violent handling of wealth. On a religious or philosophical level we can - if we so choose - abstract our in-group loyalty even further to mankind as a whole.

Finally, one thing not considered is if the finder of the money is in desperate straight - e.g., they need the money to buy some food for their child who is starving. That would really change things.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why do so many people think it would be from a robbery or drug money? It is much more likely to be a political donation. Maybe a politician forgot where he hid it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I would turn it in. I accidentally dropped my wallet in a taxi on my way to a meeting. Not even realizing it. About 20 minutes later another teacher showed up late to the meeting and looked at me and asked if this was my wallet that he was holding. Luckily he had taken the same taxi as me and was going to the same place. All my money was still there. I had about 20,000¥

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@ bootht - I agree 100%. A few years ago, I left my Louis Vuitton wallet (Cash, credit cards, ID) AND my cell phone, next to the sink in a public restroom here in Japan. When I realized almost an hour later and went back, they were still there!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@frungy Is it lonely up there on your pedastal? You proposed the scenario of a Dementia sufferer leaving the money. How many Dementia sufferers have access to what one would consider a "large sum of money" (say £50,000)? How many of those would be able to gather that much cash in hand over the course of their Dementia? How many of those would be able to leave it in a secluded area (say, wedged in the fissure of a boulder by a river)? Your hypothesis appears to be rapidly falling apart with each question I ask. Why is this hypothetical Dementia patient not in the care of a trained medical professional? What bank would allow a Dementia patient to draw out tens of thousands? What more do I need to say to explain that your theory is not only entirely improbable but completely absurd?

I'd also like for you to take a look around you, at the real world. Morals and ethics have been dwindling for decades. It is nothing new, or even shocking any more. However, there is a social stigma in admiting to something like this. I'd wager that many of those who claim they would turn the money in, are in fact being dishonest, in order to avoid being attacked and criticized. It is these people you have to be most careful of. An honest person you can trust to be honest, but the only thing you can count on about a dishonest person, is that they are dishonest. They will lie, deceive, steal, and do whatever they please while maintaining a facade of innocence. Mark my words, the next time someone steals your forgotten wallet, it'll be by someone who claims they'd turn the money in. Yeah, turn it in to their bank account. That's the reality of the world. It seems harsh at first, but you get used to it. I know I did.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

I would hand it in....if I trusted the police. But I don't trust the police.

Anybody drops that much cash can afford to lose it.

And I would not take it to a bank. I would dispose of each note one at a time, incognito, far from my home, after a waiting period of about 3 months or more.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The real problem would be holding onto (depending where it was from) and laundering this money over time, and keeping your mouth shut about it.

For obvious reasons, we don't hear as much about the people who are able to kept it on the qt.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Possession is 9/10ths of the law.

Keep it for sure.

You turn in 100million yen and you'll never hear about it or see it ever again. It'll get lost in the system and the next thing you know,a bunch of cops are driving around in Benz's and wearing Rolex watches.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Fox Sora WintersOct. 29, 2014 - 08:49AM JST @frungy Is it lonely up there on your pedastal?

Nope, I apparently have to share it with over 50% of the JT readers.

You proposed the scenario of a Dementia sufferer leaving the money. How many Dementia sufferers have access to what one would consider a "large sum of money" (say £50,000)?

5 million yen? Most elderly people in Japan have that much cash in their account to pay for their funeral and other expenses.

How many of those would be able to gather that much cash in hand over the course of their Dementia?

Many elderly people in Japan keep their "funeral money" at home, because they know their accounts may be temporarily inaccessible when they die, and they don't want the shame of burdening their relatives with their funeral costs in the interim. If you had any elderly friends in Japan you'd know this.

How many of those would be able to leave it in a secluded area (say, wedged in the fissure of a boulder by a river)?

How many carry it around with them and might drop it? Well, 5 million yen is about 500 x 10 000yen notes. A large wad of cash for a wallet, but easily carried around in a handbag or a briefcase.... precisely the sort of thing that an elderly person out on a stroll by the rive might put down and forget about.

Your hypothesis appears to be rapidly falling apart with each question I ask.

No, it doesn't. The only thing that is becoming increasingly clear is your lack of knowledge about how little 5 million yen weighs.

Why is this hypothetical Dementia patient not in the care of a trained medical professional?

Because there's a chronic shortage of medical staff in Japan, and most elderly people are left to the care of their families. And with Abenomics on the rise and women being pressured to work that means that there are less full-time caregivers in the home. Wow... you really don't know a thing about Japan, do you?

What bank would allow a Dementia patient to draw out tens of thousands?

The can't refuse them. If they have their book and hanko there is literally nothing the bank can do legally. In Japan you do NOT have your parents registered as financially incompetent, the shame would be incredible.

But as I pointed out, most of them do not need to go to a bank.

What more do I need to say to explain that your theory is not only entirely improbable but completely absurd?

What is absurd here is you attempting to justify your illegal actions.

I'd also like for you to take a look around you, at the real world. Morals and ethics have been dwindling for decades. It is nothing new, or even shocking any more.

Erm... no. There are morals and ethics. There is right and wrong. That YOU cannot see them is your issue. Don't assume everyone shares your lack of morals.

However, there is a social stigma in admiting to something like this. I'd wager that many of those who claim they would turn the money in, are in fact being dishonest, in order to avoid being attacked and criticized.

Perhaps, but there are also solid logical reasons for following the laws in this case.

It is these people you have to be most careful of. An honest person you can trust to be honest, but the only thing you can count on about a dishonest person, is that they are dishonest. They will lie, deceive, steal, and do whatever they please while maintaining a facade of innocence.

So by your logic, by being honest about your dishonestly you're better than most dishonest people? ... but that still makes you worse than an honest person.

Mark my words, the next time someone steals your forgotten wallet, it'll be by someone who claims they'd turn the money in. Yeah, turn it in to their bank account. That's the reality of the world. It seems harsh at first, but you get used to it. I know I did.

I've lost my wallet twice in Japan.

Once I fell into a rice paddy in winter when I slipped on some ice. The next day a school kid turned up at my door with my wallet, with all my soggy money inside. I gave him all 2000yen in the wallet (I don't carry a lot of cash), and was incredibly grateful because I got my cards and stuff back.

The other time it fell out of my bag somewhere on the trains. I waited for 2 days, and then the next time I took the train the guy at the ticket office gave it back to me. Apparently it had sitting under the seat in the train for 2 days and nobody touched it. Once again all the money was in the wallet (this time about 5000yen). I offered the ticket guy 2000 yen in thanks and he refused because his job doesn't allow gifts... so I bought him some snacks next time, which was apparently acceptable.

The majority of people are good. You're in the minority.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I am both amazed and saddened by how many people would keep it.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

once i lost money in japan in taxi nagoya nobody was there to help i found my money and lost things at police station i can not forget that feeling of gratitute .

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I didn't vote, but I have on 3 occasions turned in wallets to police. I'm not sure what I would do if I found a big stash...

We have to take into consideration culture background here. A lot of cultures teach "Finders Keepers" and many don't have legal framework to deal with found cash or items. This means that keeping found cash, to them, is not theft. (Theft being a legal term)

So, when faced with the concept of "break the law, or not?", I believe most people (obviously) would rather not...but when faced with "Get Money or Get Karma?" it becomes very different.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It depends.

It depends on whether the money was "abandoned," "lost" or "mislaid."

Abandoned property is something forsaken by a previous owner, who has no intention of returning for it. Lost property, like an engagement ring accidentally dropped in the street, is something that is inadvertently, unknowingly left behind. And mislaid property is intentionally put somewhere—like money on a bank counter that a customer intends to deposit—but then forgotten. Mislaid property...is supposed to be safeguarded by whoever owns the property where it was mislaid until someone with a better claim.

In the state I live, California, there is a law mandating that any found property valued over $100 be turned over to police. Authorities must then wait 90 days, advertise the lost property for a week, and finally release it to the person who found it if no one could prove ownership.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The majority of people are good. You're in the minority.

What a really crappy thing to say to someone on a forum. Shame on you.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Erm... no. There are morals and ethics. There is right and wrong. That YOU cannot see them is your issue. Don't assume everyone shares your lack of morals.

Well said. Im in the hand it in group. I like myself, think Im a great friend/mother/wife/all round human being, and want to continue to feel that way.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I can't believe so many people keep the money. What are you living your lives for? You only make this world a worse place.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Neither. I would leave it right where it was. Chances are it is waiting there for somebody of ill repute to pick it up and I do not want people knocking on my door at strange hours asking " where is it, I know you have it".A smaller amount like under 50 dollar eqiuv I would keep but money in a wallet, I would try to find the owner or give it to the police. It is funny because I have hiked in my surrounding mountain regions over a thousand times and never found any money at all, just towels, gloves, caps, emblems or badges and of course lots of magazines and DVDs of errrrr pretty women. Funny. Thats hiking for you.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Frungy is absolutely right on all points. The elderly born in the Taisho era (in their 80's and up) generally keep whopping amounts of cash at home, called 'tansu youkin' (dresser savings account).They went through the war and don't entirely trust banks and they are also in the habit of paying for everything with cash, and as they become less and less mobile the amount of cash they keep at home increases. It's a characteristic of their generation. FIL never had less than 200,000 in his wallet. He never spent it, outside of buying lunches or gas, but it was his security should something happen...men over a certain age carried sums of money commensurate with their position. They will even go an withdraw money to buy stocks and bonds, millions of yen. MIL always had between 2 and 3 million hidden in the house at any one time, all her friends do the same thing. How many times have there been reports on the news in Japan about robberies of the elderly, the amounts they are sometimes robbed of are staggering. There are also stories fairly often of elderly being victims of bag snatching, or of them losing a bag somewhere and the amounts are pretty high.

The bank cannot refuse to give you your money, and if you go to an ATM no one sees the transactions anyway. Power of attorney has been advocated here for only about the last 3 years, in our area at least. The paperwork and the trips to court are one deterrent I suppose, but people are very reluctant to declare their parents incompetent. It's a fine line with a family member with dementia, they do all kinds of things in Stage 4 or 5 but then they progress and cease to care about money etc. Most people wait for the interest in money and the solo trips out to end instead of declaring incompetence.

People can be under the care of professionals and still withdraw/lose money. Outside an old age home, families do what they can , the home helpers come, but no one is supervising all day every day. In a home the chances of something happening are less, granted, but do we put every slight dotty person in a home so they don't withdraw money?

What I find most shocking in your comments, Sora are-

" I'd also like for you to take a look around you, at the real world. Morals and ethics have been dwindling for decades. It is nothing new, or even shocking any more."

" I'd wager that many of those who claim they would turn the money in, are in fact being dishonest, in order to avoid being attacked and criticized. It is these people you have to be most careful of. "

'Everybody does it " is one of the lamest ethical dodges you can apply to try and whitewash your behavior. As I recall, it often prompted my mother to ask 'Yes? Well if all your friends jumped off the roof, would you jump too?' It of course, does not amount to a legal defense...you keep the bag of money, and someone finds out, do you think the police would let you off the hook if you said 'But everybody else does it". Uh, no.

Posting on this site is not compulsory. I have no need to post an answer to 'avoid being attacked and criticized' all I have to do is not post. I doubt that anyone who says they would turn in their money did so to avoid attack on an anonymous message board. There are actually people out there who would turn it in, as hard as it may be for you to believe.

Your default position evidently is that 'Anyone who says they would turn in the money is a liar', judging by your comment that 'you need to be careful of these people'. That in my opinion is very twisted.

" An honest person you can trust to be honest, but the only thing you can count on about a dishonest person, is that they are dishonest. They will lie, deceive, steal, and do whatever they please while maintaining a facade of innocence."

Don't you see? Someone who says 'I am an honest person' WHILE deceiving, stealing, lying IS A DISHONEST PERSON. They are not an honest person up to hijinks. A truly honest person will not lie, deceive or steal. Lying, deceiving and stealing while keeping a facade of innocence is DISHONEST. That is the very definition of honesty, that you do not lie, deceive or steal. if you do those things you are not honest. If you take money that does not belong to you, you are dishonest. You're trying to claim to be an honest person by coming right out and saying 'Yeah, I'd keep the money' but the act of keeping the money,despite your honest declaration, is in itself dishonest. You are merely honest about your dishonesty.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yes, I stand by my words...may what goes around come around (good or bad).

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Himajin.

Thank you for your post.

ArtistatLarge

You wrote: "I am both amazed and saddened by how many people would keep it."

I'm not. In fact, I find it encouraging that roughly half would turn it in.

A certain percentage of people just don't care. Y'know, anti-social types. But many sex, youth and degree of transience also deeply affects people's willingness to take what is not theirs. Basically, young men in a foreign land are much more likely to steal than any other demographic

So, I chalk the high number of the yes votes to the young, the male, and the newly arrived in Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wouldn't even touch it. I would take a picture of it and report it to law enforcement.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Himajin. Thank you for your post.

I kept walking away from this thread, but then went and wrote a book ;-D Thanks for reading it!

I see a lot of 'morals have declined over the years, get with the program, nobody's honest anymore' sentiments all over the web. Lot of moral relativists out there justifying just about everything.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Himajin. Thank you for your post.

It may surprise you to know that I don't entirely disagree with the moral relativist standpoint. I do think it is important to try and take into account variables such as the local culture, the individual's culture, etc, and understand WHY they thought it was justifiable.

Where I disagree with moral relativists is that I don't think that these factors alter the fundamental morality of the act, they merely help us to understand the nature of the problem and the psychology of the individual.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The poll was about a premise and the responses were given on a premise, I just wonder what the real scenario would bring out the real thing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Deliver it to the police without the slightest hesitation or second thought.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the responses were given on a premise

What's the use of a poll then?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

trinklets2Nov. 02, 2014 - 04:53AM JST The poll was about a premise and the responses were given on a premise, I just wonder what the real scenario would bring out the real thing.

There have been numerous "lost wallet" type of experiments across the world, and while the return rates vary widely from country to country the international average is about 50% being returned.

Since the JT readership represents a fair cross-section of the international community I'd say that the results here probably reflect what people would actually do in this sort of situation.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Once I was walking through a park, and found some money blowing around on the grass, I picked it up, and it amounted to nearly $250. I kept it. A few days later, I went out to my car to drive to work, and there was a large hole in the windshield, the cost to replace the windshield was $250.

Years later, a friend of mine who worked at the city lot said that they had ordered a large lot of solar panels for highway signs, and that they had received too many. He offered to sell me them for $40 each, or about one-tenth their real value. I borrowed a truck, picked them up, and drove home. Along the way, the rope holding them broke, and they fell onto the road and were damaged.

There is an old saying which goes "found money is bad luck", it is true

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the international average is about 50% being returned.

That's the average, then? Interesting.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

HimajinNov. 02, 2014 - 11:14AM JST

the international average is about 50% being returned.

That's the average, then? Interesting.

Of the 10 studies I found on Google scholar that did seem to be about the average. I found it interesting because it breaks the 80/20 rule, which is what I expected.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

To conclude 48% are dishonest with the poll results. Black and white question with a simple yes/no answer and 48% would keep the lost money. Not very inspiring poll results.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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