Michael Cash <mikecash@buggerallspammers.com> wrote:

> On 4 May 2005 03:27:56 -0700, "etaka" <etaka@yahoo.com> brought down
> from the Mount tablets inscribed:
> 
> >These stories occasionally make national news, I've probably read two
> >in the past month: even tens of millions of yen may be reported placed
> >in people's mailboxes or on their doorsteps in envelopes or by the
> >shopping bags-ful. Alternatively, people find large amounts of cash,
> >once even hundreds of millions of yen in solid gold bullion plus cash,
> >are reported simply lying on the street, miraculously not spirited off
> >by other or previous passersby.
> >
> >Are people this damned careless or forgetful in Japan? Or is there some
> >ulterior motive behind it? For example, someone is trying to bribe the
> >occupant or give them a subtle hint about some business deal or
> >upcoming election, and the occupant cluelessly turns the money over to
> >police. Or alternatively, the bribe is deliberately made in the form of
> >an "unexplained find", and the occupant is free to receive the
> >"unclaimed" money later. If anyone I ever met actually misplaced such a
> >large amount of money, you can be damned sure it wouldn't go unnoticed,
> >and they wouldn't let it go unreported, the way that one guy was able
> >to claim the 300 million in gold plus cash he said he found on the
> >street, as I assume gold bullion is serial numbered.
> >
> >Any clues?
> 
> Tax evasion?

Not on the part of the recipient--it counts as a windfall and is taxed.

Would you believe that one of the lessons in Japanese class actually
came in useful? Soon after I came to Japan the first time, there was a
lot of publicity about someone who had to pay tax at the maximum rate on
ni-oku-en that he happened to find wrapped in a furoshiki in an alley
(nothing was said about what he had been doing in that alley in the
early hours of the morning). 

________________________________________________________________________
                   Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
   If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!