TOKYO (TR) – The Kanpo is a government-issued gazette. Published on weekdays, it allows citizens to keep up with the latest happenings within the nation’s bureaucracy.
It also provides information on persons whose bodies remain unidentifiable long after they are discovered. The circumstances surrounding the last days of these persons — euphemistically referred to as “deceased travelers” — are presented in great detail.
In 2017, several such persons have been found to be in possession of large sums of money, according to tax affairs site Zeiri4.com.
In the first case, a man was found dead in a rundown residential area near Tokyo Metro Iriya Station in Taito Ward at around 3:00 a.m. on November 7.
The case was ruled a suicide. Believed to be in his 40s to 60s, the man was in possession of 1,075,810 million yen in cash.
“I heard that the police were unable to uncover any major clues,” a representative of the welfare division of the Taito Ward office was quoted in commenting on the identity of the man.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Yokohama’s Chuo Ward is known for its Chinatown, bayside Yamashita Park and high-end apartment buildings, making it a highly desirable area to live. However, it also was the locale of the solitary death of a man believed to be around the age of 70.
On September 1, the man, in possession of 1,105,587 yen in cash, was found dead in an apartment. The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver.
In both cases, the men were not identified and their heirs not located. As a result, the funds found at the scenes were used to cover cremation expenses, which ran 206,000 yen for a facility in Taito.
Under the law, the remaining funds are to be taken into custody by the government until an heir is found.
“If the heir appears, we will hand it over, but if not it will basically be held in permanent custody,” says the Taito Ward office representative.
