AI Revolutionizes Lost and Found: Japan's Innovative Approach to Reuniting Owners with Their Belongings

From Trains to Airports, Artificial Intelligence is Transforming How Japan Handles Lost Items, Boosting Recovery Rates and Customer Satisfaction.

Have you ever lost something on public transportation and thought it was gone forever? In Japan, artificial intelligence is changing that reality, offering a helping hand to lost-and-found services and dramatically increasing the chances of reuniting owners with their possessions.

Across the nation, public transportation providers and other organizations are embracing AI to categorize, catalog, and streamline the process of returning lost items. A Tokyo-based information technology firm, Find Inc., has developed a "lost-and-found platform" now implemented by approximately 30 organizations across 2,300 locations, including the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, Haneda airport in Tokyo, and the Tokyo and Oita prefectural police forces.

Keio Corp, a railway operator in Tokyo, has witnessed a significant increase in the rate of returned lost possessions, soaring to 30% from less than 10% prior to the system's adoption. The process is straightforward: when an item is found, workers take a picture of it, and Find's AI system analyzes its color, shape, and other features, storing the information in a searchable database.

Owners can then use messaging apps, such as Line, to inquire about their missing item by providing details, including where it was lost and a description, even uploading photos. If a photo isn't available, the system allows users to select similar images, improving the search process. The service is available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.

Find's staff utilizes the AI to comb through the database, even if the owner provides only a vague description. The AI identifies potential matches, ranking them by probability. If a match is found, the system guides the owner to the item's location for retrieval.

Yurikamome Inc, which operates an automated monorail transit service between Shimbashi and Toyosu in Tokyo, introduced the AI system in July 2024. Kiyomichi Mano, an official at the transit line's Shimbashi Station, noted a significant decrease in inquiries, which suggests efficiency. The move from Excel spreadsheets to the AI system at Yurikamome, has drastically reduced the time required to search for lost items.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with the train operator receiving messages of gratitude and praise for the service. Furthermore, various departments of the Tokyo and Oita police departments are leveraging the platform. An official from the Oita police department's accounting section noted that "Items can be returned to owners faster than before as we no longer need to go to the storage warehouse to verify them."

Facilities at Hakata Station in Fukuoka, including the commercial building and underground shopping center, have collectively adopted the service. This allows for streamlined inquiries. Find Inc. launched its platform in June 2023, and by the end of March, had handled a cumulative total of 1.5 million lost items, with around 480,000 returned.

"Until now people who had lost their belongings had to check various places by phone," said Ryu Wada, chief executive officer of the company. "As more facilities use this service, the recovery of lost-and-found items will become easier because inquiries can be matched through a huge database."