The Lighter Side often writes about honest strangers returning lost wallets full of cash to their owners, but this story takes integrity to the national level.

Since Japan's earthquake, almost $78 million in cash (3.7 billion yen) has been found in the rubble — and returned.

About $48 million came from wallets and purses found in the debris. Another $30 million was found in safes — over 5,700 of them washed ashore — hauled to police stations by rescue crews and good Samaritans.

By mid-July, 96 per cent of the safes' contents had been returned to owners, thanks to bankbooks, legal documents and addresses found inside. Police says that about 85 per cent of the loose cash from wallets and handbags had also been reunited with its owners.

Why so many safes filled with cash? ABC News spoke with Koetsu Saiki of the Miyagi Prefectural Police.

"The stashing of cash in safes isn't a unique problem in Japan, where many people prefer to keep their money at home, but Saiki says the number of boxes is especially high in the coastal region where fishermen make up a large part of the population. Fisheries companies prefer cash transactions, and keep employee salaries in safes," ABC reported.

"The fact that a hefty 2.3 billion yen ($30 million) in cash has been returned to its owners shows the high level of ethical awareness in the Japanese people," Ryuji Ito, professor emeritus at Yokohama City University, told The Daily Mail.

(Photo: Reuters)