The Tokyo Metropolitan Police says that 3.34 billion yen in lost cash was handed in at police stations in the city during 2014, the highest such amount in five years.

Of the total, 2.74 billion yen -- 74% of the total -- was returned to the owners, Sports Nippon reported Monday.

The police also said that 3.56 million lost items found their way to its lost-and-found center. These included 560,000 items of clothing, 400,000 umbrellas and 900 pets such as rabbits and parrots.

The most expensive item restored to its owner was a bag containing 18.4 million yen in cash. In some cases, the owners of cash could not be found. Under Japanese law, if something is not claimed after three months, the person who handed it in is allowed to keep it.

But astonishingly, 390 million yen in cash went into Tokyo's city coffers after finders relinquished that right.

Local media played up the story as further proof of how safe Japan is, a point Tokyo hammered home during its successful bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The country's relative security -- something many Japanese are proud of -- is often remarked upon by visiting foreigners, who tell tales of wallets accidentally abandoned in bars, taxis or trains, that invariably get returned.

© Japan Today/AFP