"I thought it was a gift from God."
A Japanese man in his 40s who had just been told his cancer had returned found a bag stuffed with cash on his way home from the hospital. What he believed was a windfall has landed him in court.
Terminal Diagnosis, Then 22 Million Yen on the Street
The 43-year-old man, identified only as A, was indicted on charges of taking a bag containing 22 million yen (about 185 million won, or $127,000) from a street in Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 5, according to Tohoku Broadcasting and TBS and other Japanese media on the 21st.
The money was revenue from a game arcade. Investigators found that two employees of a security company handling cash transport had dropped the bag from a cart.
A had been discharged from the hospital that day after cancer treatment. He said he had been suffering from carcinomatous meningitis and cancer at the junction of the stomach and esophagus, and that doctors told him the cancer had recurred in his head and that he had only two to three months to live.
"I was deeply saddened," A told the court. "I thought I might never see the people around me again."
A was heading to a shop run by a friend when he spotted the bag on the roadside. He first walked past it, thinking it was a student's bag, but returned out of curiosity about the contents.
He opened the bag with a utility knife in a restroom at nearby Kotodai Park. Inside was a sack filled with cash.
"There was maybe 2 million to 3 million yen," A said in his statement. "I was happy. I thought it was a gift from God."
After counting the money at home, he realized it came to more than 20 million yen. He did not report it to police, nor did he tell his friend.
"I was happy, but I also felt it was wrong, so I didn't want to drag my friend into it," he said.
A then spent the money on cancer treatment, food and travel. He traveled to Vietnam and the Ise area of Mie Prefecture in Japan, and was arrested in July, about four and a half months after the incident.
Repayment Would Run to Age 95; Prosecutors Seek One Year
At a hearing on the 19th, A admitted to all the charges. The main issue at trial was whether his sentence should be suspended.
The 22 million yen loss was covered by the security company's insurance, and A agreed to repay the insurer 30,000 yen (about 250,000 won) a month.
He has repaid about 3.44 million yen (about 28.87 million won) so far, leaving about 18 million yen (about 150 million won) outstanding.
At that pace, full repayment would take about 50 years, running to 2078 — the year A turns 95.
Prosecutors asked how he could repay the money by 2078 after being given a terminal diagnosis. A, who is currently unemployed, said he would repay it. "I want to pay the victim back and find a job," he said.
Calling the crime extremely selfish, prosecutors sought a one-year prison term.
His defense lawyer, while saying the crime could not be justified, asked for a suspended sentence in light of his state of mind when he found a large sum of cash just after receiving a terminal diagnosis.
The court did not address how A's health has changed since the terminal diagnosis in March. A verdict is due Nov. 6.