Osaka Prefectural Police apologize for selling reported lost luxury watch

The Osaka Prefectural Police have apologized after mistakenly selling a luxury wristwatch that had been reported lost. The error occurred because officers failed to correctly match a lost property report with a found item in the police inquiry system.

On April 5, 2025, a woman filed a report for her missing watch at the Sonezaki Police Station. On the same day, the watch was found and turned in to the Toho Police Station. Although officers at both stations conducted searches using characteristics like manufacturer and color, they failed to identify the match and did not perform further inquiries.

Following the Lost Property Act, the ownership of the item transferred to Osaka Prefecture after three months passed without a successful identification. In December 2025, the police sold the watch to a dealer for approximately 920,000 yen. The mistake was discovered in 2026 when another dealer noticed the watch was registered on a private theft-prevention platform. To rectify the situation, the police plan to pay the owner 2,035,000 yen to facilitate the repurchase of the watch.