AI Lost-and-Found System Boosts Item Recovery Across Japan

A growing number of public transport operators and facilities in Japan are using artificial intelligence to reunite people with their lost belongings more efficiently.

Credit: T firm Find

Developed by Tokyo-based tech firm Find, the AI-powered lost-and-found platform has been adopted by about 30 organisations at approximately 2,300 locations, including train stations, airports and police departments.

The system is in use at major sites such as Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, the Sapporo City Transport Bureau, and the Tokyo and Oita police departments.

Keio Corporation, a Tokyo-based railway operator, reported a significant improvement in its return rate of lost items, rising from less than 10% to 30% since implementing the system.

When an item is found, staff take a photo using a tablet. The AI then analyses the colour, shape and other features, storing the data and image in a searchable database.

Users can inquire about their lost items through messaging apps like Line by entering details such as the item's features, location lost and photos.

If no photo is available, users can select a similar image, and the system will search for matches. The service supports Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.

Even vague descriptions are processed by the AI, which generates a list of possible matches ranked by probability. If a match is confirmed, the system directs the owner to the appropriate location to retrieve the item.

Yurikamome, an automated monorail operator in Tokyo, adopted the system in July 2024. The company, which handles around 15,000 lost items annually, has seen a drop in inquiries due to the system’s efficiency.

Previously reliant on Excel spreadsheets, Yurikamome now benefits from faster searches and improved customer satisfaction, according to Kiyomichi Mano, an official at Shimbashi Station.

The Oita police department also reported faster item returns, as staff no longer need to visit storage warehouses to verify items.

At Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the platform has been implemented across multiple facilities, streamlining the process by eliminating the need to check with different counters.

Since its launch in June 2023, Find’s platform has processed about 1.5 million lost items, with approximately 480,000 successfully returned as of March.

Find Chief Operating Officer Ryu Wada said the platform simplifies the recovery process by centralising inquiries into a single, searchable database.

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• AI-based lost-and-found system used at 2,300 locations in Japan

• Developed by Tokyo tech firm Find, launched in June 2023

• Keio railway operator saw return rate rise from under 10% to 30%

Source: SCMP