Storing cash at home can result in situations like this case, where the heirs remain unaware until after death and accidentally find strangers “picking up treasure.”
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Table of Contents

• Crazy spending after dividing the loot
• Vacant house unused for over 20 years, family unaware of the money inside
• 16 minors referred for investigation

According to Okinawa Times, last year there was a notable theft case in Okinawa Prefecture involving 16 middle and high school students. Bored at a gathering, they agreed to explore an abandoned house to “test their courage,” and unexpectedly discovered about 100 million yen in cash inside.

Police investigation revealed that the minors involved included 12 middle school boys and 4 high school boys. The suspects claimed they initially went to the empty house just to explore and “test their courage,” not expecting to find a large sum of cash. However, after discovering the money, they did not report it to the police but instead returned multiple times to the house, taking the cash in batches.

Crazy spending after dividing the loot

The boys admitted that after taking the cash from the house, they used the money to have fun. The fact that young teens were spending large sums of cash drew attention, and they even purchased drugs like “zombie smoke bombs,” which ultimately led to police catching them red-handed.

All the minors involved confessed during police interrogation that they entered the vacant house and stole the cash.

Vacant house unused for over 20 years, family unaware of the money inside

The house that was broken into had been vacant for over 20 years and had been uninhabited for a long time. The owner’s relatives told the media and police that they originally did not know there was such a large amount of cash stored inside. They expressed regret over the property left by their elders being broken into and stolen. The relatives also hope that the minors involved can face their actions through judicial procedures and subsequent handling, to atone and reform.

16 minors referred for investigation

In the investigation process, police charged the 16 minors with suspected theft and trespassing into residences in mid-November 2025. Afterward, Naha District Prosecutor’s Office took over and transferred the case to Naha Family Court on December 25 for further juvenile court proceedings.

The bizarre aspect of this incident lies in the simultaneous appearance of “huge cash” and “abandoned house,” discovered by strangers. The 100 million yen in cash is roughly equivalent to 20 million Taiwan dollars. Keeping large sums of money in unattended houses is a common occurrence in Japan, where low interest rates make bank savings less attractive, and some Japanese prefer to store cash at home. This case is a sad example of elders hiding money at home during their lifetime, only for it to be discovered after their passing without the family knowing. Investors who store crypto assets in hidden wallets without others knowing should also be cautious of this.