Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Keynesian-Long-Legs!?

There seem to be the people who can sprinkle money over the cities in Japan. What do they do such a thing for? If they want to pull up the stagnant Japanese economy by doing it, may they have to be called "a Keynesian-Long-Legs"? (The people called "the Keynesian" advocate an active fiscal and monetary expansion for alleviating economic stagnation.)

For them it seems to be necessary to have no money, or just they might need not so much money. The reason is unclear, but we can find that there are some people who can think money worthless, and others who cannot.

200,000 yen left in toilets at government halls as donations for studies

SAITAMA -- Twenty 10,000-yen(Taro's note: worthing about US$80 per 10,000-yen) notes, each coupled with a handwritten letter and wrapped in paper, have been left in Saitama prefectural and municipal government halls, police said on Tuesday.


...Each wrapping contained a 10,000-yen note and a mysterious letter, which read that the money should be spent on studying and training.
Similar wrappings, each containing a 10,000-yen note and a letter, were found in the halls of the Kawaguchi Municipal Government in Saitama Prefecture, and the Akita prefectural and municipal governments between July 3 and 5, police said. (Mainichi)
Click here for the original Japanese story July 10, 2007

The Yomiuri Shimbun(July 12, 2007)
Dozens of people in 16 more prefectures who used public restrooms since April have come out flushed with cash after finding an envelope or packet containing a 10,000 yen bill and a letter, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.


It was reported Tuesday that similar packets had been found earlier this month in government offices in Akita and Saitama prefectures. Wednesday's findings show the 10,000 yen bills have been found in Tokyo and 17 prefectures, all told.

A total of 4.17 million yen has been found so far in 46 locations in Tokyo and the prefectures, including Hokkaido, Aomori, Miyagi, Niigata, Chiba, Shizuoka, Osaka, Nara, Hyogo, Oita, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Okinawa.
The monetary gifts were enclosed in an envelope or packet bearing the phrase "hosha hitori ippu" (token of gratitude, a gift of money for each one) with a hand-written note on washi paper addressed to the "Dear visitor who came today." The notes, which appeared to have been written with a calligraphy brush, ask the finder "to use the enclosed bequest of 10,000 yen as a fund for your training."

The generous benefactor has left the money in restrooms of government offices and large facilities, where it was discovered by government officials or visitors.
The mysterious envelopes were first found at the Sendai city hall on April 9, when six packets containing a 10,000 yen bill and a letter were placed in the men's restroom on the first floor. On May 18, 10 packets were discovered in the men's restrooms on the first floor of the Niigata prefectural and the city government offices. An identical find was made in the men's restroom on the first floor of the Sapporo city hall on May 30. If no one claims the money, it will be given to the person who reported it to police six months and 14 days after the report was filed. "Judging from the content of the letters, an old person may have done this on his or her own," nonfiction writer Shinichi Sano said.

No comments: