A reader sent in this query about a payment demand from the manager of an apartment in Tokyo that the reader vacated in a hurry:
I signed a two-year lease for an apartment in a beautiful area of Tokyo. I cleaned the apartment and left after living there for 1½ years. I had to return to the U.S. to help my dad, who'd fallen sick. I only had enough money for a plane ticket.
The company that manages the apartment where I lived contacted me and said I owe them 1) a ¥225,000 fee for cleaning, and 2) the rent for the rest of the term of the contract.