It’s mine! No, it’s mine!

A whopping ¥10 million was found at a waste collection facility in Sapporo with 13 people coming forward as the owner, creating a headache for Hokkaido police as they attempted to find out who it really belonged to.

The cash was found while a Sapporo city contractor was sorting assorted recyclable papers at the facility on the morning of Jan. 30. The Hokkaido Prefectural Police Department then put out a notice on Feb. 21 asking for information on whoever may have lost the cash.

“It’s been a difficult process as there are so many factors to consider, as the money was found with trash ... we haven’t been able to make much progress,” said Kazuaki Sakai, a spokesperson for the Hokkaido Prefectural Police.

According to the authorities, as of Monday, 13 people have come forward to claim the money, and nine have filed lost property applications for the cash.

Among the 13, various explanations were given as to why and how they lost the money, and included claimants from far off places like Tokyo and Kyoto.

“The money went missing from a bag when I was making deliveries,” one of them said, according to the police. Another said, “I had it in a clear plastic bag but I lost it during a trip to Sapporo.”

A third person claimed they lost it in a park, while another claimed they had lost the money when they were carrying it wrapped in a newspaper.

“I think one of my parents with dementia threw it away by mistake,” said another.

Hokkaido police are trying to determine the owner based on how the cash was found and checking the garbage route and other details to see if they match the accounts of the 13 people who claim they are the rightful owners.

If the owner is not identified by April 30 — three months after it was initially found — the cash will be handed to the city of Sapporo, which owns the garbage facility and would be considered the "finder" of the cash.

According to the Lost Goods Act, if the owner of a lost item has not been found within three months, the finder — the person who returned or found the property — acquires ownership.