Actress Atsuko Takahata shared a story on TV Tokyo’s “Arienai Infinity World,” which aired on the 15th, about leaving ¥1 million ($6,700) in cash behind at an ATM. She said security cameras caught someone on film, but what happened to the money afterward was never made clear on the show — and that vagueness set off a wave of questions on 5ch, with posters asking “Can you even withdraw ¥1 million from an ATM?” and “If she really went to the police, the footage should have led to a suspect by now.” Some pointed out she’d told a similar story on another program before, sparking debate over whether the whole thing is even true.
9/18 (Fri) 21:36
TV Tokyo’s “Arienai Infinity World” aired on the 15th.
Actress Atsuko Takahata looked back on a shocking “unbelievably careless moment” — the time she left ¥1 million in cash behind at an ATM.
No way. Banks have cameras all over the place. If someone actually took it, they'd get caught in no time.
5AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:44
Re: #2
Plus the machine would be beeping like crazy the whole time anyway.
3AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:43
You can't even withdraw ¥1 million in one go.
79AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:33
Re: #3
You can, actually — if you've raised your withdrawal limit.
4AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:43
'Never turned up'? She's on camera, so they should be able to trace where it went.
6AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:44
Can you even withdraw ¥1 million from an ATM?
7AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:45
Yeah, that's a lie.
9AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:47
Re: #7
Even when stuff like this happens, people still get caught lol
8AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:45
I saw this happen once to a middle-aged woman way younger than Takahata. I ran after her and called out, but I thought, "Are you an idiot?" — the machine was beeping like crazy the whole time.
10AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:47
Not long ago the limit was ¥500,000, now it's more like ¥300,000. And if you withdraw multiple times, there's a cap that locks you out for the day.
11AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:47
Withdrawing ¥1 million in cash is suspicious enough on its own, and there are cameras both on the ATM and in the booth — 'couldn't figure it out'? Did she actually go to the police?
12AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:48
I don't get the punchline here. If you don't grab your cash after a while, the machine sucks it back in. And at a bank branch, staff come rushing out from the back immediately.
13AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:49
Yeah right. Even 'pickup men' (receivers who collect cash for scam rings) get caught without anyone knowing their name — I doubt this really happened.
14AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:49
There's a fixed camera recording the whole time — how does the money just not turn up?
16AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:50
If she's exaggerating anything, it's probably the amount — and I'd bet the money came back to her anyway.
17AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:51
Wait, the one-time cash withdrawal limit dropped to ¥300,000? What do you do if you need a large amount of cash?
20AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:52
Re: #17
You always see news stories about bank tellers stopping wire-transfer scams at the counter and getting commendations for it, right?
25AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:56
You can raise your withdrawal limit by filing paperwork at the counter.
26AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:57
Does forgotten ATM cash actually not come back? It's pretty well known that if you take it, you get caught.
27AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:58
"The other day"? Like, 10 or 20 years ago?
29AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:59
Isn't this basically a 'criminal bait trap'? ATMs always have cameras. An otherwise decent person sees cash just sitting there, grabs it on impulse, and ends up arrested for theft — their whole life ruined.
31AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:00
It's not 'forgotten money left in the machine,' it's 'left behind' — you guys are skimming way too fast.
39AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:03
If someone actually took it, they'd be on the ATM's camera, and if she really called the police, it should have led to filing a formal report. If that never happened, Takahata's probably just misremembering.
42AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:04
Re: #39
Maybe someone just grabbed the cash and walked off? Even if they're on camera, that doesn't mean anyone knows who they are.
49AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:07
No way. If the 'forgotten cash' buzzer goes off and the person's already gone, staff come running immediately.
68AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:21
Re: #49
If you go right up to it, you'd be surprised how often no one notices. Happens sometimes when you're lost in thought.
55AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:10
Atsuko Takahata withdrew cash from an ATM and just left it there — the loss was "enough to buy three pairs of Chanel earrings." 2023/07/19 22:01
66AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:18
Re: #55
"68-year-old Atsuko Takahata reveals story of 'losing' ¥1 million… 'I'm just really impatient'"
https://hochi.news/articles/20230719-OHT1T51267.html?page=1
So she told this same story on another network 3 years ago. Did she forget?
71AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:23
Re: #66
If this is from back when you could actually withdraw ¥1 million at once, it might be a story from decades ago.
73AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:26
Re: #66
Sounds like one of Atsuko Takahata's go-to "never-fails" anecdotes (a reference to the show format "Suberanai Hanashi").
56AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:10
Does anyone even use ATMs these days?
60AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:12
Re: #56
Well, sometimes, yeah — like topping up electronic money.
57AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:11
So basically, someone snatched the ¥1 million she forgot at the ATM? Would anyone normally do something that gets them caught instantly?
64AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:15
Re: #57
If cash or a card is left unclaimed, the ATM automatically sucks it back in. So did someone actually take it? Their face should be on the security camera too.
59AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:11
Would an ordinary person even be allowed to see that camera footage? And if she did see it, wouldn't the culprit be right there on film? Also, can you even withdraw ¥1 million from an ATM? The default limit alone should be ¥500,000.
62AnonymousSep 19, 2026 01:15
Re: #59
Whether the 'left it behind' story is true or not aside, I don't think regular people normally get shown the footage…
Background and key points of this discussion
ATM withdrawal limits per transaction are generally capped at a few hundred thousand yen by financial institutions or by the account holder’s own settings, so withdrawing ¥1 million in one go requires filing paperwork in advance to raise that limit. That’s the backdrop to the thread’s skepticism that “if she really went to the police, there should be a record of a formal report.” As reply #66 points out, Takahata told a similar “left cash behind” story on another program back in 2023 too, suggesting she may have recounted the same anecdote more than once. It’s also easy to overlook that even if someone appears on security camera footage, that doesn’t automatically reveal their name or contact information — so the claim that “footage means an instant arrest” isn’t necessarily true.
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