Man Arrested for Stealing Cash Bag

This March in Sendai City.

A man took a bag containing cash

from the street, it is alleged,

in this incident.

I thought it was a gift

from God.

This is what

43-year-old defendant Takuya Suenaga says.

At the first hearing, the misfortune

that befell the defendant just before

the incident came to light.

That day, defendant Suenaga learned

that his cancer had returned,

and was told he had two

to three months to live.

However, on his way home from the hospital,

an unexpected event

came his way.

A security company transporting cash

had dropped a bag, which he found

by chance on the street.

He picked up the bag and opened it

in a nearby park,

and found 22 million yen

in cash inside.

I thought it was a gift

from God.

It is believed he spent 18 million

yen before his arrest.

He took a trip to Ise

and also traveled to Vietnam

overseas,

and reportedly used some of it

for cancer treatment.

Four and a half months after the incident,

having outlived his prognosis,

defendant Suenaga was arrested.

At his first hearing on charges of

embezzling lost property,

prosecutors sought one year in prison.

The defense, on the other hand,

said that if, on the way home after being told

he had two to three months to live, 22 million yen

had been lying there, it would not be

entirely unreasonable to wonder whether

God was watching over him.

They are seeking a suspended sentence,

and the verdict will be handed

down on the sixth of next month.

The security company's 22 million-yen loss

was covered by an insurance company,

and defendant Suenaga is reportedly repaying

the insurer 30,000 yen

each month.