Japanese fishermen net bag with nearly $150,000

TOKYO

A fishing boat off Japan has netted a bag packed with 11 million yen ($145,000). The cash-laden catch was found off the country's northeastern coast that was devastated by an earthquake-triggered tsunami seven months ago.

Ofunato city official Kou Ueno said Saturday that a trawling fishing boat pulled the bag with more than 1,000 notes worth 10,000-yen ($130) from the bottom of the sea on Oct. 8 off the coast of the city in Iwate Prefecture (state).

Ueno said the money was likely swept away from its still-unknown owner by the March 11 tsunami.

Safes and envelopes filled with cash have been turning up in droves since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake devastated this nation's coastal area, setting off a giant tsunami that left about 20,000 people dead or missing.