Chiba wants the cars off its roads. Nobody knows whose they are, no one can reach the owners, and nobody has settled where to put them or who pays the tow truck.

About 600 such cars are still standing on roads in Chiba.

The heavy rain of August 13 left about 2,700 of them under water. Ten people died and two are still missing.

By the 17th the city had pushed about 500 cars, the ones blocking traffic, onto the shoulder. Even so, 600 were left on trunk roads at 9 a.m. on the 18th. With the Bon holiday over, traffic was back, and one driver ran into a car that was not moving.

That day the prefecture, the city and the transport ministry set up a team. Before a car can be towed, one question has to be answered. 「Whose car is this?」

The rain stopped. The roads dried. Only the cars cannot move.