IVA Inc. Fake Busters, the No. 1 AI authentication service in Japan, begins authenticity assessment in the lost property reuse business. In collaboration with find, the company strengthens the circular model for lost property

[IVA Inc.] Fake Busters, the No. 1 AI authenticity appraisal service in Japan, begins authenticity appraisal in the lost property reuse business. Integrating with find to strengthen the circular model of lost items ​
IVA Co., Ltd. Press release: June 10, 2025 To Members of the Media Fake Busters, the No. 1 AI authentication service in Japan, has begun authenticity appraisals for the lost property reuse business. Strengthening the lost and found recycling model in collaboration with find ~The first nationwide initiative to utilize “Mercari Shops” provides peace of mind by authenticating genuine products through authenticity appraisal~ IVA Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yoshio Aihara; hereinafter referred to as “IVA”) operates “Fake Busters,” an AI authentication service with the No. 1 domestic market share (※1), in collaboration with find Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Akira Takashima; hereinafter referred to as “find”) to authenticate brand-name products listed by find on “Mercari Shops.” find has begun a nationwide (※2) demonstration experiment in February 2025 of a recycling model in which lost items found at affiliated companies such as railway companies and commercial facilities that have passed the legal storage period are reused on the e-commerce platform “Mercari Shops” after each company acquires ownership. As part of this demonstration experiment, “Fake Busters” will perform authenticity appraisals on lost items before they are listed, and will attach authentication tags to products that are confirmed to be genuine. (※1) According to our own research, survey conducted in December 2022, as an “authenticity appraisal service” in Japan. (※2) According to a survey by find in February 2025, “Mercari Shops” is being used to recirculate lost items.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/53083/60/53083-60-e3c1c6594c409dd9c0c07c0c5ce8d056-1950×1097.png “Fake Busters” is the No. 1 AI authenticity appraisal service in Japan, with a total of over 1.8 million appraisals, targeting brands with a high number of counterfeits. Utilizing an appraisal team with diverse backgrounds, cutting-edge specialized equipment, and AI appraisal technology, we handle over 40,000 appraisal requests per month. ◼️Background and purpose Lost items found at railway companies or commercial facilities are properly stored and managed in accordance with the Lost Property Act, and will be returned to the owner if they are found. However, if the owner cannot be found and the legal storage period has expired, there are cases where the item is unavoidably disposed of as waste. find is working to utilize these lost items as a new reuse resource, and began a demonstration experiment using “Mercari Shops” in February 2025. It got off to a good start, with about 300 items listed so far, about one-third of which were purchased, but ensuring the authenticity of some brand-name items was an issue. To solve this problem, Fake Busters will authenticate lost brand items before find lists them for sale, and will attach an authentication tag to items that are certified as genuine, providing buyers with the peace of mind that the items are genuine. Mercari Shops: https://jp-news.mercari.com/mercari-shops/ ◼️Future outlook We will continue to work with find to support the creation of a reliable distribution system for lost items in other categories, not just brand-name items, through authentication. By establishing this as a new option for giving back to society, rather than simply disposing of items that are not returned to their owners, we will contribute to the realization of a circular economy that starts with lost items. ◼️About the lost item cloud “find” “Lost Item Cloud Find” is a service that uses technology to solve the worries and anxieties of lost property owners who say, “It’s hard to even contact them,” or “I can’t find them even if I want to look for them.” We are always incorporating the latest technology and upgrading by linking with various services to improve convenience. In addition to lost property management, we also provide a one-stop system that can improve return rates, improve the work efficiency of administrators, and communicate with users and link with police stations. We support the creation of an environment where “lost items,” which inevitably occur in places where many people gather, such as railway companies, commercial facilities, and theme parks, can be found quickly and efficiently, and contribute to improving user satisfaction, building a relationship of trust between the companies that introduce the service and users, and contributing to the creation of a society where people can live their daily lives with peace of mind. ◼️About “Fake Busters” “Fake Busters” is an AI authenticity appraisal service with the largest market share in Japan (※1), with a total of over 1.8 million appraisals covering
approximately 200 brands with many counterfeits in circulation. In addition to AI appraisals developed from a vast data base and abundant appraisal knowledge, we use an appraisal team with diverse backgrounds and cutting-edge specialized equipment to perform accurate and prompt appraisals. While expanding our efforts with many companies, mainly domestic marketplaces and reuse companies, we have also strongly promoted the overseas expansion of our business, opening a Taiwan base in June 2023 and a Chinese corporation in September of the same year. In the future, we will expand not only into the Japanese market, but also into the Asian market, European and American markets, and European markets. Official Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/fakebusters_official/ Official X account: https://x.com/FAKEBUSTERS_JP
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/53083/60/53083-60-2ade11bc57c12ac4c4e1d66cbcfbb0a8-2054×584.png ▼For details and inquiries about the “Partnership Program” plan for corporations, click here
https://www.fakebusters-iva.com/ja/BusinessContact ▼About supported brands Currently, we can authenticate over 200 brands, including sneaker brands, apparel, accessories, luxury brands, and trading cards. We will continue to add supported brands in the future.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/53083/60/53083-60-7409139ecda809c5dfcd07ec630b3cb6-2058×1158.png ◼️Representative Director and CEO Profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/53083/60/53083-60-76f6bbc66db25e45110acce648a4afc0-733×733.png Yoshio Aihara Born in 1995. Graduated from the Graduate School of International Management at Aoyama Gakuin University and obtained an MBA. While a student, he launched his first apparel-related company. So, focusing on the ever-growing sneaker market and the pain point of the “fake problem” that the market has been facing for many years, in 2019 he launched “FAKEBUSTERS”, an authenticity appraisal service that achieves high accuracy by combining AI and appraisers, and founded IVA Co., Ltd. He is bilingual in Japanese and Chinese. He was selected for “Forbes JAPAN 30 Under 30 2023” and “Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024”. [Company Profile] find Co., Ltd. Head office location: 3-13-3 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Representative: CEO Akira Takashima Business: Development, provision and operation of “Lost Item Cloud Find” and related services Corporate website: https://www.finds.co.jp/ IVA Co., Ltd. (Fake Busters Management) Location: Shibuya Scramble Square, 2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 45F Representative Director: Yoshio Aihara Business: Authenticity appraisal of sneakers, apparel, brand bags, and trading cards Corporate website:
https://iva-corp.com/ More details about this release *This email was sent automatically, so please do not reply.