Chinese tourists return stolen toilet seat to Japanese hotel

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A pair of Chinese tourists returned a stolen toilet seat to a Japanese hotel with an apology and explanation that they didn't realize it belonged to the facility.

A hotel in Nagoya contacted a travel agency after a toilet seat was reported missing from a room where two tourists from Zhejiang, China, stayed Monday.

The agency said the toilet seat was sent back to the hotel after the couple and their travel group arrived at Mount Fuji.

The travel company released a statement on behalf of the couple, who said they found the spare toilet seat under the bed and thought it was property left behind by previous hotel guests.

"I offer my sincere apology and regrets," the statement said. "I hope the hotel and the local travel agency can treat this with leniency. I promise this improper behavior won't happen again."

The couple said they plan to apologize to the hotel's parent company during their upcoming scheduled stay at another facility owned by the chain.