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Yuki Manuela Janke's violin was seized at Frankfurt airport/AFP

World

German customs seize violin, demand $1.5m

The instrument was returned to Horigome last month after she presented a number of documents to German authorities, which were also contacted by the Japanese foreign ministry, according to the Asahi Shimbun.

“Even in Ms. Horigome’s case, she doesn’t know exactly what (the German customs) needed to release the instrument,” Narabayashi said.

“Of course we are in touch with Ms. Horigome. We are using all channels available to solve this issue,” he said.

Janke, born in Munich to a German father and a Japanese mother, has won a number of German and international prizes.

She was the top finisher in the renowned Paganini Competition in Genoa in 2004 and won third prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 2007.

The foundation told the Asahi Shimbun that governments around the world should create passports for treasured instruments to ensure their smooth cross-border passage, particularly for soloists.

The foundation, established in 1974, owns 20 top string instruments such as those created by Stradivari.

The foundation receives funding from the Nippon Foundation, a non-profit giant that uses proceeds from motorboat racing for cultural, medical and philanthropic causes and ocean-related charitable projects.

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