Negative. 143
Billion dollars is more wealth than even Carlos Slim, Creepy George Soros and Bill Gates combined. If those bonds were real, you are talking the order of magnitude of a major hedge fund or a national government, neither of which is going to hand these bonds to a couple guys who could get lost, mugged, car accident, etc.
I'd bet 100 quatloos that this story is either:
1. Another far-fetched unverifiable story, such as
the stock trader from the future that was supposedly arrested by the FBI in 2003
2. The Japanese "tourists" were simply front men for either North Korea, Iran or one of the Russian 'siloviki' (
the best, crispest $100 bills in the world are counterfeited in China and North Korea) , since any legit trader in Treasuries can move physical bonds in many different exchanges. 143 billion in a shady off books trade is more than enough to finance all the 3rd party WMD tech and materials purchases for the entire Axis of Eeeevil