Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 262, Why are they all people with connections?
The trailer released by Fuji TV garnered over a million views on a non-existent YouTube channel within half an hour, and the heated discussion among the Japanese public reached its peak.

The coincidences of another incident at Fuji TV, another death in Odaiba, another forensic testimony by Uesugi Muneyuki, and another presence by Shirakawa Mai have sparked heated discussions among Japanese netizens, with the comment section quickly exceeding 10,000 views.

@sakiko酱, a self-proclaimed "corporate slave demon king" in the comments section, said: "I was in that studio recording 'SMAP×SMAP' last week! Now I'm getting chills. I'll probably be traumatized by watching variety shows from now on."

@rioko热热天天子 commented, "Seriously? Why does Fuji TV keep dragging Mai into this? I get annoyed just seeing Uesugi Muneyuki's arrogant face. They're just ordinary upperclassmen and underclassmen, what's with this forced pairing? Fuji TV is disgusting... But if it airs, I'll still watch this episode, just for Mai!"

@7CRainbow also commented in the comments section: "Your show is so fake! I want to see just how fake it is."

The three most upvoted comments on the anonymous 2ch forum are:

"I'm an insider, and I can guarantee that the content is absolutely explosive. Uesugi-san is here to vouch for us, and President Kameyama was so happy he was practically floating on air. Plus, this time we've invited the most adorable Sakura-chan!"

"It's definitely a cover-up. Did everyone notice the content in Weekly Bunshun? This case is very likely related to the Yokohama case. The funniest thing is that Uesugi Muneyuki also solved the Yokohama case. How come everything is solved by Uesugi forensic investigator? Maybe the Metropolitan Police Department should change the cherry blossom crest to the Uesugi bamboo and sparrow crest!"

"I strongly suspect that Fuji TV is staging this themselves! The Ministry of Justice and the Metropolitan Police Department must investigate thoroughly!"

This topic is also incredibly popular on Instagram.

@GlobalMeatball: "@FujiTV, please update! Please update! Please update!"

@Changqisushichen's "Mixingjiao": "No rumors, no fabrications, just waiting for Fuji TV to turn the tide!"

@TokugawaShogun's Fresh Miso Soup is Selling Like Hotcakes: "Please stop exploiting dead people! What? It was that ugly Miyahara who died? Never mind then!"

@MapoTofuRoundHeadDoraemon: "The one who's sweating the whole time while the show airs is the murderer!"

@My Favorite School Idol Gorbachev: "This is common practice in the industry. To meet deadlines, outsiders are often allowed to freely enter and exit the studio. Security guards only keep out fans, not the real culprits. After this incident, various stations may strengthen security checks, but the increased production costs will ultimately lead to a decline in program quality..."

With endless posts flooding social media, Japanese people are going crazy discussing the show, with everyone's attention focused on one thing.

When exactly does Fuji TV plan to air this episode of the "murder reality show"?
To what extent can it be broadcast on television?
When Uesugi Muneyuki left work that day, the entrance to the Metropolitan Police Department was once again surrounded by reporters from all walks of life, with their cameras and microphones pointed at him, hoping to dig up some big news from him.

However, Uesugi Muneyuki said that he could not and should not say anything at the moment, and that people should not ask him about the specifics, but ask the Metropolitan Police Department, Fuji TV, and the Ministry of Justice.

At the same time, in the conference room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Sakuradamon headquarters.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda and Superintendent General of Police Eiji Watanabe are also discussing this matter.

"So, the Kudo-kai matter is over?" Watanabe Eiji looked at the "solution to the current situation" sent by Onoda Kimiaki and said with some dissatisfaction, "You found so much, yet you only..."

“This matter was indeed not that simple, but isn’t this just right? The Yoshimoto case has diverted the public’s attention, and I think it’s enough to stop here.” Onoda Kimiaki put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window at the scenery: “The Public Security Bureau has already obtained some evidence, and some of the people involved have already been punished.”

“I know, but…” Watanabe Eiji frowned as he looked at the punishment decision: “What kind of mess is this?”

According to the Public Security Police investigation, the Kudo-kai's ledgers were clearly related to that member of parliament, Masamichi Yuasa. However, just yesterday, Yuasa took the initiative to approach Prime Minister Owada and admit his mistake. As a result, the Prime Minister contacted the Public Security Police and indicated that the matter should be dropped.

In return, Yuasa Seidou's party position will be downgraded from "Secretary-General" to "General Affairs Officer".

General Affairs remains one of the three major positions in the party, but it is clearly lower than the "Secretary-General" in terms of both power and importance.

That was the end of the matter. Some other senior officials, including an administrative vice minister, were punished and demoted, one of whom was even sent to Israel. But overall, it was a self-punishment, and nothing serious happened.

Eiji Watanabe was very dissatisfied with the result.

After the Yokohama case, Watanabe Eiji received a reminder from Uesugi Muneyuki. The Superintendent General of Police used his personal connections to investigate the Kudo Kai and the cases handled by Igarashi Masataka when he was the head of the Second Investigation Division. Sure enough, they made a discovery.

Back then, Masataka Igarashi handled a famous case called the "Saomei Academy Case," which involved a major corruption scandal involving black money. The matter is quite complicated, but in short, Representative Yuasa colluded with a large group of capitalists to do something.

They spent 2.2 billion yen to buy a worthless landfill from the government under the pretext of building the "Saomei Academy".

After receiving the money, the government chartered the college, granted it a license, and promoted it as a major achievement and revenue generator for that term.

After the college was established, it hired many bureaucrats from that term as special advisors or board members.

These bureaucrats then used their connections with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Welfare and Labour to introduce students to the academy. In the end, everyone won: the government gained revenue, capitalists established the academy, and bureaucrats had a place to retire.

We are all winning.

However, the investigation by Section Chief Igarashi at the time revealed the shady dealings behind the incident, leading to the closure of Somei Academy after only a few years, with 1 billion yen still unaccounted for.

One of the parties involved in this case was Yuasa, who was the initiator and planner of the entire project. Because of this, he was delayed in becoming a member of parliament for three years.

"Can't we impose some strong punitive measures on the parties involved?" Watanabe Eiji couldn't help but say. "People have died! Not just one! And a policeman died too!"

“You’re right, but compared to the death of one or two people, it’s more important to ensure the operation of the entire public security system.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda was also somewhat displeased: “This operation by the Public Security Bureau in Yokohama… was not completely successful. Secretary-General Yuasa promised not to make trouble on this issue, so my brother asked that we stop here.”

"Chief Cabinet Secretary?" Watanabe Eiji swallowed hard.

“Well, my brother is the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yuasa is the Secretary-General of the Third Division, and you are just the Superintendent General of Police, and I am just the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the National Police Agency.” Onoda patted Watanabe Eiji on the shoulder: “You and I are just nobody, and I am just an ordinary employee in the General Affairs Department.”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary of the National Police Agency appears to be at the same level as the Superintendent General, only one level below the Superintendent General. However, the actual gap is significant. According to the promotion path of the Japanese police, if the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the National Police Agency wants to be promoted to Superintendent General, the general path is: Chief Cabinet Secretary → Regional Head → Return to the position of Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department or Chief of the Security Department or Deputy Chief of the National Police Agency → Superintendent General.

In other words, there are three minor realms within a major realm.

The Superintendent General of Police is considered a high-ranking official by ordinary people, but for the Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Third Secretary of the Party, he is just a high-ranking "clerk," not to mention the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the National Police Agency.

“Uesugi-kun has offended someone during this investigation,” Onoda Kimiaki said coldly. “As for us who are responsible for the handover between superiors and subordinates, the most important thing is to protect Uesugi-kun and the Special Missions Unit, so let’s stop here for now.”

"Is it to protect Uesugi, or to protect Sugishita Ukyo?" Watanabe Eiji sneered.

Onoda Kimiaki and Sugishita Ukyo's relationship was so close it was almost strange, which was no news in the Metropolitan Police Department. The head of the Special Investigation Headquarters for the Yokohama case was Sugishita Ukyo, the first section chief, so he had obviously offended someone, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda was doing his best to protect him.

"Hehehe~ It's about protecting our entire police system. Eiji, Uesugi, and Sugishita deserve the credit, and we'll be responsible for cleaning up the mess they made." Onoda Kimiaki couldn't help but laugh. He sensed the sarcasm in Watanabe Eiji's tone, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Eiji, you've been in office for a year and a half now... How about becoming the chairman of the Japan Traffic Association?"

"!!!" Watanabe Eiji's pupils contracted.

“Indeed, you don’t have a background in traffic management. So… are you the managing director of the board of directors of Secom Integrated Security Company? Or… the chairman of the JRA (Japan Racing Association)?” Onoda Kimiaki continued.

These positions are undoubtedly extremely lucrative, with each position offering an annual salary of over 100 million yen, not to mention other benefits and even the retention of some power.

But none of these are what Eiji Watanabe wants.

"Regarding this matter, the ongoing Special Missions Investigation System construction and the Metropolitan Police Department's digital transformation and reform projects are at a critical stage, and I believe it is my responsibility to thoroughly complete these tasks. If the organization allows, I hope to continue to contribute my modest efforts." Watanabe Eiji calmly stated, "The Special Missions and the new system have finally made significant breakthroughs, and the public's goodwill towards our police organization has greatly improved. Now is the time to continue our efforts."

“Oh…” Onoda Kimiaki nodded and said nothing more: “Speaking of which, the Special Missions Division should indeed be made permanent. Your future son-in-law… a lot of people want to join the Special Missions Division.”

Onoda Kimiaki tossed over a stack of files.

Aside from Inspector Hayabusa Igarashi, who was appointed to be transferred from Yamanashi Prefecture to the headquarters in order to appease former Second Section Chief Masataka Igarashi, there are, unsurprisingly, many people who want to work in the Special Missions Division!
Son of the Vice Minister of Justice!
Son of the managing director of Mitsubishi UFJ Bank!

Son of the chairman of the Japan Sports Promotion Center.

The daughter of a member of the Cabinet Crisis Management Oversight Committee.

Son of a Fujitsu executive.

And the children and descendants of several top-ranking bureaucrats in the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency.

Even the Imperial Household Agency inquired, saying that a high-ranking official's child was taking the civil service exam this year, and if the child passed, could he be assigned to a position in the Special Missions Department? No problem, he could start as a patrol officer.

This long list of names put immense pressure on Eiji Watanabe.

Why are they all people with connections?!

(End of this chapter)