Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 280, The Chronic Problems of the Japanese Police
Just as Sugishita Ukyo brought his request, Uesugi Muneyuki himself was having tea with Watanabe Eiji.

"I watched the show that day too, it was quite excellent." Eiji Watanabe said with a seemingly casual smile, "So, Fuji TV is planning to make you their main focus for ratings recently?"

“It seems that’s indeed the plan, but as I said, many cases aren’t actually that interesting. One episode a month is enough. Too many would be undesirable and would cause everyone to get tired of it and feel bored. Besides, I’m too busy to handle it all,” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded and said.

"Yes, very good." Watanabe Eiji didn't say much more: "In any case, as long as I'm here, the Central Committee will fully support you."

As long as you're here, right? But what if you're not here anymore?
Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, but he didn't say much. In fact, most of the Superintendent General of Police do not serve for two years. 60% of them serve for exactly one year or less, 30% serve for more than one year but less than two years, and less than 10% of them can complete the full two years.

"Although the personnel appointments won't be until April next year, Zongxue, you've helped this department a lot over the years... no, I should say you've resolved the vast majority of the issues. But considering it's only a few months left, do you think you can boost your performance a bit more?" Watanabe Eiji said with a rather smug smile.

"What? My godfather is in charge of creating cases, and I'm in charge of achieving the targets?" Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head with a wry smile: "To achieve targets, there have to be cases. Without cases, where do the targets come from?"

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Watanabe Eiji found the question amusing: “Do you know, Muneyuki, there are about 800-1000 murders in Japan every year, of which 70% are attempted murders and 30% are completed murders. So theoretically, there are only 200-300 murders in all of Japan a year, and Tokyo accounts for about one-third of them. And this year, you have almost taken over 80% of the completed murders in Tokyo.”

“I am honored,” Uesugi Muneyuki said with a smile.

“Me too.” Watanabe Eiji nodded earnestly. “It’s our Metropolitan Police Department’s good fortune to have your help… I’m not saying we’re deliberately creating cases, I mean, have you considered… cold cases?”

"Our Metropolitan Police Department doesn't only consider solving existing cases. In fact, there are many unsolved cases from the past, such as the 300 million yen robbery, the Kirizumi Mountain hot spring case in Gunma Prefecture, the Inokashira Park dismemberment case, the Hachioji City supermarket shooting, and the Setagaya family massacre. Many of these cases have attracted nationwide attention and caused a sensation. If you don't have any cases at hand right now, you can spend some time studying the cold cases. It won't affect your reputation if you can't solve them, but if you can..."

Eiji Watanabe said with great interest, "This is another major achievement that deserves to be highlighted."

"Huh? When there are no cases, can't you just stay in the Special Missions Division, drink coffee, and chat and joke with Minami?" Uesugi Muneyuki complained.

"Go away! You brat, I approve a budget of 80 million yen for you guys every year, and with the next few people coming in, the budget is going to be increased to 120 million yen. Do you think I'm giving you all this money just so you can drink coffee in the department?" Watanabe Eiji shook his head. The Superintendent General of Police said seriously, "You eat your salary, which comes from the people's hard-earned money. The common people are easy to oppress, but Heaven is hard to deceive. You are enjoying multiple salaries now and have the support of the people. Don't forget that it is their support and the taxes they pay that make us who we are today."

"From the people, to the people, and to serve the people!" Uesugi Muneyuki nodded slightly: "Explain things clearly!"

........................

After chatting with Eiji Watanabe for a while, the Superintendent General of Police had some opinions about the big scandal between Muneyuki Uesugi and Mai-senpai, but not much. After all, he was a Showa-era man, and in Eiji Watanabe's view, it was a sign of a man's ability. Moreover, the upper class in Japan was indeed more tolerant of male lovers. Besides, Minami couldn't do without Muneyuki Uesugi's support anymore. It was even hard to say whether Eiji Watanabe or Muneyuki Uesugi needed whom more.

However, when Uesugi Muneyuki returned to the Special Missions Division, he found that Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, was also there.

Sugishita Ukyo, always in a polite yet offensive manner, asked Uesugi Muneyuki to help him look at some documents.

A backlog of cases? Here it comes.
Uesugi Muneyuki has always been reluctant to investigate unsolved cases, for a simple reason: since they are unsolved cases, they cannot be examined for autopsies or used for psychic abilities, which would essentially put his hard skills to the test.

However, he had to face it eventually, and as Eiji Watanabe said, no one would blame him if he couldn't solve the long-standing cases, but if he did, it would be a great achievement.

Uesugi Muneyuki took out a photo and stared at the information on it, lost in thought.

Five years ago, in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, a black object was found floating near the water intake of a large river, mixed with filthy twigs, foam plastic cardboard and other garbage.

A human body was found lying face down near the reservoir, and the police were notified.

Nikaido Kei, 32 years old, an employee of Nidoji Foreign Trade Company in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, was found with his body covered in algae. His body was lying naked and swollen, filled with putrid air, which is known as the "giant phenomenon".

"This is...?" Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at the date of the autopsy on the body in the case. It was an autopsy performed about five years ago by Kanagawa University Hospital. The report detailed the autopsy results: "The body was in a state of high decomposition, with a severely sullen dark green and light green color. The skin was severely swollen, and the surface was almost completely detached."

Then he began to describe them one by one according to organs and body parts: brain, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, large and small intestines, aorta. This was consistent with Uesugi Muneyuki's usual habits, or rather, this is how anatomy is done all over the world.

"Lungs: Left lung 429g, right lung 388g, surface dark red, a small amount of patchy hemorrhage can be seen on the pleura of the lungs, the cut surface has slightly more blood, mild edema, a small amount of air content, no fine foam, no lesions."

"No external injuries with fractures or severe organ damage were found on the body, nor were there any signs of cerebral hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, ruptured aortic aneurysm, tuberculosis, cirrhosis, or malignant tumors."

"In conclusion, considering that the body was floating in the water and had been submerged for a long time, the possibility of drowning cannot be ruled out."

"However, due to the severe changes and high degree of decomposition after death, it is extremely difficult to determine the cause of death during the autopsy process. It is impossible to determine that it was drowning, at least no serious external injuries or fatal lesions were found. Therefore, it is impossible to completely confirm or completely deny whether drowning was the cause of death."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked through the numerous photos, expert reports, case files, and other documents in the box, but made no comment.

“Actually, this case is quite bizarre.” Sugishita Ukyo said after seeing that Uesugi Muneyuki had finished reading, “Before the deceased left home, he told his family that he was going out to take care of something very important, and that if he did not return in three to five days, they should definitely call the police.”

"When Nikaido Kei did not return home for a long time, his family reported him missing to the police. However, the police refused to accept the case on the grounds that an adult was missing. The family reported the case to the Kanagawa police nine times, but they still ignored it until Nikaido Kei's body was found in the reservoir."

"But even after the body was discovered, the Kanagawa police still determined it to be a suicide. The family disagreed and demanded an autopsy, so Kanagawa University conducted a forensic autopsy, and the results are what you see here, Uesugi-kun."

Uesugi Muneyuki pondered for a moment and nodded: "That's normal. Most autopsy requests are made shortly after the body is discovered. If a clear conclusion is given too easily, and it doesn't match the facts later, the expert's reputation will be greatly damaged. To avoid this situation, many experts use extremely vague statements in their reports, saying that this is possible and that is possible, leaving people confused."

Uesugi Muneyuki hates this kind of thing the most.

Professional forensic experts must be courageous in making judgments!

How can I lose when the dead are right in front of me? Huh? You're telling me the deceased gave a verbal account of the scene, and there's even a flashback to the death scene. How can I lose this autopsy?
“Doing this is like taking out insurance; you can explain it however you want later without giving anyone cause for criticism.” Sugishita Ukyo nodded. “Besides, the way the police handled this case…”

“So Japanese police!” Erena finally couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t this always the case? If they can’t find a body, they try to classify it as a missing person case. If they find a body, they try to classify it as a suicide case. If they have evidence of homicide, they report it to the First Investigation Division.”

Everyone in the Special Missions Unit nodded in agreement. Although Erena's statement was somewhat AOE, that's just how the Japanese police are.

So even though Japan has very few homicides, about 0.2-0.3 per 10 people, far lower than most developed countries and one of the safest countries in the world (compared to 5-6 per 10 people in the United States), many of these homicides are covered up by Japanese police as "missing persons" or "suicides."

The problem with the Japanese police lies in this: under the bureaucratic system, they are only accountable to their superiors.

Especially in the prefectural headquarters surrounding Tokyo, due to the huge siphon effect of Tokyo, all the best talents from the surrounding prefectures and cities flock to the Metropolitan Police Department, leaving behind mostly useless and defective personnel, so the quality of the police force is very worrying.

Kanagawa is a prime example; it's a place teeming with useless people, each more outrageous than the last, losing their guns four times a year and still feeling great about themselves.

"Hey, look!" Inspector Okada suddenly turned on the TV: "Isn't this the case?!"

"Huh?" Everyone in the office was watching the NHK channel. Right in front of the Kanagawa Police Headquarters, dozens of Nikaido Kei's family members had unfurled banners and were causing trouble, demanding an explanation from the Kanagawa Police.

"National Broadcasting Corporation, National Broadcasting Corporation, this is Kanagawa Prefecture. The footage you are now showing concerns a drowning suicide case from five years ago..."

(End of this chapter)