Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 281, A Wrongful Conviction That Attracts National Attention
P.S.: I'll be watching my brother's match today, so there will only be one update. 4400 words, quality guaranteed. Go brother!
"This is a live report from NHK, brought to you by reporter Takei."

"Family of missing man in Kanagawa protests police handling of case, demanding 'truth be revealed'."

The body of a man who went missing in Kanagawa Prefecture five years ago has been found in a reservoir, sparking escalating controversy surrounding the police response. The deceased's family claims, "If the police had investigated more thoroughly, he might still be alive," and has launched a protest in front of the prefectural police headquarters!

"It is reported that five years ago, Nikaido Kei, a 32-year-old company employee and resident of Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, went missing after leaving his home. His family submitted a missing person application to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police on the same day, but the police dismissed the case on the grounds that 'adults are more likely to have voluntarily disappeared.' Subsequently, the family requested to reopen the investigation nine times, but each time it was rejected on the grounds of 'lack of evidence for filing a case.'"

"About three months after the incident, reservoir managers in the prefecture discovered the body while adjusting the water level. A forensic autopsy confirmed that the DNA matched that of Nikaido Kei. However, the police closed the case as a 'drowning suicide,' indicating that they would not file it as a criminal case. Despite the family's repeated appeals over the past five years, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police have resolutely refused to reopen the investigation."

In the television footage, Misaki (36 years old), the wife of Nikaido Keiji, spoke to reporters with a trembling voice: "My husband told us before he went missing that he had something important to do, and that we should call the police if he didn't come back. He also said that he would never miss the weekend gathering with his family. He had absolutely no motive for suicide!"

Misaki held up a sign drawn by her eldest son, Takumi (10 years old), that read "Give me back my dad," and accused the police: "If they had investigated more seriously back then, they might have found out where my husband went much sooner!"

The Nikaido family, a large group, besieged the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters, smashing the gates with radishes, pickles, and eggs. The Kanagawa police dared not utter a word of protest.

"Five years later, in a recent investigation, Inspector Kenta Sato, who was in charge of the case at the time, was suspended from his duties and investigated because financial transactions were found in the Kudo-kai's ledgers that were destroyed in the Yokohama case last month. Also, due to the impact of the Yokohama case, the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters underwent a major reshuffle, so the Nikaido family launched an attack on the Kanagawa Headquarters, demanding that the police investigate the case again."

"Acting Chief of the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters, Shoji Kobayashi, stated: 'The initial judgment was based on the proper handling of the evidence. I had not previously served in Kanagawa and was not aware of a number of matters. Considering the complexity of the case, we will re-examine the facts to understand the feelings of the family.'"

The NHK presenter said to the camera that behind him, about 200 protesters gathered in front of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters. Nikaido's family members held signs with slogans such as "Police Murder" and "Concealing Evidence" and clashed violently with riot police maintaining order.

Ms. Misaki Nikaido held up her husband's portrait in the center of the crowd, while a loudspeaker played the last voice message left on Nikaido Kei's cell phone on the day he disappeared: "What did Takumi eat tonight? How's your appetite?" Some emotionally charged protesters tried to push the barriers, and the police issued three warnings for "obstructing official business." At least five reporters at the scene had their equipment damaged in the scuffle.

"Very good, thank you Sato for the report from the front. Now let's contact Professor Yamada of the Faculty of Law at Waseda University and hear what he has to say." The NHK anchor room connected from the back.

“The police’s initial response may have been grossly negligent.” A professor from the Faculty of Law at Waseda University gave a rather vague response: “Even if an adult goes missing, if there are suspicious circumstances, it should be treated as a special missing person case, which may require investigation by a third-party committee.”

The Nikaido family plans to request a meeting with the prefectural police chief tomorrow and file a complaint with the prosecutor's office regarding the forced search. The online hashtag "#NeverForgetNikaido" has garnered over 10,000 signatures within three hours and continues to top the trending charts on social media platforms.

The public authorities responsible for safeguarding social security are facing a crisis of trust. How will this situation end? This station will continue to follow the developments!

"This is National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reporting for you~"

NHK's coverage has temporarily come to an end.

"Yay, yay." Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, said with a smile, "It seems that because the Kanagawa headquarters removed the head and several other heads in one go, some things can no longer be covered up."

"What's going on with the local branches?" Inspector Okada sighed. "Even if the Nikaido family has many members, they couldn't possibly have more than two hundred, could they?"

“Those are all people who have suffered unfair treatment because of various cases!” Miss Minami leaned back in her chair, deep in thought: “According to the spirit of US law, poisonous trees naturally bear poisonous apples. Therefore, when the police officer involved is investigated for improper financial transactions, then the cases he handled before are naturally questionable.”

"Ah, that's exactly right. Back in the legendary O.J. Simpson murder trial in the US, the evidence was initially very unfavorable to the defense. However, the defense team seized on two crucial procedural issues: the investigating police officer was an extreme racist who had repeatedly and publicly discriminated against Black people, and the officer had used blood contaminated at the scene as evidence. Ultimately, they successfully overturned the verdict." Sugishita Ukyo said gently, "Now, the family dares to stage a protest because they've seized on this procedural issue, and also because the entire upper echelons of the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters were purged in the Yokohama case. The new acting head of the Prefectural Headquarters was parachuted in from the Metropolitan Police Department. Perhaps that's why Head of the Prefectural Headquarters wants to use this as a pretext to reorganize the Prefectural Headquarters?"

"What kind of police officers can refuse to file a case after nine calls to the police? What kind of police officers can turn a corpse into a suicide? This is the Japanese police!" Reina, with the strongest sense of justice, said indignantly, "When I was in various police stations, I also encountered this situation. They even criticized me, saying, 'What do women know?' It wasn't until I met Uesugi that things got better."

“Uesugi is just an isolated case!” Miss Minami said casually. “Actually, I remember that you, Uesugi, also had a conflict with the Otsuka Police Department over the suicide determination, right?”

“That’s normal. For Tanaka and the others, it’s better to avoid trouble.” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded and looked at the report. “There’s too much information. I need some time. Section Chief, you can go and attend to other matters. I’ll let you know when I’ve made my decision.”

"That will be of trouble to you." Sugishita Ukyo bowed politely and left.

"This section chief seems quite approachable and down-to-earth~" Erina couldn't help but feel a surge of goodwill towards Sugishita Ukyo.

As a result, when the tall, beautiful woman uttered these words, everyone in the department shook their heads.

He was approachable and polite, yet he quietly delivered a large pot. He was also approachable and polite, yet he quietly pushed the matter of intervening in the local branch onto the Special Missions Division, and because he was the head of the First Investigation Division, he had no choice but to agree.

If it weren't for Uesugi protecting you, you stupid big-breasted monster would have been sold out and would have been counting the money for the seller!
Miss Minami thought to herself, her face full of black lines.

However, Erena wasn't actually that stupid. As a martial artist, she possessed a strong sense of righteousness. Although not particularly intelligent, she could keenly sense whether the visitor harbored good or bad intentions. Sugishita Ukyo genuinely hoped to clear his name and that the police could give the Nikaido family an explanation, which misled Erena.

A few minutes later, Ishihara Mikoto returned. After listening to Uesugi Muneyuki and the others recount the case, she couldn't help but shake her head with a smile: "Never have faith in local branches and local police stations... You should know about the Tama City idol murder case, right?"

Everyone nodded.

A few years ago, a well-known case of a female idol being murdered in a love triangle occurred in Tama City, Tama District, Tokyo.

The reason for this is that a girl from the countryside went to Tokyo to participate in an idol audition. Although she was not selected into the 48 Group like Yamaguchi Maho, she was selected into a semi-local idol group with a fixed theater. However, as everyone knows, idols have a no-dating rule, but this girl had a boyfriend in the countryside!

For some reason, the boyfriend came to Beijing to find the girl and wanted to continue being her boyfriend. The girl naturally refused firmly and said that she had chosen her idol and wanted to break up with him.

The boyfriend suffered a major blow, compounded by his inferiority complex stemming from his rural background and poor financial situation in Beijing. These factors combined led to his mental instability. He repeatedly appeared near the girl's apartment to spies on her, attempted to break into her home, and made incessant harassing phone calls. The girl, driven to desperation by the harassment, had a confrontation with him in Tama City. Faced with her boyfriend's continued refusal to let go and his repeated declarations of suicide, the girl reported him to the police.

This is how the Japanese police handled it:

The Tama City Police Department stated that this matter was not under their jurisdiction, and that it was a private matter between the police and the boyfriend, as they were both registered residents of Saitama Prefecture. They advised the police to file a report with the Saitama Prefectural Police.

The Saitama Prefectural Police said that this matter was not under their jurisdiction. They explained that the woman and her boyfriend lived in Tokyo, not Saitama, and that they usually worked and lived in Mitaka City. They suggested the woman go to the Mitaka City Police Department to file a report.

The Mitaka City Police Department said, "This is not under our jurisdiction. You and your boyfriend had a conflict in Tama City. Go to the Tama City Police Department to file a report."

After shifting blame to each other, no police station wanted to handle this case of a lovesick couple. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to report the incident to the police, the girl decided to move.

However, he didn't keep it a secret. When he saw that his girlfriend was preparing to move, he completely lost his mind and secretly sneaked into her house, hid in the closet, and killed her when she returned home unprepared. He later turned himself in.

The whole society was outraged. The behavior of the Japanese police in passing the buck and shirking responsibility has aroused condemnation from the whole society. But the person is already dead, the murderer has surrendered, and there is nothing that can be done afterward. Moreover, because the boyfriend is a minor, his information has not been released. Although some die-hard idol fans worked hard to find some information, the person is already in jail. What can you do?
"Alright, let's leave it at that." Uesugi Muneyuki gestured for Mikoto to come over so we could discuss this further, and as soon as she heard Uesugi Muneyuki say this, Minami Okada Erena immediately came over.

Listening to Uesugi Muneyuki analyze the case and evaluate the evidence is a real treat!
“I believe this is definitely not a drowning,” Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice. He pointed to the existing information and highlighted several important points in the body photos and the first autopsy report: “First of all, there is one situation that is seriously inconsistent with drowning.”

“Yes, Kanagawa University actually issued such an appraisal report, and did the Kanagawa police really examine it carefully?” The forensic beauty agreed wholeheartedly: “It’s something that can be seen at a glance, something that can be identified immediately upon dissection. Uesugi, promoting the forensic system in Japan really has a long way to go.”

"Wait a minute!" Erena, who was standing next to her, was completely confused. The tall beauty was the most impatient, especially since the forensic beauty had been having "encrypted conversations" with Uesugi Muneyuki, which made Erena very unhappy. Seeing that the two were about to enter their domain mode again, she immediately called out to stop them: "What's going on? How can you tell at a glance that it wasn't drowning?"

“Alright, let me be clearer.” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded and said, “First, we need to know what drowning is.”

Minami Okada and Erina immediately held their breath and listened attentively.

"Drowning refers to death caused by suffocation due to liquid entering the respiratory tract."

"When a person chokes on water, the water first enters the digestive organs, but soon a large amount enters the lungs. The lungs originally contain air, but when water enters, the air in the lungs is squeezed out, causing the person to be unable to breathe and thus suffocate."

Uesugi Muneyuki pointed his finger at the lungs in the forensic report: "Normally, lungs with air will make a body float, while lungs filled with liquid will make a drowned body sink. Therefore, many bodies dumped in water will eventually float."

"I see. That's probably why they filled it with cement before dumping it into Tokyo Bay." Inspector Okada understood.

"So you've figured out the problem?" Mikoto Ishihara nodded with a smile. She didn't keep them in suspense but said directly, "The problem lies in the weight of the lungs."

“Normally, the weight of an adult male’s lungs should be 500 grams for the left lung and 600 grams for the right lung. However, because of drowning, a large amount of water enters the lungs, causing pulmonary edema and a state of drowning. The weight of a drowned lung is never less than 800 grams, and the highest I have seen is more than 1200 grams.”

"The body in this case was severely decomposed, and blood and water in the lungs may have leaked into the chest cavity, reducing the weight of the lungs. However, after a small amount of fluid of 100-200 grams was expelled from the lungs, the left lung weighed only a little over 400 grams, and the right lung weighed less than 400 grams. This is not a body that drowned due to inhaling a large amount of liquid."

"Therefore, the Kanagawa police's judgment was wrong from beginning to end; this was not a drowning at all!"

"Of course, this isn't suicide!"

Kanagawa, how many surprises have you kept from our Special Missions Unit?
The entire Special Missions Department felt a mix of emotions.

"I see, as expected of you, Muneyuki and Ishihara, you figured it out at a glance!" Minami-sama's fighting spirit was ignited: "However, you don't need to rush."

"I think we probably don't need to get involved in this matter."

Sure enough, that afternoon, after the incident escalated, "#KanagawaPoliceWaKamiKatsushi" (Kanagawa police fail to save lives) immediately topped the social media trending list for the day.

An NHK interview with an anonymous county police officer who revealed that "they knew there were problems with the case-handling procedures all along" received 12 shares.

An emotional convenience store clerk in Yokosuka City said in an interview, "I also have a daughter. If I were in this situation and didn't get help from the police, I might do something even more extreme!"

"It's hard to imagine that these are police officers. Where does all our taxpayers' money go?" a working woman said angrily to the camera. "It's happened time and time again. The Tama case was the same. When will the police truly value the safety of the people?"

"It's outrageous that they refused to take action after I called the police nine times!" another taxi driver said. "Luckily, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is responsible for public safety in Tokyo!"

Subsequently, Japanese citizens began a petition on Yahoo! Japan, demanding that the Japanese police reinvestigate the case and bring it to light!
In the poll, in the option "Who would you like to be in charge of reopening the investigation of this case", Muneyuki Uesugi, from the Special Missions Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division, received a support rate as high as 87%!

It has to be him! The Japanese people, especially those in the Kanto region, have been remarkably unanimous in their choice.

His performance in God's Hand SP, his press conferences after each major case, and his famously tough attitude.

Everyone believed that only Uesugi Muneyuki could overturn the case, and only he could personally force the Kanagawa police to reopen the investigation and fight against the darkness within the Japanese police force!
(End of this chapter)