Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 282, The Second Battle of Kanagawa

Sure enough, the protests in Kanagawa intensified that very day. By evening, more than 400 protesters had besieged the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters. Most of them were citizens who had been treated unfairly by the Kanagawa police, and nearly half of them were elderly people over 60 years old. The majority of the rest were housewives. Dozens of old cases were unearthed, especially cases of telecommunications fraud and theft, in which the Kanagawa police almost always only received reports but did not investigate.

Of course, the most attention-grabbing case is the drowning suicide of Nikaido. After Nikaido's family showed the recordings and nine police reports, they received widespread sympathy from everyone, especially since his 10-year-old son, Nikaido Takumi, kept shouting "Give me back my dad" to the prefectural headquarters, putting immense pressure on the Kanagawa police.

Acting Prefectural Headquarters Chief Akira Kobayashi and his colleague were both stunned, thinking, "What does this have to do with me? How come I'm encountering this kind of thing right after taking office? This isn't what Director Watanabe said! He just dismissed the head of the headquarters, the criminal investigation department, the public security department, the security department, and the police affairs department in one fell swoop, and was just about to make a big splash, and now this happens?"
It is worth noting that on the commercial street opposite the county headquarters, many shops provided drinking water and fast food boxes to the protesters free of charge.

This shows that the people of Kanagawa have long suffered under the Kanagawa police!
Meanwhile, a police chief in his fifties who had handled the Nikaido Kei case, and who declined to reveal his name, told the BBC Japan bureau with an extremely sinister tone: "Many colleagues privately felt that the investigation should be reopened, but the system does not allow us to admit our mistakes."

The protests also drew the attention of AFP, whose Japan bureau cited data from the Japanese Cabinet Office indicating that cases of bodies being found after police refused to file charges have increased by 37% in the past five years, with 70% of families not receiving a chance for a reinvestigation.

The Tokyo Legal Aid Office, which handled the "Iijima case," indicated it might provide pro bono legal aid to the Nikaido family, emphasizing that "this case may expose systemic loopholes in case handling."

A broken drum that has been beaten by ten thousand people is a prime example.

However, this also reflects the problems of the Japanese system—in fact, there are many such cases, but they are generally suppressed. If it weren't for the Yokohama case, which led to the downfall of the top police officers and the case handlers, the families would not have had the opportunity to make a fuss.

As AFP and the BBC began to pay attention to the matter, the incident showed signs of spreading to Tokyo. In the evening, a projection protest appeared in Shinjuku, with a timeline of Nikaido Kei's disappearance and a comparison of the police response displayed on the exterior walls of buildings. A small number of people also began to gather to protest, demanding an explanation from the Japanese police and insisting that Uesugi Muneyuki be in charge of the investigation.

The reason is simple: we just can't trust anyone else!

Under pressure, the Kanagawa police had no choice but to seek help from the Metropolitan Police Department. When Chief Inspector Shoji Kobayashi saw the news, he sensed that something was seriously wrong and quickly called the Superintendent General.

Hurry up and go to Sakurada Gate to find Old Master Uesugi!

Uesugi, save me!

That very evening, Eiji Watanabe called.

"Zongxue, can you conduct a second investigation into that case in Kanagawa Prefecture five years ago that was treated as a suicide by drowning?" Watanabe Eiji asked on the phone.

“In fact, I already have.” Uesugi Muneyuki said helplessly, holding the documents and reports delivered by Sugishita Ukyo. “Didn’t this case already have a forensic autopsy conducted by the Forensic Medicine Department of Kanagawa University School of Medicine, and it was closed as a suicide? If I were to conduct a second examination, it would mean overturning all the previous conclusions!”

"You've already reached a conclusion?" Watanabe Eiji was quite surprised.

“Yes, judging solely from historical documents and the results of the forensic examination at the time, it’s impossible that Nikaido Kei committed suicide,” Uesugi Muneyuki said on the phone. “The weight of his lungs is incorrect, but the results from Kanagawa University are ambiguous, the kind of statement that is neither certain nor completely ruled out, neither denying nor confirming.”

"Then our Kanagawa headquarters, based on this incredibly vague assessment, determined it to be a drowning suicide, and despite the family calling the police nine times, resolutely refused to file a case." Uesugi Muneyuki complained on the phone, "Since I joined the Metropolitan Police Department, I've found that the supposedly amazing Metropolitan Police Department is just like that. But now I realize that the Metropolitan Police Department is actually quite good. At least the officers in the First Investigation Division don't just arbitrarily conclude it's a suicide and close the case."

"You brat, now you know how good this agency is, right?" Watanabe Eiji laughed and scolded on the phone. "If you were anywhere else without my support, you'd be living the high life."

"In short, this matter has become very bad, and public opinion is getting out of control. You need to get involved as soon as possible, find out what happened, and give a conclusion with sufficient scientific evidence. As for overturning the verdict, don't worry, I'll take care of it for you." Watanabe Eiji said on the phone, "The most important thing now is to deal with it quickly and prevent public opinion from escalating further."

"Yes, I understand." Uesugi Muneyuki hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

"Are you confident?" Watanabe Eiji sensed the hesitation in Uesugi Muneyuki's voice: "Well, it's a backlog of cases, so it's normal that it's difficult to handle... But please take on some responsibility for the agency, Muneyuki-kun. You are the agency's last hope."

"Hearing you say that, I must overcome any difficulties, no matter how great they may seem, after all... you are my godfather." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled and said, "The opportunity to boost performance has arrived! Please give me your full support!"

"Very good! Thank you very much!" Watanabe Eiji was satisfied with Uesugi Muneyuki's answer: "Then, the special mission will depart for Kanagawa Prefecture tomorrow. Minami will handle the rest. We must give the entire nation an explanation!"

Shortly after hanging up the phone, the Superintendent of Police's office landline rang.

"Hello, is this Eiji?" Chief Cabinet Secretary Kimiaki Onoda said casually, "Have you watched the TV program? It's NHK."

"Yes, I saw it, Chief Cabinet Secretary." Upon hearing the call, Eiji Watanabe felt immense pressure and quickly stood up.

“Very good, very good. I know the Kanagawa headquarters and Sakuradamon aren’t closely related, but this could be a trigger. We’re always unsure what will happen after a protest, especially with the attention from foreign media.” Onoda Kimiaki said politely, “So, I’m not forcing you, and I don’t know the inside story of this case either, but the public is demanding that the Special Missions Unit of the First Investigation Division, which you championed and has 87% public support, take over this case. As the Superintendent General, I hope you can…” “Yes, yes, I’ve already arranged for Uesugi Muneyuki to take over, and he’s already reviewed the forensic report and the case files. There are indeed serious problems. He and the Special Missions Unit will be heading to Kanagawa Prefecture tomorrow morning.” Watanabe Eiji quickly replied, “Acting Chief Kobayashi proactively requested guidance from the Headquarters.”

There was a moment of silence on the phone; the Chief Cabinet Secretary was clearly surprised by the answer.

"Eiji, my assessment of you as the Superintendent General of Police is: good, good~ good! You're always so reliable, so our cabinet can count on you, right?"

"Of course!"

"Very good~ A reliable Superintendent General of Police~ Always gives us surprises."

In Nagata-cho, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kimiaki Onoda put down the phone. Across from him stood the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the National Police Agency, his younger brother, Kimiaki Onoda: "So, Eiji Watanabe has agreed?"

“Yes, in fact, he reacted faster than we did. Uesugi Muneyuki has already read the case file.” Onoda Kouaki relaxed his brow and leaned back in his chair. “And he has already discovered the problem. He will be going to Kanagawa tomorrow to resolve it… It’s probably going to be difficult for you to get him to become the chairman of the JRA or the National Transportation Association, just based on the fact that he can easily order Uesugi Muneyuki around.”

“I can too,” Onoda Kimiaki said coldly. “The Special Missions Division is a subordinate department of the First Investigation Division and must obey the orders of the First Investigation Division.”

“Sugishita Ukyo? No, you probably can’t even command Sugishita Ukyo sometimes, let alone the even more difficult and stubborn Uesugi Muneyuki.” Onoda Kouaki still shook his head: “Besides, you’re a public security officer, and he’s a criminal investigator. There are some things that are better left to Uesugi in public security matters. He’s too capable. Can you manage him like Eiji did without hurting yourself?”

"Who told me I don't have a beautiful daughter?" Onoda Kimiaki felt a little frustrated when he saw that even his own brother didn't support him.

"Whoever controls Uesugi Muneyuki controls the crime-solving KPIs; whoever controls the Special Missions Division's investigative capabilities controls the police force." Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kouaki remained calm: "To control the Metropolitan Police Department, one must first control Uesugi; to control the police force, one must first control the Special Missions Division and the First Investigation Division. Kouaki, don't rush, we're brothers."

Onoda Kimiaki coldly gazed across the night sky over Nagatacho toward the Metropolitan Police Department, and slowly nodded reluctantly.

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

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement the following day.

Considering the feelings of Nikaido Kei's family and the chaotic state of the Kanagawa Police Headquarters caused by the previous Yokohama case, and taking into account the public's demands and the Cabinet's positive response, Uesugi Muneyuki, a forensic officer from the Special Missions Division of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division, will travel to Kanagawa Prefecture again to investigate and handle matters related to Nikaido Kei's drowning suicide.

With this statement released, the public finally received a satisfactory answer and applauded it.

"That's absolutely right, this agency should have forensic investigator Uesugi in charge!"

"It seems like he's the only one left."

"So the old men in Nagata-cho really do consider the opinions of the people? I thought they never did!"

"It's said that the councilors in Nagata-cho are always dozing off during meetings, but luckily they're usually quite alert."

"Please, Forensic Examiner Uesugi, I'm sorry to trouble you again."

"@Fuji TV, will we be able to see Uesugi-san explain this case on your channel later?"

"Is this investigation going to turn into another tanker race? Yokosuka City tanker? A major disaster has occurred!"

"Are you kidding me? There's a US military base right next to Yokosuka City, what are you afraid of?"

"Oh right, great, it's the US military, we're saved."

"Taihara no Tomoomi, Rank 5, Lower Grade, Yonezawa Uesugi, Sakurada no Kanomori, and Muneyuki have once again taken to the battlefield in Kanagawa! The Second Battle of Kanagawa is about to begin!"

(End of this chapter)