Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 352, The Tragedy of NHK
Goro Ohashi, an experienced but hot-tempered veteran, is in charge of managing weapons and props and maintaining safety details. He is the head of the on-site props team for the Taiga drama production team.

Uesugi Muneyuki's identification caused an uproar, especially among the staff present.

This, isn't this right?

"Uesugi-san, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Sure enough, the safety officer was the first to disbelieve him. He couldn't help but say, "How could it be Team Leader Ohashi? If we're talking about who on site is most focused on safety, even to the point of being a bit extreme, it's Team Leader Ohashi!"

"That's right, how could Team Leader Daqiao be the murderer? He's extremely safety-conscious!"

"Team Leader Daqiao has always been dedicated to his work, spending more than sixteen hours a day on set, sometimes not even going home. How could he be the murderer?"

When Uesugi Muneyuki said this, everyone present reacted with disbelief.

As the head of the props team, Goro Ohashi does have a fiery temper and is very strict with everyone on set. He can't help but curse at the slightest thing, as if he has PTSD. But everyone knows that he is doing this for the safety of the entire crew!

Taiga dramas differ from urban dramas in that they often feature numerous horse-riding and war scenes. While it's impossible to film a battle scene like "Aoi Tokugawa Sandai" with thousands of extras (in fact, this war scene was repeatedly used in many subsequent Japanese Sengoku-themed Taiga dramas), fight scenes and horse-riding scenes are absolutely indispensable. It's like how driving instructors like to yell at students, and although some instructors use very harsh language, you can generally understand that they mean well.

You only have one life!
In the event of a car accident, each driver will be solely responsible for their own actions.

“Uesugi-san, are you mistaken?” Producer Nakamura felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing Uesugi Muneyuki’s assessment. “Besides, Uesugi-san, you don’t even know Ohashi, do you? How do you know his name?”

We can't let Uesugi Muneyuki continue!

We can't investigate everything, can we? Once Uesugi starts investigating, it'll never end, and he'll ruin NHK!
"What name?" Uesugi Muneyuki tilted his head. "Isn't the name of Team Leader Ohashi written on his name tag?"

"???" The staff on site then realized that everyone was wearing a name tag on their chest, but... Uesugi Muneyuki was at least 20 meters away from the bridge manager at this time, and the name tags of NHK employees were about the size of a driver's license, so they were generally not visible at a distance of more than 5 meters.

Does this guy have such good eyesight?

And... thinking of this, everyone's gaze turned to Goro Ohashi's split-toe shoes...

"[That's right, it's him! It's this guy!]" Beside Uesugi Muneyuki, Nishimura Yuzuru's ghost screamed, so enraged that his entire face twisted into a swirling black vortex: "[It's him!]"

Uesugi Muneyuki narrowed his eyes, staring at all the staff of the NHK program team, remaining silent.

Nishimura was indeed killed by Ohashi Goro. According to Nishimura himself, Ohashi Goro lured him to a secluded warehouse, then led him to the icy steps and pushed him down from behind.

As for the motive for the murder...

This matter is complicated, but in short, as the head of the props team, Daqiao has been using inferior materials for a long time and colluding with certain prop rental companies or suppliers. The suppliers issue invoices that are far higher than the market price, and Daqiao signs to confirm receipt of the goods. Afterwards, he receives high kickbacks from the suppliers.

These props are easily damaged during filming. By falsely reporting the extent of damage or repair costs, and colluding with the repair company to issue false invoices, they embezzle funds and make a fortune.

But is Nishimura truly innocent?

Innocent my foot!
As a production assistant, Nishimura was also making a fortune. His method was to fraudulently claim wages by adding fictitious names to the extras' pay list. Nishimura and the extras leader were also ruthlessly exploiting NHK. At the same time, they actually paid the extras less than the standard agreed in the contract and withheld transportation allowances, meal allowances, and severe weather allowances.

Nishimura knew that Ohashi was using these methods to take advantage of others, because as a production assistant, Nishimura was responsible for the initial review of some purchase orders and the preparation and submission of reimbursement documents. Ohashi needed Nishimura to "turn a blind eye" or help to quickly pass these problematic documents through the process.

Ohashi also knew that Nishimura was doing these things to make money off the extras.

The two people were originally part of the same community, so why did their friendship break apart?

the reason is simple!
Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at producer Nakamura in the distance without making a sound.

He was the source of the problem. Producer Nakamura defied public opinion and chose Junichi Okada as the male lead for "Gunshi Kanbei," which made the schedule very tight, and the production company forcibly compressed the filming period.

Naturally, the pressure from the production team was also passed on to Team Leader Ohashi and Assistant Nishimura.

The bridge was originally able to barely manage by using inferior materials all day long, but the shortened filming period meant that safety checks had to be reduced and all inventory had to be used, which led to frequent problems with props. As the head of the props team, the bridge was naturally to blame.

Similarly, the issue of rushing to finish work means that attendance and work hour statistics for extras are not so strict, which gives Nishimura more room to maneuver.

And so, one's income increased while the other's decreased, and the ship of their friendship became unstable. At this point, Ohashi felt that he had taken more risks (the props were of inferior quality and severely damaged) but only received less money, so he asked Nishimura to give him more of the benefits. Nishimura, on the other hand, felt that he had taken more risks (directly facing the extras and handling the paperwork), and had no reason to take more of the benefits.

I also have a wife and children, and I need to support my family!
If at this point the two sides were only having conflicts, then a near-fatal safety incident occurred on set (the crew's weapons almost injured someone due to negligence in inspection), which attracted the attention and investigation of NHK executives, and caused the two to completely break off relations.

Just before Uesugi Muneyuki arrived, Nishimura and Ohashi had a fight. Ohashi accused Nishimura of rushing the work, skimping on extras' pay, causing low morale and operational errors, while Nishimura blamed Ohashi for purchasing substandard props and conducting perfunctory safety checks. [I told him, if the higher-ups find out I'm taking money from extras, I'll expose all your secrets about taking kickbacks on props and using substandard goods! We'll all be finished!] Nishimura yelled at Uesugi Muneyuki: [I've collected evidence! I have a crucial account statement!]

[That beast, Daqiao! He wasn't being conscientious at all; he was just terrified that all those substandard props were counterfeit! That's why he was patrolling tirelessly, like a madman, yelling at any improper operation he saw. Was that being conscientious? He was just scared!]

"So how much did you embezzle?" Uesugi Muneyuki retorted.

"I didn't take much, only 390 million in total! The real benefits all went to that person!" Nishimura's ghost, filled with hatred, pointed at producer Nakamura: "We all know that certain suppliers and leasing companies are his associates!"

"Everyone's getting a share of the profits, why should I be the one to die? Everyone's taking the benefits, why should I be held responsible?" Nishimura angrily cursed. "And why did producer Nakamura cast Okada Junichi? Why did he deliberately compress the schedule to rush the project? Isn't it because a tight schedule and rushed production make the financial audits more lenient, making it easier to manipulate things?"

This is an established practice in the industry, why should I be made the scapegoat?

Damn it, how can NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) be so shady!
Uesugi Muneyuki looked at all the NHK staff on set, and his expression twitched.

"Team Leader Ohashi, is there anything you want to say?" Uesugi Muneyuki ignored the others' questions and said softly, "You and Mr. Nishimura must have had a fight earlier, right?"

"..." The leader of the ohashi group still wanted to deny it, but looking into Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes, for some reason, he felt as if he were standing in front of Mito Kōmon and seeing Tokugawa's sunflower pattern. He was trembling with fear, as if he were standing in front of the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, watching him take off his hat and reveal the face of the shogun under the hat. He couldn't catch his breath and couldn't say a word for a long time.

“Although my current inferences have no legal validity, there are forensic officers from the Tochigi Prefectural Police at the scene. They will examine your split-toe shoe print and examine Mr. Nishimura's body. I can guarantee that their findings will be exactly the same as mine.” Uesugi Muneyuki took a step towards Ohashi Goro: “That shoe print is yours. That’s the most important evidence!”

Goro Ohashi took three steps back and was already sweating.

"Next, they will test the clothing and fingernails of Nishimura's body. If I'm not mistaken, Team Leader Ohashi, you two must have had a fierce argument before, right? They should find fine fibers in the clothing and fingernails that don't belong to the ground or rock walls of the fall path. And these fibers will undoubtedly come from your clothes. After all, as the head of the props team, your clothes are made of specially made super wear-resistant fabric, and the color is also particularly easy to recognize who you are!" Uesugi Muneyuki took another step forward.

Despite the cold weather, Ohashi Goro was sweating profusely and took five or six steps back, starting to shiver.

How does this person know everything?

"Finally, at the scene today, didn't some of you notice? These two were arguing!" Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly shouted, "Which of you saw it?!"

Uesugi Muneyuki's sudden attack caught the NHK staff off guard, and several of them instinctively raised their hands.

“Aha~” Uesugi Muneyuki took another step forward.

Goro Ohashi was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. He finally couldn't hold back any longer: "I didn't mean to! I really didn't want to kill him! I didn't know you would come today. I originally... he forced me to do it. Why should I be responsible for the broken prop? I didn't... I just took what I was entitled to! I... he threatened to report me!"

The head of the NHK set props team spoke incoherently, completely breaking down in front of Uesugi Muneyuki.

Just then, the Tochigi Prefecture police arrived with a roster.

"Reporting, Inspector! Based on our thorough investigation, especially Uesugi-san's investigation, we've made a discovery! ...Inspector?"

"Speak." Inspector Kuraki was still in shock.

Is this how forensic investigator Uesugi usually solves cases?

Simply...unbeatable.

"According to the on-site feedback, after the incident, NHK had already sealed off the entire film set. However, although there were 78 people on the list of extras, only 61 people actually showed up. Moreover... according to the extras, their actual working hours did not match the time recorded on the attendance sheet! Furthermore, some extras mentioned that the team leader asked them to deliberately make exaggerated movements during their performances to damage the props."

"I see." Inspector Kuraki nodded solemnly.

From this point on, the motive for the murder, witness testimonies, physical evidence, and circumstantial evidence were all established.

Finished!

Upon hearing about the police investigation, the NHK producers and directors at the scene closed their eyes in anguish.

Wait! Just then, the producer and director realized something.

Eight cameras, the most advanced filming equipment in the country, recorded the whole scene!

"Stop recording! I told you to stop recording!!!"

(End of this chapter)