Tokyo Detective

Chapter 468 Conflict Escalation
Setagaya Ward, the most populous of Tokyo's 23 wards with a population of 94, is also the place where the competition for ward councilors is the most intense.

Chengcheng commercial district, upscale clubhouse.

Several well-dressed men were inside, embracing women and chatting and laughing. The two who were having the most fun were both candidates for the House of Representatives in Setagaya Ward.

The ruling party candidate, Tsuna Asada, is a middle-aged man in his fifties.

The other candidate is 40 years old and is a candidate from a new party (the Kyoei Party), named Sakao Takaichi.

Strictly speaking, the two can be considered to be from the same party. Although there is a law in Japan that stipulates that a party can only have one candidate in a constituency, if there are two, it is a violation and both candidates will be disqualified.

However, there is another way to have two candidates, in which one of them runs as an independent or a new party.

Kaoichi Hayao is competing as a new party with only 5 candidates. In reality, this is a cover-up tactic. The Republic Party is a new party that split off from the ruling party, and its purpose is to use dirty tricks to attack its opponents.

In the past, the opposition party (Democratic Democratic Party) candidate had the upper hand in Setagaya Ward, while Asada Tsuna was being suppressed.

Therefore, in order to win, Hayao Takaichi, a candidate whose campaign plan was quite similar to that of his competitors, stepped forward to run for office, making a promise to be better than his opponents.

You say you want immigrants in the district to behave themselves, but I advocate for a more radical approach: to drive all the restless immigrants out of Japan, and to use more extreme slogans to win your votes.

The effect was also very obvious; Kaoshih Hayao visibly blew away the opponent's votes, even if it was only about 5% to 10%.

Hayao Takashi's campaign plan prioritizes Japanese people, excludes all immigrants, is at odds with America, and is also at odds with the major Eastern power. He claims to drive out all American troops and regain the right to form an army, and even claims that certain massacres during World War II did not exist and that the facts were distorted.

This is clearly far-right rhetoric, signifying a strong rise of populism.

However, such slogans are quite popular among young people. Not only in Japan, but even in Europe, populist sentiments are beginning to rise.

Hayao Takaichi ran for Tokyo City Councilor for four years with such a slogan, but his strength is far from that of a member of the Diet, so his actions this term are to cooperate with others.

Asada Tsuna raised his glass of red wine to salute his ally. Although he, as a center-left senator, disagreed with the other side and felt that the right wing was too crazy and would lead the country to ruin, he was willing to endure anything in order to win.

"Hayao, thank you so much this time. I will definitely support you in your next Nakano Ward election."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior."

"Haha, no problem, we're friends."

The two men chatted about politics in front of two high-class hostesses, who smiled and didn't interrupt, only helping to pour drinks and feed them.

Asada Tsuna looked at the newcomers from his former party and, recalling some changes in Japanese politics over the past two years, asked a question.

"Sao, what are your thoughts on the Zhengyuan Party? You and their party share some similar ideas."

Takaichi Hayao paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Senior, please don't joke with me. I'm different from those far-right parties. At the very least, I would never say something like 'Tianhuang should take back political power.' What an idiot I would be to say such a thing? Wouldn't it be better for Tianhuang to just be a mascot?"

Upon hearing this, Asada Tsuna patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Haha, that's true. It's best for Tianhuang to just be a mascot. Politics is not something they can understand. However, the Zhengyuan Party is not weak in this election. It is estimated that it will gain a few more seats, even though it was a small party with only two seats in the last election."

"When the economy is bad, populism will naturally rise in the country. It will be fine once the economy improves in a couple of years."

"That's true."

Takaichi Hayao swirled the red wine in his glass, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he looked at the liquid.

This country will change drastically sooner or later. You old folks can just keep fooling around fighting for power and profit. By the time you realize it, the young people will have already reclaimed the future of the country.

Asada Tsuna also said he didn't care, but his eyes kept observing the man next to him. After all, even in Japanese politics, far-right figures are someone that all politicians should pay attention to. These people are like double-edged swords; if you're not careful, they might cut you.

Just as the two were each harboring their own secrets, a commotion suddenly arose outside, as if a madam was shouting.

"Officers, you cannot go in. These are all high-ranking officials and dignitaries."

“I have an arrest warrant. If you don’t move aside, you are obstructing official business.”

Just as the two people in the private room were having doubts, the door opened and a familiar man appeared, startling them so much that they broke out in a cold sweat. After all, a colleague had been taken away not long ago.

Asada Tsuna asked nervously.

"Naoki Hanyu, what are you doing here?"

Naoki Hanyu sized up the two council candidates in front of him; one had a red name, and the other a light gray name. It seemed he was right.

"I'm here to investigate a case, of course. Someone's been caught doing something wrong."

Asada Tsuna stood up in shock and anger.

"Naoki Hanyu, you're too presumptuous. Do you intend to arrest me like you did with Representative Shimatani? I'd like to see what charges you can pin on me."

Hayao Takaichi patted his "partner" on the shoulder, then scolded Naoki Hanyu.

"Officer Yuzuru, don't do anything reckless. Asada is a very good person. Don't frame an innocent person."

When Kaoshichi Hayao said this, he was actually quite excited. Let the two major political parties fight it out, and it would be best if they fought to the death. The near-brawl that happened a couple of years ago was actually resolved, but it disappointed them.

Come on, take Asada Tsuna away right in front of me.

But what Naoki Hanyu said next stunned everyone present. The policeman then produced a search warrant.

"Sao Takaichi, you are suspected of murdering Daisuke Akanishi. This is your arrest warrant."

“Daisuke Akanishi?” Naoki Hanyu gestured to his men to handcuff the still-confused city councilor.

"Have you forgotten that the homeless man you killed in the washbasin park four years ago, Harada Masao, who was also homeless, called the police and was locked up in a mental hospital?"

Kaoshi Hayao completely lost his composure. He finally remembered that four years ago, when he had just become a city councilor, he had killed a piece of social trash. At that time, another homeless old man had seen it, but he had used his connections to get the old man into a mental hospital beforehand.

That old man didn't die in the mental hospital. Aren't the people in the mental hospital supposed to guarantee that even if he doesn't die, they'll really make him stupid? How come he was released?

Although Kaoichi Hayao was panicked, he was no longer the same as Ah Meng from back then and intended to argue his case.

“Even so, you can’t arrest me. I’m a city councilor. At most, you can question me.”

Naoki Hanyu flashed a bright smile.

“Kaohsiung City Councilor, don’t get me wrong. My targeting of you is not just because of the elderly person as a witness. I have solid evidence. Do you remember the mental hospital staff member you contacted four years ago? He recorded your conversation, and now I have it.”

"."

The opposition party had already investigated a lot of the information submitted to Naoki Hanyu, so as soon as they took over, they were able to arrange for people to investigate the mental hospital. Thanks to the opposition party's connections in the judiciary, they were able to obtain a search warrant smoothly and thus obtain this evidence.

Naoki Hanyu didn't waste any words. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to take the person away. As he left, he smiled and gave Asada Tsuna his blessing.

"Asada, the general election is less than two days away. I hope you will have a great start."

"."

Asada Tsuna opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately fell silent, watching helplessly as his "partner" was taken away.

He knew that if Kaoshih Isao fell from grace, those votes would likely go back to his competitors, and his chances of winning were less than 10%.
.
Soon Fuji Television broadcast the news about Hayao Takaichi. A city councilor could not cause the shock of a member of parliament being arrested, but the voters of Setagaya Ward were greatly shocked.

However, a counterattack also began on the other side. The Asahi Shimbun reported that an opposition party member had been taken away by the Special Investigation Department for corruption, and the main strategy was for each side to fight their own battles.

Both sides had more than one objective; they started pursuing a second objective as soon as the goods were returned.

Soon, because the headquarters of both sides were located not far apart, a strange scene appeared on the street.

The two convoys drove side by side. With the windows rolled down, Tokyo Special Investigation Department Chief Ryu Shirakawa and Naoki Hanyu locked eyes and could see the suspects sitting in the back of their cars through the glass.

Naoki Hanyu raised his hand in greeting.

"Good evening, have you had dinner yet, Minister Shirakawa?"

"."

Shirakawa Ryu shifted his gaze back to the traffic light ahead, waiting to cross, prompting Hanyu Naoki to openly curse.

"How aloof, what a piece of trash."

"."

Shirakawa Ryu suppressed his anger and ignored the other party, while the men behind the two cars also showed signs of confrontation and began to argue over the route.

Naoki Hanyu suddenly noticed that a Special Investigation Department vehicle had just crossed the solid line, so he took a picture with his phone and called over a traffic policeman who was not far away.

The traffic policeman recognized him immediately as his superior and saluted.

"Officer XXX greets your superior, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Naoki Hanyu pointed to the vehicle behind his car that had crossed the solid yellow line. The traffic policeman was in a bit of a dilemma, since he recognized the other vehicle as a Special Investigation Department vehicle. However, after weighing the situation in his mind, he could only grit his teeth and walk over.

He knew it was bad to offend the Special Investigation Department, but working for Naoki Hanyu was not a loss, and he could even make a profit.

"Sir, please pull over. You have violated traffic rules."

The sudden appearance of the traffic police left the prosecutors in the car completely bewildered. They were arguing with the criminal investigation department, so what was a mere traffic policeman doing getting involved?

The driver rolled down the window and shouted.

"We are from the Special Investigations Department and are on a mission."

The traffic police officer said righteously.

“As public servants, you must abide by the law regardless of whether you are on duty or not. Please pull over, I’m going to issue you a ticket.”

"."

The dozen or so prosecutors in the cars present were surprised and angry, but when Shirakawa Ryu noticed that Hanyu Naoki was looking at them with a smile, he could only suppress his anger and make the group that violated the traffic law stop and accept the punishment. He did not want to have a direct confrontation with Hanyu Naoki.

"Because of your violation of traffic regulations, you have been given two demerit points and fined 12000."

Naoki Hanyu left first and returned to the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters to arrange for interrogations, while he continued to lead his men out to arrest people.

The news of several parliamentary candidates being taken away spread across the internet, causing an uproar across Japan's online community.

A fight has broken out! Japan's two largest political parties have clashed. This has not only provided plenty of entertainment, but also led to online arguments between die-hard fans of both parties, who are accusing each other of lacking sportsmanship.

This phenomenon quickly escalated further when a new video was released, featuring the YMCA.

"The Special Investigation Department and the Metropolitan Police Department violated the rules of the Japanese election and disrupted the balance of the country. The head of the Tokyo Special Investigation Department, Ryu Shirakawa, and the head of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Department, Naoki Hanyu, will face the wrath of the Yonhap News Agency."

(End of this chapter)