Tokyo Detective

Chapter 506 Hidden Forces in Japan
Nakano Ward, Tensun Shinrikyo Center.

This is the only indoor venue in Japan that can accommodate 5000 people for the Sky Patrol Truth Society. Those who are able to attend the church's birthday celebration today are true believers of the Truth Society.

Two police officers, disguised as ordinary people, arrived hand in hand, both dressed in the uniforms of the Sky Patrol Truth Society, followed by Michiko Tanishima, who was forcing a smile.

If it were half a month ago, Michiko Tanishima wouldn't have been qualified to attend the birthday celebration, but thanks to her "teaching" of Naoki Hanyu, she barely qualified.

Naoki Hanyu looked at the large parking lot, which was completely full. Many people dressed in religious attire got out of their cars, indicating that this birthday celebration was very grand.

The three were stopped by believers before they even entered the venue, the reason being a body search. No electronic devices were allowed inside for Christmas; they had to be kept safe by the organizers. Of course, the money the believers brought did not need to be kept safe.

Upon entering the venue, it was discovered that there were no surveillance cameras at all, and the security was extremely robust; for a mere 5000 people celebrating a birthday, the number of security personnel was estimated to be as high as 300.

This is also why Naoki Hanyu personally took to the stage. Religious activities are very secretive and difficult to investigate. All the clues that could be found had already been investigated, so he had to take matters into his own hands.

However, because the event was very secretive, it was unclear exactly who the high-ranking members of the Aletheia were and how many government officials were in contact with them. At the very least, his review of the Ministry of Justice's Public Security Investigation Agency's classified documents did not yield any such information.

To avoid alerting the Tensun Shinji Society and to avoid mobilizing a large investigation team, Naoki Hanyu decided to take matters into his own hands.

After half a month, I finally got through today.

Just as Naoki Hanyu and his companion entered the hall, which was already filled with thousands of people, Takaoka Hiraka arrived with a strange middle-aged man.

"Yamato-kun, this is the Seven Star Dao Master, Lord Harada Rihito."

"Lord Harada, this is Lord Yamato, who is dedicated to the Lord Seiko."

Harada Rito, who looks quite honest, made a gesture reminiscent of the Sensei (Realism Society).

"Yamato-kun, thank you for your contributions to the church. After today, your merits will be enough for your ancestors to ascend to God's Kingdom."

"I don't care about who comes first or second. I just want to know if donating money makes me an awakened being, a superior cultivator?"

"."

Naoki Hanyu's inexplicable remarks made Rihito Harada look at the instructor, Hiraka Takaoka, with a puzzled expression, while the female instructor who had been teaching him for half a month could only smile wryly.

Harada Rihito finally understood the extent of Takaoka Hiraka's "mentally retarded" behavior, but it didn't matter whether she was mentally retarded or not.

"Of course, everything you have done for the Lord is enough to awaken you."

Harada Rihito was emboldened by this, believing that once money was donated, the church would never return it. Although there was a regulation in 23 prohibiting religious groups from "maliciously soliciting" donations, it was really just talk.

After all, religious groups like the Tensun Shinrikyo are required to hand over 30% of their donations to the shrine headquarters, which then pays taxes to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Agency for Cultural Affairs. (The tax payment is fictitious.)
Moreover, the believers who can participate in the birthday celebration are all extremely devout. They are happy to donate all their money, so why would they have any objections?

Harada Rihito patted Hanyu Naoki's arm.

"Yamato-kun, come with me. Someone will explain the donation process to you."

Despite this, Naoki Hanyu still held onto Natsumi Senbon.

"I want to be with Miyuki."

"Okay, you all come over here."

Natsumi Senbon didn't say a word the whole time, but she was still a little shy about holding hands in public. She wanted to let go of the man but wouldn't let him. What a domineering boss.

After lying together several times, their feelings for each other have quickly intensified, and now they are only one thin veil away from breaking through it, whether it's a kiss or something else.

And so, Naoki Hanyu and his companion listened to the staff explain the birthday celebration procedures and when they would appear.

Soon the birthday celebration began, and some high-ranking members of the Heavenly Patrol Truth Society appeared one after another. The opening of the gate caused a stir among the believers, and a group of people dressed in strange clothes walked in. The 80-year-old man at the head was none other than the Grandmaster (leader) Hiraoka Kazuma, the only leader in the religion's decades-long history, who called himself the Son of God.

What's most puzzling is that, according to church doctrine, there is not just one Son of God, but several, created by the Lord of the church over several decades to save the world.

The leader was followed by other high-ranking members: the Three Cauldrons (assistants to the leader), the Seven Star Dao Masters (regional leaders), and the seven people also symbolized the Big Dipper.

"Welcome to our most beloved leader."

As the emcee began to speak, all the believers applauded, and some fanatical believers even tried to rush over to hug him but were stopped.

Naoki Hanyu simply watched them go on stage and listened to Hiraoka Hippo's speech.

Senbon Natsumi looked at the excited believers with an incredulous expression. She already thought the brainwashing of cults was terrifying in the meeting room area, but she didn't expect to see people who were either fanatical believers or devout believers here who were even more insane. This made her feel even more threatened by cults, and a thought popped into her mind.

Is there any hope for these people?
Perhaps only death can bring them relief?
Senbon Natsumi quickly shook her head.

"You can't think like that. Everyone has the right to live, unless it's to the point of no return."

At this point, the cult leader brought up another topic.

This was the first time someone had ever seen dozens of couples get married at the same time. Naoki Hanyu even noticed that some of the wives were very young, and it was hard to say whether they were even 16 years old, let alone adults.

Many of these girls were brainwashed by the church from a young age because their parents were believers and thus dedicated their daughters to the church. They received a closed-off education from the church from childhood and were not allowed to meet outsiders, which prevented them from developing healthy values.

It could be said that this is even more serious than the practices of the Creation Society, since the Creation Society is not completely closed off, and it does pretend to do things to show the government.

Ultimately, these girls will become wives of meritorious high-ranking members and core believers. Whether they are legally married or not is no longer important, because some of them will not obtain a marriage certificate, as long as they have a marriage certificate from the church.
.
After the wedding, the next part was the donation ceremony. One by one, the believers went up on stage to hug the leader and donated their assets, which amounted to at least tens of millions of dollars. Each of them received enthusiastic applause from the believers below the stage, even though this money would not actually reach the believers' hands.

When Naoki Hanyu also submitted his asset entrustment documents, although they were genuine, would the church actually be able to use them?
Naoki Hanyu suppressed his displeasure as he looked at the smiling old man in front of him. He first shook hands with the man warmly and left his fingerprints, then hugged him warmly and cut off a hair from the old man's head to keep as a keepsake.

The old man, unaware that the person who donated the most in front of him harbored ill intentions, smiled kindly and said...

"Welcome to the Truth Society family. The Lord will protect you."

"I will also protect the Lord."

"."

The old man's expression froze, but since he had already heard that the person in front of him was mentally challenged, he didn't say anything more.

The two-hour Christmas celebration ended quickly, during which Naoki Hanyu spotted some people who shouldn't be there, such as certain government officials, and one elderly man in his eighties in particular caught his attention.

"Masashi Ueto, what's he doing here?"

The last Minister of Finance, a position that once represented the pinnacle of the Japanese bureaucracy, is distinct from that of Japanese politicians.

The Ministry of Finance, which can be traced back to the "Minister of Finance" under the Dajōkan system in 1870, means the highest finance minister. Before World War II, it was hard to say, but after the war, it evolved into the highest-ranking official in the bureaucratic system, managing the country's finances in various aspects.

Although the current Ministry of Finance was formed in 1997 by the reorganization of the Ministry of Finance, other powers were actually separated from the Ministry of Finance. For example, the Financial Services Agency, which instills fear in banks across the country, was separated from the Ministry of Finance.

Back then, the Ministry of Finance used financial means to determine how every penny of Japan would be spent after World War II. It also supervised all financial institutions in Japan. Elite bureaucrats from the Ministry of Finance were regularly assigned to other ministries and agencies to take up positions managing finances. It could be said that the Ministry of Finance could influence other ministries and agencies through its financial resources.

Retired senior officials from the Ministry of Finance basically monopolize senior management positions in financial institutions. There was a saying in Japanese news in the last century: "There is no Ministry of Finance above the Ministry of Finance, and everything below the Ministry of Finance is the Ministry of Finance."

The Ministry of Finance wields supreme power in Japan, even surpassing the prime minister in its elite bureaucratic system. It can be said that Japan's post-World War II economic boom, which made it the world's second-largest economy, was largely due to the Ministry of Finance, in addition to America. No previous prime minister could match its influence, making it a veritable shadow government in Japan.

Japan's system in the last century was one where politicians were the face of the government and bureaucrats managed the national system, creating a situation that even prime ministers feared. Every prime minister was lucky to even draw with the Ministry of Finance, let alone win.

(End of this chapter)