Tokyo Detective

Chapter 547 False Accusations Have No Price to Pay
Naoki Hanyu carefully examined the man who had fallen quite hard; he must have been from at least 10 stories high.

"Why would a top student from Keio University commit suicide? Was he thrown down there?"

Seiko Akimoto shook her head.

"It's uncertain. Keio University forced the man to withdraw from school yesterday. Perhaps suicide is more likely. However, his death will likely make the online discussion more complicated."

Drop out of school?
Online public opinion?

How could he not know about this?

When do trending topics emerge?

"When you went to America, by the way, the necklace you gave Ivan was very beautiful, and she was very grateful that you were there for her."

Naoki Hanyu's expression froze instantly. What the hell? How did Seiko Akimoto know?

Seiko Akimoto rolled her eyes at the man.

"Go look at Ivan's social media profiles yourself."

Well, Naoki Hanyu doesn't need to guess to know that the necklace he bought at a high price was posted on someone's social media. A close female friend is bound to bring a gift when she's sick. He just didn't expect that Seiko Akimoto would add Ivan as a friend.

As a policewoman who has a perfect grasp of someone's personality, Seiko Akimoto adds another blow.

"Not only Ivan, but I've also added many of your female friends as friends. Guess how many."

"."

Even Naoki Hanyu, whose hands were covered in blood, felt a chill run down his spine. Was it really just a simple matter of adding friends?

"Is it really just adding friends? There won't be any groups, right?"

"You guessed right. Now guess how many groups we have? There's a saying that goes, 'Four women in eleven groups.' Guess how many groups I've joined."

Seeing the cunning look on Akimoto Seiko's face, a strange sense of crisis welled up in his heart. "Would this woman post his private photos in the group chat?"

I must make a three-point agreement with Akimoto Seiko, and we can't talk any further.

Naoki Hanyu quickly changed the subject.

"This person must have gotten in based on their grades, otherwise it would be very difficult for Keio to expel them, given their usual practices."

"Yes, he got in through the exam, and he has already passed the exam and obtained his postgraduate qualification in law."

"No wonder."

Keio University's style, which they, as police officers, didn't understand back then, was to turn big issues into small ones and small issues into nothing.

For example, a few years ago, six male students from a certain club sexually assaulted a female student after a training camp and distributed the video. The school only suspended three of them indefinitely, without expelling them directly, and the procuratorate announced that it would not prosecute.

I heard that one of them received their graduation certificate last year, but who knows when the rest will get theirs without anyone noticing.

Twenty years ago, five male medical students were arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department for gang-raping two female students. The victims did not appeal, and the students accepted an out-of-court settlement. The university's subsequent handling of the case was not clearly stated, and the five students still graduated.

Although it's infuriating, it's understandable when you think about it. Keio University is generally attended by people from wealthy and influential families, although ordinary people can also get in based on their grades.

Keio University has received so many donations from parents that it's impossible to punish them through normal procedures; otherwise, it would damage its reputation and make it impossible to maintain its status as a prestigious top university.

Naoki Hanyu has no opinion about Keio University; he's more interested in public opinion.

"Holy Son, what do you think about the online public opinion?"

The policewoman, who had been alone in the empty room for many days, said coldly.

"While you were away from Japan, this case has been making headlines online. It's a case from earlier this year. The victim allegedly did something to a woman in the school cafeteria, so the woman sued the victim for public indecent assault."

The video released by the woman was highly suspicious, but yesterday the case still resulted in the man losing the case, and the school expelled him, so he committed suicide.

Public indecency is defined as committing indecent acts in a public place or when witnessed by an unspecified number of people.

"How many eyewitnesses?"

"One, plus the victim, that makes two."

Who is the woman?

"She is also a senior at Keio University. Her father is the daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice, and her mother is the chairperson of a large company."

"We're bound to lose."

Hearing that it was a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Justice, he knew it was hopeless. Naoki Hanyu was also a bureaucrat; how could he not know those guys' methods?

Naoki Hanyu shook his head with a sigh. Just like that, a young man who was studying hard lost his life.

"The gap is too big, so why didn't you coordinate privately? It's not a big deal."

“The victims are unwilling.”

Then there's no way.

Japan's gender system is said to be perfect, but in reality, it's just so-so.

Sexual harassment by men tends to be punished more severely, and there is indeed a phenomenon of "evidence bias" in sexual harassment cases, where women have a significant advantage.

It is extremely unfair that the man, as the sole defendant, is required to prove his innocence, rather than the woman submitting evidence. If the man does not prove his innocence, the likelihood of him losing the case is extremely high.

In social surveys, in sexual harassment cases, even if there is only the plaintiff's testimony and the defendant cannot provide evidence to prove their innocence, the percentage of cases where harassment is found guilty exceeds 80%.

Women are not only less likely to be convicted of false accusation because it is difficult to prove whether they intended to make such an accusation. Even if there is evidence that a woman intentionally made a false accusation, she will be punished more leniently, demonstrating a complete double standard in establishing false accusation charges against men and women.

Two years ago, a woman who falsely accused a man was only fined 800,000 NTD, while this year a man who falsely accused a woman served eight months in jail.
.
Japan's bias extends beyond the judiciary; it extends to workplaces as well.

Japan's newly revised Equal Employment Opportunity Act allows judges to impose fines of up to 3000 million yen on companies that fail to fulfill their obligations to prevent sexual harassment, such as by concealing or protecting perpetrators or failing to help women who may be harassed.

3000 million is no small sum. Many small companies simply cannot come up with 3000 million. If they have to sell their profits, they may go bankrupt.

Therefore, for the sake of the company, not only have departments established to prevent sexual harassment, but even superiors completely favor women in matters involving sexual harassment. Of course, some large companies with strong risk resistance may be a little different.

Therefore, if a woman accuses you of sexual harassment, you will not only be fined and even go to jail, but you will also face overwhelming public opinion online, and your company may even fire you directly.

Therefore, many men in Japan have become accustomed to various methods of self-proof, and in various...
A recent case illustrates this point: a judge can award damages simply by deeming it "probably true."

The only evidence was that the female employee said the minister touched her thigh during a dinner party. Although there was only indirect evidence of her friend's complaint, she was still ordered to pay 120 million yen in damages.

The male minister also successfully obtained a dismissal letter, and his family fell apart, with his wife running away with the children.

The situation was actually more serious 20 years ago. In the case of Xiaobaihe, a female high school student, fearing her parents' scolding after returning home late from a casual encounter, falsely accused 10 male students of rape. In the end, due to insufficient evidence and even contradictory testimonies, 8 of them were sentenced to 9 to 10 months in prison, and only 2 received probation.

That caring older sister played an indispensable role, single-handedly overcoming all the difficulties.

Seiko Akimoto spoke again.

"Many people on the internet have pointed out suspicious points, but the court still made the ruling."

"The way the judicial system operates isn't new. It's almost time to leave work, how about we grab a bite to eat together?"

Naoki Hanyu doesn't care much about whether it's a false accusation or not; he's now in a privileged class and isn't afraid of being falsely accused.

Moreover, judicial issues are none of his concern as a police officer.

After thinking for a moment, Seiko Akimoto gave her answer.

"If it's confirmed that it wasn't a homicide, I can go home."

"Wait for you."

The results came out quickly: the man named Daichi Shida committed suicide; surveillance footage showed him going upstairs.

He walked into the elevator in a daze, and when someone asked him what was wrong, he just gave a forced smile.

Most importantly, a suicide note was found at the spot where the person jumped from the rooftop.

"I'm really sorry for causing everyone trouble. I know jumping off your building is a bad thing, and there are many ways to commit suicide. But of all the suicide attempts I've ever wanted to try, jumping off a building is still the one I'd most like to experience."

That way I can experience the bliss of freefall before I die. I don't want to live another second; every second feels like torture. Father, Mother, Sister, I have failed you. Finally, I just want to say to those who curse me online, may your wish be fulfilled.

After reading the suicide note, the Shida couple, who had rushed over, wept bitterly.

Their family was poor to begin with, and the couple worked every spare moment to support their two children's education. They were looking forward to the end of their hardship, as their son was a very good student in Japan and was expected to lead his family to achieve upward social mobility.

But why did this have to happen in my senior year of college?

"Earth, my earth, I..."

Shida Daichi's father suddenly clutched his heart in great pain.

Akimoto Seiko immediately shouted.

"Get him to the hospital quickly."

Seeing this, Naoki Hanyu realized that their dinner would not be on time, and of course, he could leave on his own.

Naoki Hanyu took Seiko Akimoto's hand, and the two looked into each other's eyes.

At 8 p.m., Naoki Hanyu and his companion left the hospital. By then, the reporters who had been blocking the entrance were gone, deliberately avoiding the time.

Seiko Akimoto looked up at the full moon; the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner. (In Japan, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 26th of the Gregorian calendar.)
It's truly heartbreaking that the Shida family was destroyed and killed in a single day.

Naoki Hanyu also watched the video that the woman used to frame him online. He couldn't believe that any woman would put her phone under the table and keep filming the man's genitals for more than ten minutes, in four separate sessions.

Naoki Hanyu guessed that Daichi Shida had a skin condition, which was why he was scratching, but more than half a year has passed and any skin condition would have been cured long ago.

Shida Daichi didn't go to the hospital; he just bought some ointment himself. And there was "just so happens" no record of him buying it at the pharmacy. The surveillance cameras were also broken during those days, so there's no evidence that he bought the ointment for his skin condition.

Of course, even with so many doubts, Naoki Hanyu doesn't intend to get involved; he's not Batman.

“Are you feeling bad? I see that the Shida family owes some money. I can donate money to them in the name of a charity.”

Akimoto Seiko looked at the man with her willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes.

"I'm not that fragile. Don't underestimate policewomen. But if you have too much money and want to donate it, I won't stop you. But be careful of online feminists who might criticize you."

"I worry about these things, don't underestimate me."

Naoki Hanyu walked along the roadside with Seiko Akimoto in his arms, her familiar pretty face still incredibly charming in the moonlight.

He vaguely remembered the 14-year-old daughter of the Shida family, Shida Saeko.

Despite losing two close relatives in a single day, she didn't cry, and her emotions remained relatively stable; only her eyes were too cold.

In his view, such people are either emotionally detached or like a volcano about to erupt, making them extremely dangerous.

(End of this chapter)