Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

"Konosuke Nakajima".

When the name came out of Yoshio Hashimoto's mouth, Takahiro Matsumoto frowned slightly.

He had clearly anticipated this.

Even so, hearing this confirmation with his own ears still made him fall silent for a moment.

Kiryu Yaya stood beside the retrieval table, his gaze fixed on the sealed register.

October of the first year of Heisei.

This timing coincides precisely with the completion of the liquidation and restructuring of Kanto Asset Development, which has just been renamed Kanto International Development.

In other words, Konosuke Nakajima personally signed this sealing order at a critical juncture when the Kanto Asset Development had just completed its transformation.

Why seal it off?

Kiryu Yaya knew this in his heart.

Because once those archives from 1959 are unearthed, the succession relationship between Tokyo's urban development and the development of assets in the Kanto region will be exposed to the light of day.

Following the trail, it was discovered that the Makuhari plot had been repeatedly mortgaged, refinanced, and stripped of its debts under the guise of corporate liquidation over the past decade. Matsumoto Takahiro had also considered this possibility.

He stood by the duty desk and asked:

"Hashimoto-senpai, is it possible to retrieve 0087's file now?"

Yoshio Hashimoto adjusted his reading glasses and glanced between Takahiro Matsumoto and Yaya Kiryu.

His expression revealed no particular inclination; he was simply stating a fact.

"According to regulations, the unsealing of archives requires the signature of the relevant minister..."

Matsumoto Takahiro narrowed his eyes slightly.

If he's at the ministerial level, then his position as vice minister is one level below.

Then he asked:

"If we go through the special investigation team's authority, can we retrieve this file?"

As he spoke, he took out a dark brown wallet from the inside pocket of his suit and pulled out the authorization order personally signed by President Nakano Yoshiyuki when the investigation team was established.

He placed the paper on the duty desk and pushed it in front of Yoshio Hashimoto. "Senior Hashimoto, this is the official authorization from the investigation team. As per the bank manager's instructions, the investigation team has the right to access files from any department and from any year, without being subject to the usual sealing restrictions."

Yoshio Hashimoto glanced down at the paper and nodded:

"Since the bank president has signed it, the normal procedures can be bypassed."

He straightened up, took the metal keychain from the keypad behind him, and turned to walk deeper into the vault.

Matsumoto Takahiro and Kiryu Yaya exchanged a glance and followed behind him.

The lights were dimmer inside the vault than outside.

Yoshio Hashimoto stopped in front of a metal cabinet marked "Sealed Area - Showa 56-60" and then, using the light from the overhead lamp, pulled out a gray-white cardboard box.

The label on the side of the file box clearly reads:

s57-融审-0087.

This is precisely the archived record of Tokyo's urban development.

Yoshio Hashimoto carefully placed it on the retrieval table beside him, and then said:

"This is the box." Takahiro Matsumoto reached out and took it.

"Can we take this file with us?"

Yoshio Hashimoto shook his head:

"The original cannot be taken away, but copies can be made. There is a copier in the duty room if needed."

"Thank you, Hashimoto-senpai."

Matsumoto Takahiro placed the cardboard box on the table, unseal it, and opened the lid.

Inside, a stack of yellowed folders was neatly arranged, with a credit approval document from 1957 (Showa 57) on top. The cover read:

"Chiba Prefecture Makuhari area coastal development land preparation project"

"Requested amount: 12 billion yen"

Borrower: Tokyo Urban Development Co., Ltd.

Approval Date: September 1948 (Showa 57)

Matsumoto Takahiro opened the first page, his gaze quickly scanning it, then turned to the second and third pages. Kiryu Yaya stood beside him, equally engrossed in the contents of the document, not wanting to miss a single detail.

The petition was more complete than they had anticipated.

In addition to the guarantee assessment report at the time, there were several handwritten supplementary explanations, a simplified diagram of the equity structure of the related companies, and a memorandum stamped with the words "Internal Reference".

Their eyes both focused on the memo.

The memo was handwritten and the handwriting was messy, but the content was still legible:

Minutes of an internal meeting of the Financing Review Division, September 15, 1948 (Showa 57).

"Topic: Tokyo Urban Development Co., Ltd. Makuhari Plot Financing Case"

Attendees: Soichi Miyamoto, Deputy Director of the Financing Department; Koji Kondo, Head of the Financing Review Division; and Konosuke Nakajima, the reviewer.

Upon seeing these three names, Kiryu Yaya and Matsumoto Takahiro exchanged a glance, secretly alarmed.

Miyamoto Soichi and Nakajima Konosuke need no further introduction.

They've all become executive members now.

At the time, they were all likely deputy ministerial positions. Search "German flag" on Bing to see the latest chapter!

Koji Kondo, who is now the head of the financing department, had previously appeared in Ryo Nakano's office once.

He appeared on camera with Miyamoto Soichi at the time.

It seems that from that time onwards, Koji Kondo became a subordinate of Soichi Miyamoto.

The two continued to look through the supplementary documents:

"In October of Showa 57 (1957), an additional mortgage was confirmed: the Makuhari land parcel, a coastal development site, with an appraised value of 12.5 billion yen, has been registered as a first-priority mortgage."

"However, the land parcel is actually in a provisional registration state after land reclamation, and there are flaws in the property registration. After internal consultation, the financing department decided to make up for the deficiencies in the collateral registration by adding joint and several guarantees."

Kiryu Yaya's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

In other words, the collateral for Tokyo urban development was flawed from the very first financing round.

The financing department not only knew this at the time, but also chose to cover it up by adding joint and several guarantees.

It seems that since 1957, Managing Director Miyamoto and Managing Director Nakajima have been safeguarding the development of the Kanto International Development Zone.

Following this, the supplementary materials included a handwritten collection memorandum: "Tokyo Urban Development Co., Ltd., the Makuhari plot project financing is currently progressing normally in terms of principal and interest repayment. However, according to post-loan tracking records, the development and construction progress of the plot is significantly lagging behind the original planned timeline, posing a risk of project delays. It is recommended that the financing department closely monitor the situation."

Below is a handwritten annotation, the handwriting consistent with the style of the previous meeting minutes:

"After consultation with the borrower, it was decided not to voluntarily trigger the accelerated repayment clause. The reason is that the area where the land is located is within the scope of urban planning adjustments, and there is significant room for subsequent valuation increases."

Kiryu Yaya narrowed his eyes.

The project development progress has fallen significantly behind schedule, but the financing department still chooses to remain inactive.

The argument that land prices are expected to rise is too lame.

It can only be said that these people behind the scenes really put in a lot of effort to protect the financing for this land.

After looking through the items in his hands, Takahiro Matsumoto's face showed a hint of joy.

This sealed file is clearly the most crucial evidence gathered by the special investigation team since its establishment.

This file is sufficient to prove that the two managing directors, Konosuke Nakajima and Soichi Miyamoto, are inextricably linked to the Tokyo urban development project.

Of course, to completely bring down these two, evidence of the repatriation of funds between them and Kanto International Development is also needed.

Just like with Yusuke Takagi before, without clear evidence of fund repatriation, suspicion remains just suspicion. It's unrealistic to think you can bring down two managing directors with such limited evidence.

That's a bit of a pipe dream.

However, Kiryu Yaya already had some ideas about the return of funds.

The crucial clue that was uncovered yesterday during the interview at Kanto International Development, through the "banker's eye"—

Chiyoda General Planning.

After Matsumoto Takahiro finished copying those key pages of documents, he put the originals back into the box, sealed it, and handed it back to Hashimoto Yoshio.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Hashimoto-senpai. We'll take these copies with us."

Yoshio Hashimoto took the cardboard box, carried it back to the metal cabinet, locked it, then turned around and casually asked:

"Chief Matsumoto, this case... involves quite a few people, doesn't it?"

Matsumoto Takahiro nodded slightly to him:

"Hashimoto-senpai, don't mention today's incident to anyone for now."

Yoshio Hashimoto nodded and said, "I've worked here for forty-two years. I know what I should and shouldn't say."

The two did not linger and turned to leave the storage room.

When they returned to the investigation team's office on the fifth floor, the door was locked. At this time, no one else had arrived yet.

Matsumoto Takahiro closed the door behind him, spread the stack of copies on the table, lingered on the list of attendees in the meeting minutes for a long time, and then slowly began to speak:

"Kiryu-kun, what we did today is more valuable than anything we've done before."

Kiryu Yaya stood beside him, smiled, and a hint of joy appeared on his face:

"Deputy Minister, the basic framework of the chain of evidence has been established, and now only one link is missing."

Matsumoto Takahiro nodded:

"Evidence of capital repatriation."

Kiryu Yaya nodded and continued, following his train of thought:

"Yes, the evidence we have at the moment can only prove that Managing Director Nakajima was aware of and participated in the approval process, but it cannot prove that he profited from it."

"If we ask him about it and he insists that he was just following the procedures and didn't receive any benefits, then this evidence can at most prove that he was somewhat negligent, but it can't constitute any real responsibility." Matsumoto Takahiro nodded slowly.

This was precisely the concern he hadn't voiced earlier.

The evidentiary requirements for internal risk assessment within a bank and for criminal convictions are completely different.

For a leader at Takagi Yusuke's level, an internal investigation only requires "reasonable suspicion" to initiate personnel adjustments.

But to make a standing committee member truly pay the price, what is needed is a complete chain of evidence that can withstand judicial scrutiny.

Simply having doubts won't work.

Therefore, the evidence of capital repatriation is simple.

But the two exchanged a glance and both understood the difficulty of this step.

Of all the evidence, evidence of fund repatriation is the most difficult to obtain.

Because these seasoned veterans are all incredibly shrewd; they certainly wouldn't use the channels that ordinary people could think of.

Although Kiryu Yaya knew about the Chiyoda area, he couldn't reveal it casually.

After all, he couldn't explain the origin of this news. So Kiryu Yaya could only think of a way to make the Chiyoda storyline surface naturally.

Kiryu Yaya remained silent for a moment.

He mentally reviewed the entire Chiyoda General Project line again.

The legal representative of Chiyoda General Planning is a former subordinate of Konosuke Nakajima from his time in the General Affairs Department.

Kengo Kurosaki paid Konosuke Nakajima over 1.2 billion yen in "consulting fees" through this company.

This money was recorded in the accounts of Kanto International Development under the names of "advance payment for engineering work" and "long-term consulting contract".

On the surface, it appears to be fully compliant.

But if we could get our hands on Chiyoda General Planning's bank statements...

Just as Kiryu Yaya was thinking this, Matsumoto Takahiro's voice suddenly rang out:

"Kiryu-kun, tell me... if Kurosaki Kengo needed to funnel profits into the bank, what channels would he use?"

Kiryu Yaya was slightly taken aback, then realized that Matsumoto Takahiro himself was thinking in the same direction.

Matsumoto Takahiro stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the treetops in the direction of the Imperial Palace. His speech was slower than usual. "Kouyuu Hiko received the money through a shell company at the Rinku City auction."

"Takagi Yusuke received the money through Chenghe Consulting, a nominally independent consulting firm."

"What these two lines have in common is that they both have a seemingly independent legal entity that acts as a transit point for funds."

He turned around and his gaze fell on Kiryu Yaya.

"If Konosuke Nakajima was also involved in this chain of interests, he would most likely have adopted a similar model."

"The problem is, we don't know the name of that transit station."

Kiryu Yaya remained silent.

He silently calculated the timing in his mind.

He couldn't say the name Chiyoda General Planning directly right now.

If he had told him, Takahiro Matsumoto would definitely have asked: How did you find out about this company?

He couldn't explain the answer to that question.

But if he could find a way to make the name of Chiyoda General Planning appear "naturally" in front of Matsumoto Takahiro... Kiryu Yaya's gaze fell on the stack of photocopies.

He reached out and picked up one of the documents, which was an appendix to the financing proposal from 1948.

At the end of the attachment page, there is a simplified diagram of the equity structure of the affiliated companies.

The font in the picture is very small and the lines are somewhat blurry, but you can still make out the names of several legal entities.

Among them is the name Chiyoda General Planning.

In an instant, Kiryu Yaya had a flash of inspiration and said to Matsumoto Takahiro:

"Deputy Minister, if this transit station really exists, then it must have financial ties with the Kanto International Development Company, and these ties could last for seven or eight years, or even more than ten years."

"And the level of benefits transferred to someone like Kengo Kurosaki is at least 500 million yen or more."

"Therefore, we only need to screen out those companies that have long-term financial dealings with Kanto International Development and have large-scale financial transactions with them."

"As long as that transit point exists, it will be impossible for it to escape our sight."

Matsumoto Takahiro stood by the window, silently pondering Kiryu Yaya's thoughts.

His logic is indeed sound. If a transit station truly exists, it cannot possibly serve only a single transaction.

Once Kengo Kurosaki establishes a stable funding channel, he will use it repeatedly.

This means that there must be a long-term, stable, and substantial external payment record in the accounts of Kanto International Development, pointing to the same legal entity.

"Companies with long-standing financial ties to Kanto International Development..."

Kiryu Yaya immediately reminded him:

"Investigate the external payment records of Kanto International Development over the past few years with the Finance Department, especially long-term consulting, research, and advisory expenditures exceeding ten million yen."

"Great idea!"

Matsumoto Takahiro's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up the internal phone on the table and dialed the financing department.