Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 334 Managing Director Miyamoto, the matter of Ms. Sana...

Kiryu Yaya subtly shifted his gaze away.

Although the flow of funds for the entire Kanto International Development Project is now clear, Konosuke Nakajima, as the managing director of Mitsubishi Bank, is undoubtedly a big figure in the Japanese financial world.

Their methods of transferring assets are far more complex than that.

None of these three hidden clues can be easily proven.

Although the funds in the HSBC Hong Kong account correspond to Chiyoda's market research fees in terms of time.

But they can't even get Chiyoda's bank statements now, let alone HSBC's statements in Hong Kong.

Some things become tricky once they leave Japan.

Not to mention Mitsubishi Bank's special investigation team, even the National Taxation Bureau would be no match for them.

As for fund units in the Cayman Islands, needless to say.

The money passed through three layers of BVI structure and also went through a Seychelles-registered SPV.

Both the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Seychelles are opaque offshore jurisdictions, making it virtually impossible to penetrate these three layers of companies to obtain information about the ultimate beneficial owner.

The BVI will never tell you who the actual controller of the company is, so this path is completely blocked.

Konosuke Nakajima's family trust is also located in Bermuda.

This is another opaque offshore jurisdiction where it can take years just to identify the ultimate beneficiary of a trust.

Even if the prosecution were willing to invest time and resources to penetrate these structures, Konosuke Nakajima could easily adjust the trust structure, change the beneficiaries, or transfer the assets to another offshore location before the process is completed.

By the time the judicial assistance was actually implemented, the funds had already changed hands and sunk into another pool of water.

As for the last piece of information, it concerns the painting collections of London galleries.

This clue is the closest to substantial evidence.

Because art transactions are traceable.

By digging along this line, it is possible to establish a complete financial chain from Kanto International Development to Chiyoda, from Chiyoda to HSBC accounts, from HSBC accounts to London galleries, and from galleries to Cayman funds.

But the problem remains the same: the jurisdictions involved span at least Japan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands, Seychelles, and Bermuda.

Every application for cross-border fund transfer requires coordination between different judicial systems, and any delay at any stage can disrupt the entire chain.

Kiryu Yaya slowly narrowed his eyes.

As expected of a senior executive-level boss, the sophistication of this capital operation was indeed beyond his imagination.

but--

From the very beginning, Kiryu Yaya had no intention of seizing concrete evidence against Nakajima Konosuke to bring him down.

What he needs.

It is precisely this information itself.

Let Konosuke Nakajima be arrogant for a little while longer.

Ryo Nakano entered the venue just in time.

The moment the meeting room door was pushed open, the conversation on both sides of the long table came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone stood up.

Ryo Nakano walked in.

He remained as gentle as ever, but no one would believe that this gentleness gave him any right to be above them.

His gaze didn't linger on anyone's face for long; he simply swept it around naturally before walking to the head of the long table.

Someone pulled out a chair, and Nakano Ryo sat down, placing his hands clasped together on the table.

"Let's begin."

Vice President Yasuhiro Miura cleared his throat, opened the folder in front of him, and began to proceed according to the agenda.

The first half of the agenda was the same as usual, consisting of quarterly reports from various departments, budget execution status, and adjustments to credit lines.

Konosuke Nakajima remained silent throughout the meeting, his demeanor composed, as if the meeting before him had nothing to do with him.

But Kiryu noticed that his gaze would occasionally drift across the conference table and look at him.

This made Kiryu Yaya even more certain that Nakajima Konosuke would definitely have his own solution.

He was just waiting.

Waiting for the moment to sound the charge.

Finally, the agenda moved on to the other items.

Vice President Yasuhiro Miura closed the folder, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the long table, and asked in a calm tone, "Are there any other matters that need to be discussed?"

It was at this moment that...

Masahiro Yamazaki, who was in charge of sales in the Kanto region, put down his pen: "I have something to say."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to him.

Miura Yasuhiro looked at him and nodded slightly: "Please speak, Managing Director Yamazaki."

Masahiro Yamazaki's gaze first fell on Takahiro Matsumoto, then moved to Yaya Kiryu in the audience, and finally returned to the center of the conference table.

"It's about the special investigation team."

He said calmly, "Since its establishment, the special investigation team has indeed made remarkable progress. However, I have noticed some procedural issues in the direction of the investigation in the past few days, and I would like to confirm them with you here."

He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Matsumoto Takahiro.

"Mr. Matsumoto, I heard that the investigation team, over the weekend, issued an interbank inquiry letter to Tokyo Metropolitan Bank without going through the proper procedures of the Audit Department. They also obtained a personal document from Managing Director Nakajima in the bank's trust department under the guise of an asset security review."

Account records.

"I wonder if my information is accurate?"

There was a moment of silence on both sides of the long table.

Miura Yasuhiro looked at Matsumoto Takahiro without saying a word, but his gaze held a questioning tone.

Matsumoto Takahiro put down his pen and glanced at Kiryu Yaya before speaking.

"I can address each of the questions raised by Managing Director Yamazaki."

"First, regarding the interbank inquiry from Tokyo Metropolitan Bank. The investigation team issued the letter at 9:20 a.m. on Sunday. Before the letter was issued, I had already verbally informed the bank president, who clearly expressed his support for the investigation team's evidence preservation efforts."

"Secondly, regarding the retrieval of Managing Director Nakajima's account records in the trust department. The stated reason for the retrieval was a security review of assets related to the Kanto International Development Project, which is compliant with regulations."

"Because the 30 billion yen credit line for Kanto International Development involved a large amount of collateral with an abnormal valuation, and Managing Director Nakajima, as the head of the General Affairs Department at the time, handled the approval process for sealing old documents from 1959 and transferring the old Imperial Palace building, his personal trust account was included in the review scope, and there was no procedural problem."

After hearing Matsumoto Takahiro's response, Yamazaki Masahiro's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly.

But then he raised another question: "Chief Matsumoto, what you said is indeed procedurally sound. But I want to confirm something else."

"Is the investigation team's access to Managing Director Nakajima's trust account for a review of related asset security, or has it escalated into a personal asset investigation?"

"If it's the former, then there's no problem. But if it's the latter, then the nature of the problem is completely different."

Masahiro Yamazaki's tone remained mild, but carried a hint of aggressiveness: "Because if it is the latter, it means that the investigation team is investigating the personal assets of a managing director, and this conclusion has not yet been reported to the managing board."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Miura Yasuhiro frowned slightly and looked at Nakajima Konosuke.

But Konosuke Nakajima simply sat in his seat, saying nothing, as if the meeting had nothing to do with him.

Matsumoto Takahiro responded, "Managing Director Yamazaki, I think it's necessary to correct one point: the investigation team's access to Managing Director Nakajima's trust account was based on an authorization order signed by the bank president, and everyone here should have a copy of that authorization order on their table."

Masahiro Yamazaki understood the subtext of those words:

This wasn't a conversation between him and Takahiro Matsumoto; continuing to question it would be questioning the authorization order signed by the bank president.

Therefore, in order to protect himself, he temporarily abandoned the attack and turned his attention to Seiichi Tanabe, who belonged to the same faction.

Seiichi Tanabe, who was in charge of sales in the Chubu region, noticed Masahiro Yamazaki's gaze, understood, and then said, "Chief Matsumoto, I'd like to confirm something."

What materials directly related to the Kanto International Development Project were found in the old archives from 1957 (Showa 57)?

The answer to this question will determine whether the investigation team's subsequent actions in retrieving information have exceeded reasonable limits.

Ryo Nakano remained seated in the main seat without uttering a sound.

His gaze seemed to linger on the potted plant in the center of the long table, or perhaps it was fixed on something further away.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kiryu Yaya looked at Tanabe Seiichi with surprise.

Which side is this guy on?

But just then, Nakano Ryo spoke up: "Managing Director Tanabe."

"Your question was outside the scope of today's executive meeting agenda."

"The special investigation team's records of file retrieval, copies of interbank correspondence, and the full text of the trust account retrieval application have all been filed with the General Affairs Department for future reference in accordance with procedures. If you have any questions about the compliance of the procedures, you can review them through official channels after the meeting."

He paused slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping across both sides of the long table.

"However, I noticed that so far in today's meeting, no one seems to have proactively asked to review these materials. The questioning has preceded the confirmation of facts, which is not in line with the usual deliberations of our executive committee."

The meeting room fell silent.

Nakano Ryo didn't give them much time to react.

He leaned back in his chair, looking at Konosuke Nakajima: "Managing Director Nakajima, you are a party involved. Do you have anything to add regarding the investigation team's access to your trust account records?"

All eyes then turned to Konosuke Nakajima.

Konosuke Nakajima sat there, his hands clasped on the table, his posture almost unchanged from when the meeting began.

He met Nakano Ryo's gaze and smiled slightly: "President, I have nothing to add. Since the investigation team's procedures were authorized by the president, there must be a corresponding rationale behind them. As the managing director of the bank, cooperating with the investigation team is simply my duty."

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

It even carried a kind of businesslike sincerity.

Ryo Nakano's gaze lingered on Konosuke Nakajima's face for a moment before shifting away.

"it is good."

He nodded: "Now that the investigation team has completed its retrieval procedures and the initial review of the trust account records will take time, the executive meeting will conclude here for today."

The moment he finished speaking, Konosuke Nakajima's face darkened.

He never expected that President Nakano would forcibly terminate the executive meeting, directly interrupting the attack organized by his faction.

Clearly, President Nakano is buying time for the special investigation team.

But if the special investigation team is given another week, who knows what Kiryu Yaya will be able to find out.

Although he was confident that his asset transfer was foolproof, there's no reason to guard against thieves every night.

So Nakajima Konosuke subconsciously looked at Sato Kenichi.

At this moment, the senior executive officer sat calmly in his seat, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

But the moment Konosuke Nakajima looked at him, he was able to meet his gaze and nod slightly.

Just as Nakano Ryo was about to announce the end of the management meeting, Sato Kenichi suddenly spoke up: "President, I have a small suggestion, but I'm not sure if I should say it?"

"Specialist Sato?"

Nakano Ryo's gaze turned to him.

Kenichi Sato, a senior executive at Mitsubishi Bank, rarely speaks at management meetings unless it concerns matters under his direct supervision.

His initiative to offer suggestions during this sensitive period surprised many of the board members.

Kenichi Sato glanced around the long table, then smiled slightly and said, "The efficiency of the Special Investigation Team is truly commendable. To be able to unearth a financial chain spanning ten years from a pile of old papers in just over a week is something not everyone can do."

His words elicited a slight nod from the directors on either side of the long table.

"but"

Kenichi Sato then changed the subject: "It's precisely because the investigation team is moving so quickly that I'm more worried about something. If the investigation team focuses too much on one direction, won't they overlook some more fundamental structural problems?"

He turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Matsumoto Takahiro, landing on Kiryu Yaya in the audience, before looking away.

"To put it more bluntly: the investigation team is currently focusing most of its efforts on the financial relationship between Kanto International Development and Managing Director Nakajima. But if this lead ultimately fails to form a complete chain of evidence, or cannot be formally accepted due to some procedural flaws, then the investigation team's work over the past ten days will have been in vain."

The meeting room fell silent.

Kenichi Sato's words sounded like he was considering the investigation team's interests, but Yaya Kiryu could tell that his real intention was to guide the board of directors to reassess the boundaries of the investigation team's authority.

"So Kenichi Sato sat up straighter and placed his hands clasped on the table: "I suggest that, in addition to the existing working framework of the investigation team, a procedure oversight group be set up, which will be directly appointed by the board of directors."

This group does not participate in the day-to-day investigation work of the investigation team, but has the right to conduct independent investigations before the investigation team makes major procedural decisions.

Compliance assessment.

"For example, actions such as interbank inquiries, accessing senior executives' personal asset records, and initiating formal inquiries into still-serving managing directors all require confirmation from the procedural oversight team first."

After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for a few seconds.

Masahiro Yamazaki was the first to speak: "Executive Director Sato's suggestion makes a lot of sense. If the investigation team moves too fast, procedural flaws are indeed likely to occur, and once procedural problems arise, the validity of subsequent evidence will be weakened. Setting up a procedural oversight group will protect both the investigation team and the bank."

Seiichi Tanabe nodded in agreement: "The balance between procedural compliance and investigation efficiency certainly needs to be maintained. If the board of directors appoints a specific person to participate, it can also reduce external doubts about the independence of the investigation team."

Ryo Nakano remained silent.

It's clear that Kenichi Sato wants to confine the special investigation team to the boundaries of the procedural oversight group.

If the procedural oversight group has to supervise everything, then the special investigation group loses its unique authority and its greatest significance.

Although Nakano Ryo wanted to refute this suggestion, as a bank president, what he feared most was acting arbitrarily.

After all, the power of a bank president is not as absolute as outsiders imagine.

Many resolutions still need to be passed by a show of hands vote at the board meeting.

If one loses authority, then stepping down is not far off.

Therefore, Nakano Yoshiya had no choice but to let the other directors speak first: "What are the other directors' thoughts on Executive Director Sato's suggestion?"

On either side of the long table, several directors exchanged glances, but no one was in a hurry to speak.

Everyone knows that once a stance is taken on this matter, it's tantamount to choosing sides between the bank president and Executive Director Sato.

After a few seconds, a slender executive wearing frameless glasses spoke up.

His name is Masamitsu Morita, he is 61 years old, and he is in charge of the Risk Management Department. He is known for his neutrality within the bank.

"From the perspective of procedural risk control, Executive Director Sato's proposal does have its merits."

"The special investigation team has indeed made rapid progress during this period, and I have seen results. But precisely because of the speed, some procedural details may not have had time to be confirmed one by one."

Establishing a procedural oversight panel also serves as a protection for the investigation team itself. If, in the future, someone questions the procedural legality of the investigation results, the oversight panel can act as a procedural shield.

"However, the specific boundaries of the procedures monitoring team's authority do need to be carefully defined."

"If it's pre-approval, it's like adding a gate over the head of the investigation team, which will seriously affect the efficiency of the investigation."

If it's a post-incident review, then the oversight team is positioned more like an independent procedural reviewer than a superior to the investigation team.

After he finished speaking, someone in the conference room nodded slightly.

Masamitsu Morita's words sound like he's on both sides, but they actually show a certain bias. He doesn't oppose setting up a procedural oversight team, but he hopes to limit its authority to post-event review.

This tendency is clearly biased towards Takahiro Matsumoto.

His statement shifted the tide of public opinion at the meeting, making it less one-sided.

Following closely behind, another managing director in charge of sales in the Kansai region, Yoshito Takahashi, also spoke up: "Managing Director Morita is right. The core value of the procedure oversight team lies in ensuring that the investigation process can withstand scrutiny, rather than adding extra burden to the investigation team."

"Therefore, I believe that if the responsibility of the process oversight team is clearly defined as ex post review, then none of you here should have much objection."

Clearly, as a key figure in the Kansai faction, Yoshito Takahashi's stance was more direct.

After he finished speaking, he glanced in Matsumoto Takahiro's direction and nodded slightly.

This detail was noticed by Takeru Satoh.

"Both Managing Director Morita and Managing Director Takahashi are right."

"The role of the procedural oversight team should indeed be primarily post-event review, I have no objection to that. However, I would like to add a detail," he paused slightly, as if to give his statement room for further elaboration, before continuing, "For actions such as interbank inquiries and retrieval of trust accounts, could we consider adding an information synchronization procedure? In other words, before the investigation team performs these actions, it should at least send a brief explanation to the procedural oversight team."

"This will not affect the speed of the investigation team's actions, and it will also allow the monitoring team to understand the dynamics of the investigation in advance."

Kenichi Sato spoke in a gentler tone than before.

But Kiryu Yaya understood the deeper meaning behind it.

The claim that "no approval is needed, only awareness" is actually a form of infiltration, like slowly boiling a frog in water.

Once information synchronization becomes routine, the process monitoring team will gradually gain a grasp of all the investigation team's movements.

Once you have a grasp of the situation, it's only a matter of time before you find an opportunity to intervene.

Takahiro Matsumoto also noticed this.

Nakano Ryo could naturally see it too.

But since Kenichi Sato has already put it this way, and in such a gentle tone, if he were to refuse again, it would seem as if he were deliberately guarding against something.

Nakano Ryo nodded slightly: "The suggestion of information synchronization is acceptable in principle. The specific operational methods will be considered by the Inspection Department when drafting the responsibilities document for the procedural inspection team."

Kenichi Sato picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, then put it down without saying another word.

Because of his participation, the special investigation team's authority was once again restricted at this executive meeting.

However, this was inevitable after the establishment of the special investigation team.

During executive meetings, the president and other directors may appear to be in sync, but their interests often conflict.

For example, the establishment of this special investigation team.

Although many board members could see that the special investigation team's sword was aimed directly at Konosuke Nakajima.

But as executives or senior officers, how could they not worry that the special investigation team's attention would be drawn to them?

Therefore, in order to protect themselves, most directors naturally believe that the special investigation team should have as little authority as possible, and that it would be best to report everything to the executive committee.

Faced with the majority of the board of directors, Nakano Ryo could only try to make the special investigation team concede as little as possible at each step.

The executive meeting has essentially said everything that needed to be said.

Ryo Nakano glanced at both sides of the long table, and after confirming that no one would raise any new issues, he closed the folder in front of him: "That's all for now, meeting adjourned."

The sound of chairs being pushed away rang out one after another.

Kiryu Yaya closed his notebook and stood up.

He didn't rush to leave; his gaze passed through the crowd who were gradually getting up and landed on the middle section of the long table.

There, Miyamoto Soichi was getting up and packing his things.

Then Kiryu Yaya went against the flow of people and said, "Managing Director Miyamoto, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Upon hearing this, Miyamoto Muneichi raised his head and narrowed his eyes: "What do you, a newcomer, have to say to me?"

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly: "It concerns Miss Sana—"