Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 345 Temporary Executive Meeting, Counterattack on Executive Director Nakajima!

1:50 PM.

Executive Meeting Room on the 16th Floor of Mitsubishi Bank.

Ryosuke Nakano is going to convene an extraordinary executive meeting, and this matter has been communicated to all senior executives of Mitsubishi Bank.

Extraordinary executive meeting.

Although it was a temporary meeting, Nakano Ryo usually wouldn't convene this level of executive meeting unless something major happened.

So everyone knew that something big was about to happen.

On the seemingly peaceful sixteenth floor, everyone wore a solemn expression, curiously inquiring about Nakano Ryo's intentions.

Among the crowd, Kiryu Yaya's young face attracted everyone's attention.

He was still holding those two file folders in his hand.

Matsumoto Takahiro paced slowly beside Kiryu Yaya, glancing occasionally at his watch; his furrowed brows revealed his unease.

Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, and the two looked up.

Konosuke Nakajima stepped out of the elevator.

He was wearing a gray suit and a dark red tie.

She was impeccably groomed, looking every bit the professional.

Six eyes met.

Konosuke Nakajima's gaze fell for a moment on the two file folders in Yaya Kiryu's hands.

He then nodded to the two of them as a greeting, and then ignored them.

That calm and unhurried demeanor suggested either that Kiryu Yaya was unaware that Chiyoda's Shinryusui had been transferred through Hanazonoin Taki, or that he was already prepared.

The first one is invalid; Kazama Toru is in the special investigation team.

Then it can only be the second possibility. Konosuke Nakajima believed that he had made all the necessary preparations.

The facts are pretty much the same.

Since the morning when the Special Investigation Team obtained the real water, Konosuke Nakajima has been preparing, and he has done everything he can until now.

Konosuke Nakajima was the first to step into the conference room.

Matsumoto Takahiro and Kiryu Yaya followed behind him.

Inside the conference room, most of the seats were already occupied.

Upon seeing Konosuke Nakajima, several executives who were ranked lower in the hierarchy even stood up to greet him.

Konosuke Nakajima responded to each of their questions and then sat down in his seat.

Takahiro Matsumoto, as the head of the special investigation team, was positioned in the middle section near the door.

Kiryu Yaya was assigned to be his subordinate.

A trainee who had been with the company for less than six months was sitting in the executive meeting chair.

This is unprecedented in the entire history of Mitsubishi Bank.

Kiryu Yaya quickly looked up and glanced at it.

Kenichi Sato had also arrived and was sitting in his designated executive seat.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over each person in the conference room.

Given his position, everyone he looks at will respond with a smile or a few innocuous words.

Kenichi Sato responded to each of their questions.

His gaze continued to move, finally settling on Kiryu Yaya.

Kiryu Yaya is already aware of what he has been doing during this period.

He couldn't help but feel a little curious about this young man.

While Sato Kenichi was amazed by his extraordinary talent, he also developed a great curiosity about Kiryu Yaya.

This young man.

Great.

Kenichi Sato gave this assessment in his mind.

This is definitely not a low evaluation for a veteran banker who has worked at Mitsubishi Bank for over 30 years.

Kiryu Yaya felt Sato Kenichi's gaze and looked up to meet his eyes.

Their eyes met.

Kenichi Sato nodded at Yaya Kiryu.

Kiryu Yaya narrowed his eyes, pondering the meaning of the nod.

However, very soon, it was exactly two o'clock.

The meeting room door was pushed open again, and Nakano Ryo walked in from outside.

Inside the meeting room.

Everyone stood up, their movements so synchronized as if they had practiced countless times.

Ryo Nakano strode to the head seat and gestured for everyone to sit down.

After everyone was seated, Nakano Ryo began, "Before the extraordinary executive meeting begins, I have two points to make."

"First, the minutes of today's meeting will be taken by the General Affairs Department. All materials will be archived after the meeting, and no one here may disclose the contents of the meeting without authorization."

"Secondly, all the reporting materials today were obtained by the special investigation team in accordance with the president's authorization order. The materials are from legal and compliant sources and have been filed by the General Affairs Department."

On the conference table.

The others began exchanging glances.

They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they keenly sensed that someone was about to be in trouble.

The person who is about to suffer misfortune is very likely someone in this meeting.

After emphasizing this, Nakano Ryo looked at Matsumoto Takahiro and said, "Chief Matsumoto, let's begin."

Matsumoto Takahiro stood up after receiving the instructions.

"Distinguished directors, since its establishment, the special investigation team has conducted a two-week special investigation into the 30 billion yen credit line case of Kanto International Development Co., Ltd."

"What I'm reporting to you today is the investigation team's complete findings on the core funding chain."

At this point, Matsumoto Takahiro's gaze fell on Nakajima Konosuke for a moment.

"First, the special investigation team needs to explain a fact to everyone."

"Kanto International Development Co., Ltd. is not a single financing client."

"Its predecessor can be traced back to the Tokyo Urban Development Co., Ltd., which was established in 1954."

"During the establishment and subsequent operation of Tokyo Urban Development Co., Ltd., the then General Affairs Department Manager, Konosuke Nakajima, was deeply involved in the establishment and business dealings of its affiliated company, Chiyoda General Planning."

With just a few words, Takahiro Matsumoto set the tone for the meeting.

Their target is none other than Konosuke Nakajima; there is absolutely no room for maneuver!

Inside the meeting room.

There was a moment of silence, followed by bursts of discussion.

Konosuke Nakajima sat in his seat.

Others deliberately avoided looking at him, even the executives who had just been trying to curry favor with him.

This instantly created a pressure vacuum around Konosuke Nakajima.

But he didn't care at all, and his expression remained calm.

Konosuke Nakajima didn't look at Takahiro Matsumoto or Yaya Kiryu, or even Ryo Nakano. He just sat calmly in his chair, unmoved.

His behavior surprised Masahiro Yamazaki, who glanced at him a few more times.

Matsumoto Takahiro took over the conversation and began his report.

"The investigation team divided the financial chain from 1957 to 1968 into three key periods."

"The first milestone was in 1957, when Tokyo Urban Development applied for its first tranche of financing, 1.2 billion yen, from Mitsubishi Bank, using the Makuhari land plot in Chiba Prefecture as collateral."

"The minutes of the financing approval meeting at the time show that the then Deputy Minister of Financing, Soichi Miyamoto, and the then Head of the Financing Review Division..."

Department Head Koji Kondo and Managing Director Konosuke Nakajima, who was the reviewer at the time, both attended the meeting.

"Shortly after this financing was approved, Chiyoda General Planning Co., Ltd. was officially established."

Matsumoto Takahiro's report made the already noisy meeting room even more restless.

Many people have begun to subtly scrutinize Nakajima Konosuke.

Everyone realized that since Nakano Ryo chose to convene this extraordinary executive meeting, it meant that the special investigation team must have found concrete evidence against Managing Director Nakajima.

Matsumoto Takahiro did not stop there, giving others time to think and digest the information.

Instead, he chose to continue reporting: "The second milestone was 1959 (Showa 59)."

"Tokyo City Development was liquidated and reorganized into Kanto Asset Development Co., Ltd. At the same time, Chiyoda General Planning received a large consulting fee from Kanto International Development."

"In August of the first year of the Heisei era, Kanto Asset Development was liquidated and reorganized again into Kanto International Development Co., Ltd."

"In October of the same year, Managing Director Konosuke Nakajima, who was then the head of the General Affairs Department, personally signed the order to seal the Tokyo Urban Development Financing Files of 1957 (Showa 57)."

"These files contain records of related transactions between Chiyoda General Planning and Tokyo Urban Development."

Takahiro Matsumoto pulled out a stack of photocopies from the documents and handed them to the board members in the conference room for review.

"This is a copy of the sealing register. In the section for the person who approved the sealing, there is the signature and personal seal of Managing Director Nakajima."

Inside the meeting room, many people looked at Konosuke Nakajima.

This time, the gaze was more like that of someone watching a good show; most people seemed indifferent to Nakajima Konosuke's misfortune.

Even the directors of Mitsubishi Bank each have their own factions with their own interests.

Even those from the same faction as Konosuke Nakajima felt a hint of schadenfreude when they saw the Special Investigation Team targeting him.

Although they belong to the same faction, each faction has its own niche.

Only when someone falls can someone else rise.

But under these scrutinizing gazes, Konosuke Nakajima remained unmoved.

At this point, Takahiro Matsumoto turned to the third page of the document.

If the previous explanations were still within a reasonable range.

So this third point is the most important, and it's the first punch that could kill Nakajima Konosuke!

"The third milestone is the core breakthrough of the special investigation team's investigation."

"Between 1 and 3 of the Heisei era, Kanto International Development paid Chiyoda General Planning over 810 million yen in consulting fees under the guise of market research and policy analysis."

"Coincidentally, the purchase time of the two properties under Managing Director Nakajima's name highly coincided with the time when Chiyoda received a large consulting fee from Kanto International Development."

Matsumoto Takahiro's voice rose a few decibels.

His sharp gaze fell unabashedly on Konosuke Nakajima's face.

"The purchase date of the Minami-Aoyama residence under the name of Managing Director Nakajima was October of Showa 61 (1942), and the purchase date of the Hakone Gora Onsen Villa was September of Heisei 1 (1962)."

"Both of these properties were purchased during a period when Kanto International Development and Chiyoda had significant business dealings."

"Managing Director Nakajima, I need you to explain the source of funds for the purchase of these two properties."

The atmosphere in the meeting room fell silent under Matsumoto Takahiro's questioning.

Everyone looked at Konosuke Nakajima, wondering how he would deal with this move.

Konosuke Nakajima tapped the table, showing no sign of panic.

His gaze fell on Matsumoto Takahiro, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Chief Matsumoto, I have been listening carefully to everything you just said."

"But I want to point out a basic fact."

Konosuke Nakajima remained calm and composed, and did not panic despite being questioned and watched.

Instead of falling into the trap of self-justification, he began to refute Takahiro Matsumoto.

"I do not deny that I participated in the meeting as a reviewer for that financing in 1957."

"Everyone knows that the reviewer's responsibility is only to assess risks and make recommendations, and the final approval authority for the case does not lie with the reviewer."

He paused for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling, as if recalling something.

"The case that Minister Matsumoto mentioned was sealed up in 1957, which is beyond the statute of limitations by 1964."

"According to the bank's record management regulations, old files that have exceeded the statute of limitations should be transferred to the sealed storage area for safekeeping."

"I signed the sealing order in the course of fulfilling my normal duties of file management."

The more Nakajima Konosuke spoke, the more imposing he became.

"As for what Chairman Matsumoto said about my house, that's even easier to explain."

"As a bank executive, I have worked in the bank for thirty years. I have some savings and investment returns, so it is normal for me to buy property."

"It is illogical for Minister Matsumoto to conclude that there is a problem with my housing purchase funds based solely on the overlap in time."

After refuting Matsumoto Takahiro's arguments point by point, Nakajima Konosuke launched his own counterattack.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at Takahiro Matsumoto: "And as far as I know, the special investigation team hasn't received a complete response yet to the interbank inquiry letter sent to Tokyo Metropolitan Bank, has it?"

After this question was asked, the expressions of the people in the meeting room changed several times.

Is it acceptable to bring uncertain evidence to a meeting?

And this was a standing committee meeting?

Masahiro Yamazaki said with some exasperation, "Chief Matsumoto, if the core evidence is still being gathered, isn't this meeting being organized a bit too hastily?"

Seiichi Tanabe added, "According to procedure, I remember that the management meeting should be held after all the materials have arrived."

Konosuke Nakajima defused the crisis with just a few words.

Mitsubishi Bank's top management did not take the special investigation team very seriously, and even harbored resentment towards it.

So when the wind shifted, the hostility almost flew right into Matsumoto Takahiro's face.

In this regard.

Kiryu Yaya was not surprised.

Konosuke Nakajima was not the kind of person who would obediently wait to die.

He will struggle repeatedly before he dies.

That's more like someone who's worked in the banking system for thirty years and climbed to a high position.

He avoided Matsumoto Takahiro's questioning by downplaying the main point.

The focus of the meeting shifted to insufficient evidence and procedural compliance.

To know.

The meeting room was filled with people from the banking system, and these were the two things they valued most.

Konosuke Nakajima steered the conversation here, and the other executives naturally sided with him.

If the executives are convinced that the special investigation team's chain of evidence is not yet complete, then the nature of this briefing will change from a qualitative assessment to a discussion.

Once it becomes a discussion, Konosuke Nakajima has plenty of ways to delay it.

Unfortunately.

Konosuke Nakajima made a slight miscalculation.

At Matsumoto Takahiro's prompting, Kiryu Yaya stood up, placed the file folder on the table, looked around, and said, "Managing Director Nakajima, I'll answer the question you just mentioned."