Chapter 123 - Name and Reality 46 {74 Solo} (168-169 Yasumura's Intentions)
Yasumura, the Kitami District Headquarters Chief, arrived late on the scene.
"Anyway, please explain the situation in detail."
As Yasumura gave his instructions with his characteristic composure, Station Chief Takeda provided the same explanation as before. Yasumura listened intently to the story and said,
"I see... Because the response on-site was solid, it managed to end as a mere attempt. However, I will properly notify the Sapporo Headquarters."
This was standard procedure according to internal regulations, so it couldn't be helped. However, immediately after, Yasumura said something unexpected.
"I intend to hold a press conference regarding this matter as early as tomorrow, so I will also seek permission for that from the Sapporo Headquarters."
The Station Chief was the first to react to this unforeseen statement.
"Headquarters Chief Yasumura! I won't say there's absolutely no need for a press conference, but since this was an attempt and no aftereffects are expected, I don't believe there's a need for us to initiate one?"
In fact, since Yasumura himself had admitted that both the response and the outcome were non-issues, Nishida, and of course Mitani, also felt there was no necessity for a press conference. Nishida was certain that behind Takeda's statement was the calculation that "since it ended at this level, the Prefectural Police Headquarters will likely respond that there's no need for a media announcement."
"Yes, certainly, what the Station Chief says is reasonable. However, since this is an attempted suicide by a suspect in a quite significant case, I believe it wouldn't be strange for us to hold a press conference on this matter."
Yasumura replied in this manner.
"No, wait! Please wait a moment! It was an attempted suicide, and it ended without any problems, so this is a case at a level where the Prefectural Police Headquarters would rather say there's no need for a press conference!"
At this point, Station Chief Takeda "confessed" that he indeed had the intentions Nishida had speculated. Perhaps because he was desperate, his face didn't show the expression of failure for having explicitly voiced it. At the same time, Takeda's tone was visibly heating up. Since the incident was at a level where it could be said there was almost no fault on the police side, he likely wanted to say there was no reason to be subjected to a kind of "public execution" treatment like a press conference.
"No! He is a suspect in such a major incident, so we need to be thorough!"
Yasumura had also become stubborn at this point.
"There's no point in arguing about that here, so I'll reluctantly let it go... However, if the Headquarters decides there's no need to hold a press conference, you will, needless to say, follow those instructions, right?"
Takeda, who was senior in age and had the air of a non-career officer who worked his way up, countered without backing down, even while appearing to make a concession. But Yasumura's answer to that was something that even Nishida found utterly incomprehensible.
"No, I'll do it!"
"Huh?"
Takeda asked back instantly with an overt expression, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"I'm saying I'll do it! That's all there is to it."
To Yasumura, who talked back with renewed emphasis,
"No, Headquarters Chief! Even for me, it's hard to understand ignoring the chain of command from the upper management,"
even Mitani offered a word of caution to his direct superior. However, as if to say it was none of his concern, Yasumura simply repeated the same thing briefly:
"No, I'm going to do it."
Hearing this, Takeda ended up howling his emotions in front of many involved parties.
"What is this! What's wrong with the current Headquarters Chief!"
Nishida also thought that things had become serious, but at the same time, he felt it would be nearly impossible to stop Yasumura. Since he was asserting it this much, it seemed he was aiming for some kind of investigative effect beyond just the purpose of information disclosure. If that were the case, since what he was carrying was clearly different from those in other positions, Nishida thought that the current Yasumura might carry it through even if it meant a mutual downfall with the upper management.
Of course, wasn't the effect of the press conference Yasumura was aiming for to arouse public opinion and put pressure on the hospitalized Oshima and the Minyu Party, or perhaps the administration side? At the same time, if that speculation was correct, Nishida felt a bit heavy-hearted, thinking that from now on, not to mention the Kitami District Headquarters and the Kitami Station, but even the Prefectural Police Headquarters and eventually the National Police Agency might fall into considerable chaos.
After rushing into the Kitami Station, Nishida ended up staying at the Kitami District Headquarters the whole time, remaining in the midst of the turmoil. As expected, Criminal Investigation Director Koyabu arrived later and had direct negotiations with Headquarters Chief Yasumura, but for the time being, a compromise was reached before dawn to come to a conclusion after consultations with the Prefectural Police Headquarters.
That said, Yasumura had made it clear that even if the Prefectural Police Headquarters (T/N: original reads 'honsha' — usually 'head office', here referring to the main HQ) opposed it, his basic policy was to "do it." It seemed he was merely going to listen to what the Headquarters had to say.
And the investigators, who were unaware of the midnight commotion and the subsequent dispute, gathered at the investigation headquarters one after another after 7:30 AM. When they heard about Nakagawa's suicide attempt, they all couldn't hide their surprise and seemed relieved that he was safe. However, they didn't yet understand that the police leaders in Kitami were at odds with each other.
This day, August 19th, was the start of the second term for many elementary schools in Hokkaido, where summers are short. Even before 8:00 AM, the sight of energetic students heading to school was noticeable from the office windows. Although it wasn't a perfectly clear day, their lively voices echoed everywhere from the morning, and Nishida felt that the town had a somewhat brightened atmosphere, unlike the investigation headquarters. And finally, feeling with his eyes and skin that the summer in Eastern Hokkaido was coming to an end, he was strongly conscious of the final spurt toward Oshima's arrest.
Nakagawa, who had attempted suicide, was to spend the day in the hospital just in case, and no interrogation was to be conducted. However, the outcome of the press conference had become Nishida's greatest concern.
At 10:00 AM, a telephone conference was held between Kida, the Chief of the Prefectural Police, Hourai, the Inspector General, and Yasumura. The result was that Kida and Hourai actually requested that the press conference be held proactively, and instructions were given to leave the basic policy of the conference to Yasumura.
This seemed to have greatly surprised Kitami Station Chief Takeda and Criminal Investigation Director Koyabu as well. In particular, the Station Chief, who might be held responsible as the local jurisdiction, snapped back at the Prefectural Police Headquarters again. However, since he obtained a commitment (T/N: original reads 'genchi' — a verbal promise or statement that can be used as evidence later) that "the duties were performed appropriately and the local jurisdiction would not be held responsible at all," he reluctantly backed down. And it was decided that the press conference would be held that evening, with the press club being notified before noon.
While Nishida didn't think this result was impossible, he felt a considerable sense of incongruity that even proactive information disclosure was requested from "the other side." Therefore, squeezing in time between managing the interrogations of Isaka, Sakamoto, and Itagaki, he headed to Yasumura to talk to him directly about this matter.
*
"What do you think, Headquarters Chief? I heard from Director Koyabu that the press conference was approved quite easily."
"Since it's an attempted suicide by a suspect of a very high-profile case, I judged that it should be done in this day and age when a certain level of information disclosure is required. But for the 'higher-ups' who dislike scandals, they approved it quite smoothly, which feels rather strange, to be honest."
Yasumura, questioned by Nishida, confessed his frank thoughts at the end, but he still kept his own motives for insisting on holding the press conference hidden from Nishida. Then he continued,
"I don't think it's very good to have base suspicions, but I can't help but feel there's something behind this... Most likely, there's a clear intention behind why it was welcomed this much. It might even be related to politics."
"Related to politics?"
Nishida immediately jumped on the words that came out of Yasumura's mouth.
"Yes. It's a matter of power balance, or rather, political dynamics. The current Prime Minister Takamatsu was originally a politician on the outsider side even within the 'Shitetsu-kai,' which couldn't be called the mainstream faction. So he must have a desire to quickly crush the old Hakozaki Faction... the current Umeda Faction, to which Oshima Kaiji, who is under suspicion, belongs. The development where things around Oshima have suddenly become suspicious is, in a sense, exactly what he wants. On the other hand, the longer the suspicions against Oshima drag on, the more of a negative image will be attached to the entire Minyu Party. Information has already come in from my contemporary in Tokyo that since Secretary Nakagawa's arrest, rumors about the 'X-day' for Oshima's arrest have been circulating as if they were true in Nagata-cho. Of course, from our perspective, it's not a rumor but the main thrust of the case, so it's a given... And if Secretary Nakagawa's suicide attempt is reported, that flow will undoubtedly accelerate further. In this situation, for Prime Minister Takamatsu, the sooner the case is settled, the better. That's why I somehow feel that (my position) is being used skillfully... As a government, is it a kind of justification, saying they are outwardly letting the police act freely..."
After saying that much, Yasumura slowly stood up from his seat and stood by the window. He looked to be in deep thought, and Nishida considered stopping his questions there.
However, thinking he must ask anyway, he ventured a question.
"But, this might be rude, but didn't you yourself have the intention of putting pressure on the other side at the point when you went out of your way to make this matter public through a press conference?"
In response, Yasumura only gave Nishida a glance before returning his gaze out the window.
"Exactly. That's what I was thinking. ...But now that it's come to this, I'm starting to think my own thoughts were shallow, strangely enough. If permission from the upper management hadn't been granted, I might not have thought that far. I can forgive my own 'maneuvering,' but I feel dissatisfied when I'm caught up in someone else's 'maneuvering'... Humans are selfish creatures."
At this time, Nishida didn't clearly understand the intention of that statement and was at a loss for words.
"Ah, saying 'humans' might be presumptuous. It's just that I'm the one who's selfish."
Yasumura, facing Nishida again, had an expression that contained a bit of anger. No, it might have just looked that way.
"However, I can say this. As expected, the hurdle for Oshima's arrest seems to have become lower than expected, for sure... Regarding the murder of Sada Minoru, there are still considerable problems in the proof part, but for the arrest in the Kyoritsu Hospital shooting case, I've started to feel that we might be able to go with just the current evidence, even without Nakagawa's testimony. After that, it's about how to drag out the hospitalized Oshima using the clear master-servant relationship between Oshima and Nakagawa—that's the point!"
"I see. It's quite possible to see it as moving in that direction..."
Nishida had also come to understand the intention through that explanation.
"I felt that with only the testimonies of Isaka, Sakamoto, and Itagaki, it would have been weak to call it Oshima's involvement until now, but the situation must be changing. If it were an ordinary citizen, it wouldn't be strange to be able to arrest them even with this level of testimony, for better or worse, and Oshima is now falling into that same situation—something like that. Section Chief Assistant Nishida, please be prepared for that. We might be able to move sooner than expected."
Saying so, he stared intently at Nishida this time.
"Understood. I've also understood your thoughts, Headquarters Chief, so I'll return to the investigation headquarters for now."
Nishida met that gaze firmly, replied, and left the room.