Chapter 62 - Light and Shadow 41 (205–206 Takeshita and Kurosu, Tokyo Ward Office Interview Arc)
Thursday, November 16th, 9:30 AM. Takeshita and Kurosu were at the Family Register and Resident Records Section of the Bunkyo Ward Office in Kasuga, Bunkyo Ward.
"Thank you for waiting. Since this address is from before the address display change, it's a bit different from how it is now."
With that preamble, a female staff member who appeared to be a veteran began her explanation.
"From the former Taro Village, a new family register was created through branch registration in January of the 23rd year of Showa (1948) (since the enforcement of the new Family Register Act was in January of Showa 23, it was revised on February 23rd of the 18th year) at what was then 1-chome △, Kanda Sarugakucho, Chiyoda Ward. This place name, Kanda Sarugakucho, is now simply Sarugakucho. It seems the name was changed in the 40s of the Showa era. Then, in February of Showa 25, a name change was permitted by the Tokyo Family Court, and he became 'Kuwano Yasuo.' After that, in March of the same year, the registered domicile was moved within Chiyoda Ward. That would be 1-chome ◯◯, Nishi-Kanda. Then, in November of Showa 26, he became the adopted son of a person named 'Tada Sakura.' The registered domicile remained the same. In other words, with the transfer in March of Showa 25, his registered domicile was already the same as the adoptive mother, Tada Sakura-san's."
This much Takeshita and his partner already mostly knew. That wasn't the problem.
"Now, regarding the family register of the person who became the adoptive mother, she was born on August 5th, the 16th year of Meiji (1883), and passed away in September of the 35th year of Showa (1960). It seems she had no children, and her husband, Sakitaro, is recorded as having died on March 10th, Showa 20. He likely died in the 'Great Tokyo Air Raid' (Author's Note: While it's simply called the Great Tokyo Air Raid, Tokyo was hit by numerous American air raids during the Pacific War; in a general sense, the Great Tokyo Air Raid usually refers to the raid on March 10, Showa 20 (1945), which caused over 100,000 deaths in a single night). It's unknown if the place they actually lived matched the registered domicile, but there's no information on Tada-san's supplementary family register indicating she lived elsewhere. Therefore, at least since Showa 26, when the supplementary family register began to be used along with the enforcement of the Resident Registration Act (the predecessor to the current Basic Resident Ledger Act), there's a high possibility she lived at the Tokyo registered domicile the whole time, so it's quite possible she lived there before that as well. If we consider that her husband died in the Great Tokyo Air Raid, that would be the most reasonable conclusion."
Takeshita reacted to the unfamiliar term.
"I think I get the gist of it, but what is a 'supplementary family register'?"
"A supplementary family register is a record separate from the family register itself that is attached to it, containing the actual address history of the person whose registered domicile is there. In the case of the Tada family, the registered domicile was in Tokyo the whole time, but if they lived in another location for a certain period during that time, the information on that residential history would be recorded in the supplementary register. Think of it as something like a resident record attached to the family register. Before this, until Showa 26, there was a system called the 'Temporary Residence Act'... Oh, let me explain temporary residence. If you leave your registered domicile and live in another location for 90 days or more, it's called temporary residence, and the information was recorded in what was called a temporary residence register. Since this has already been discarded following the abolition of the law, unfortunately, we cannot grasp the address history prior to the enforcement of the Resident Registration Act. Since the supplementary register doesn't record address history from before Showa 26, the facts are unfortunately unknown, but considering various factors, it's highly likely that the long-standing registered domicile and Tada-san's actual address were the same the whole time. That's what I'm saying."
Because the female staff member laid out the explanation all at once, Takeshita and Kurosu had a hard time organizing it in their heads.
"It's a bit hard for an amateur to understand... By the way, how do you write 'temporary residence'?"
When Takeshita asked again, the female staff member wrote the kanji on a piece of memo paper.
Even though Takeshita was a graduate of a law department (though his major was political science) and was the type with a sharp mind, it was unavoidable that he couldn't fully understand the explanation he had heard so far in one go. However, it was lucky to learn that address history could be found through family register-related documents (Author's Note: To be precise, even if you request a copy of a family register, a copy of the supplementary family register is not included. It must be requested separately. This is merely a fictional setting where, as part of an investigation, they obtained both pieces of information through the convenience of the office).
"Excuse me. Does that mean the address history is listed in the family register for Kuwano—well, Tada as well? If you can find that out, it would be a help."
To Takeshita's question,
"That's true, but... from what I've already looked into, it's not clear from the removed registers (the records of a family register that remain after the registered domicile has moved) from either the era when this former Kuwano-san's registered domicile was in Sarugakucho or the era when it was in Nishi-Kanda. The ones from the Sarugakucho era are from before the Resident Registration Act, so as I mentioned, the temporary residence registers under the Temporary Residence Act have been discarded. And in the ones from the Nishi-Kanda era, there are no addresses other than the registered domicile listed in any supplementary registers after Showa 27, so there was likely no change in address until the registered domicile itself was moved to Abashiri upon marriage."
The staff member answered.
"I see..."
Takeshita had no choice but to accept the female staff member's explanation for the time being, even if it was forced.
"That aside, you mentioned that because the Chiyoda area is the center of Tokyo, there were many deaths in the air raids...?"
Takeshita brought the conversation back to the air raids, reflecting on the tragedy of the time that he knew from photographs and other sources.
"At the time, it was an area called 'Kanda Ward.' After the war (Showa 22), Kojimachi Ward and Kanda Ward merged to become the current Chiyoda Ward. Of course, I think there were many deaths. Though the Imperial Palace escaped the air raids."
"So, after Tada Sakura-san died, what happened to the Tada family? Kuwano—no, 'Tada Yasuo'—should have left the register by marrying into another family before that, right?"
Kurosu, as if losing his patience, steered the conversation toward the 'main subject.' The female staff member gave a wry smile.
"The Tada family, unfortunately, came to an end. Also, regarding the address of the registered domicile at the time, when I looked into it just now, it seems that currently, it's the address of a community center in Chiyoda Ward (Author's Note: Naturally, this is a fictional setting and is unrelated to reality). I don't know the circumstances of how it became that way, but if they not only lived at the registered domicile but actually owned the land and such, why don't you check the registry office for the inheritance and land title transfer? We can't grasp that here."
She told the two this somewhat coldly, as was to be expected.
"That's true... No, this is enough. Thank you for your help..."
As Takeshita said his thanks,
"Oh right, by the way, is there anyone around here who has lived here since before the war and knows a lot about the area? I'd like to talk to them."
He dared to ask further, knowing the female staff member might not be involved.
"I wonder, I can't really give you an answer..."
While saying what he expected and tilting her head, she added,
"Perhaps, since there's a 'Town Development Section' in this office, they might be able to introduce you to someone who is well-versed in the local history."
She said.
"Is that so! That's a help. Then I'll take you up on that right away."
Takeshita signaled to his subordinate with his eyes and was about to leave, but,
"Ah, wait a moment! Also, there's a 'Facility Management Section,' and since they handle matters related to community centers, they might know something there!"
She added supplementary information as if she had suddenly realized it.
"Thanks for the extra consideration!"
The two turned back and gave their greetings.
And after that,
"Which one should we go to first?"
Kurosu asked for instructions, so,
"Let's try the Facility Management Section first!"
Takeshita spoke in a somewhat loud voice for a public facility, perhaps to shake off the feeling that 'this is all quite a hassle' and to encourage themselves.
"Let's do that then!"
Kurosu also spoke in a bright voice, though it was a bit of forced energy. Rather, knowing they could 'move forward' seemed to make his steps lighter as he ran toward the sign board showing the locations of each section in the office.
When they inquired at the Facility Management Section they visited immediately, they were made to wait for about 30 minutes. However, after that, without even needing to go to the registry office, the circumstances of how Tada Sakura's address became the current community center were revealed. Apparently, the community center called the Nishi-Kanda Community Center (a setting in the story) was built on the land after the original building was demolished, following its donation to Chiyoda Ward by Oshima Kaiji—who had already married and become 'Tadokoro Yasuo' at the time—who had inherited it after the death of the original owner of the land and building, Tada Sakura. The current community center building had apparently been rebuilt since then.
Then, they made their way to the other section, the Town Development Section. When they explained the situation to the staff member, they were introduced to a man named 'Koshiba Zennosuke,' who was the honorary chairman of the Nishi-Kanda Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Metropolitan Assembly.
He was said to be an elderly man of 93 years, but he was still vigorous and his memory was clear, so if he knew anything about the time the community center was built, he would likely tell them. The staff member who knew Koshiba vouched for him, saying that while he was the type whose elite consciousness as a Tokyo Imperial University graduate could be a bit grating, he had an excellent memory and would be perfect for hearing vast amounts of old stories.
They also called ahead to contact him, and obtained his word that he remembered well the circumstances of the community center's construction on the site of the Tada Sakura residence, as well as Tada Sakura herself. Furthermore, they received a reply that they were welcome anytime after 1:30 PM. It went without saying that Takeshita and Kurosu were truly grateful for the responses of the multiple staff members at the Chiyoda Ward Office.
Meanwhile, Nishida and Yoshimura, who were attached to the investigation headquarters in Kitami, were working on obtaining election bulletins. They visited the Election Administration Commission at the Kitami City Office and asked if any election bulletins for the House of Representatives elections remained.
"Hmm, I think we might have kept them... Please wait a moment."
The middle-aged male staff member, who initially had a puzzled look, suddenly panicked when shown the police badge and began rummaging through the cabinets in the back. After a few minutes,
"Ah, here they are, these must be it. The last three times, it looks like."
He said, handing them to Nishida. The two divided the task and checked the 'Oshima Kaiji' section as if devouring it.
"Huh? Only the university he graduated from is listed!"
Yoshimura was the first to speak up. Nishida also checked the most recent 1993 40th General Election of the House of Representatives bulletin he was investigating, but it was the same.
"Which one is yours, Yoshimura?"
"I checked the 39th, and now I'm looking at the 38th..."
Immediately after Yoshimura said that,
"Ah, no good. This one only has the university too... It says he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Meiho University in Showa 29, but that's it."
He reported with a sigh.
"Yeah, same here."
Nishida also clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Excuse me, was it the Public Offices Election Act? What does that law say about the handling of educational backgrounds like this?"
Nishida asked the staff member in front of him about his concern.
"Well... I believe it's a violation to post false information, but not posting information itself isn't a legal problem."
"Oh... I see..."
Nishida and Yoshimura had looks on their faces as if they had chewed on a bitter bug at the unexpected reply. When Yoshimura checked the profile section, it said he was from Iwate, and besides the university he graduated from, it was a brief chronological table starting from Showa 38, when he first became a member of parliament in the 30th General Election of the House of Representatives. Since what to post in the election bulletin was free except for the photo and name, their expectations were completely thwarted.
"Well, we know he graduated from Meiho University, so let's call it a win... It's a university in Tokyo, so it's perfect timing. We'll have Takeshita and his partner look into it."
For Nishida, thinking this way was the only way to avoid excessive disappointment.
And since the bulletin said 'From Iwate Prefecture,' Nishida and the others also confirmed that Oshima at least hadn't shown any signs of trying to hide that thoroughly. However, since falsifying one's place of birth would be a violation of the law, he might have been unable to list another location. It was also a fact that if the family register were investigated, it couldn't be hidden.
Having no choice, they returned to the investigation headquarters, where Kurano spoke to them.
"We expanded the scope from the Asahikawa area to the level of the Kushiro Regional Headquarters' jurisdiction, but among the yakuza members with the surname Abe, there's only about one person who is 'serious' enough to be involved in a shooting against a person. There was one who had a record of firing a handgun into an office during a yakuza conflict in Kushiro before, and he's now a member of the Todo-gumi, a subsidiary of the Suenaga-kai in Asahikawa. He's a worker at Toyoda Construction, which is also a subcontractor for Ranbash Construction, but he's currently away on company orders working at a site in Chiba. We had the Chiba Prefectural Police cooperate, but it's certain he was in Chiba on the day. In the end, it's practically impossible in terms of an alibi. Anyway, because of that, the result is that there's no one with the surname Abe involved in the incident around Kitami. We have no choice but to expand it to the entire prefecture now. Well, I didn't think it was the kind of case you'd leave to the local yakuza anyway."
It seemed they had narrowed it down considerably with the name Abe, but the reality was that it wasn't that simple. However, it was also a fact that not finding anyone within this scope had been anticipated to some extent.
Before the interview with Koshiba Zennosuke in the early afternoon, Takeshita and his partner had left the Chiyoda Ward Office in Kudanshita and were heading toward Jimbocho. Since they had a little time, they remembered the story of Jimbocho that Nishida and the others had visited and thought they would browse some bookstores to kill time. However, they also intended to have lunch before it got crowded, so they didn't have much time to wander around.
For that reason, they decided to visit the 'Kaiser Shoin' bookstore where Nishida had obtained the book to prove the forgery of the deed. Takeshita, of course, had never been there directly, but the address from when Nishida ordered the book from Osaka was in a corner of his mind, thanks to his specialty—his memory. However, actually going to that place was another matter, and he had a fair amount of trouble, asking people passing by. The shop he visited was much larger than he had imagined, and Takeshita, who liked books, naturally broke into a smile as soon as he entered.
"Are you looking for something, Senior Staff?"
When Kurosu asked him that,
"Just a bit. Besides, there aren't any secondhand bookstores of this level in Hokkaido. It's fun just looking."
He said.
"Is that how it is?"
Kurosu spoke as if it were hard to understand.