JUJUTSU KAISEN (呪術廻戦)

JAPAN'S CRIMINAL CONVICTION RATE IS 99.9%

I had a cat.

Go on.

All of a sudden, a cop came up to me…

Then there were two, three of them…

I thought, "If they arrest me like this, my cat will die."

We weren't allowed to keep pets,

and I was the only one who knew I had it.

Iwate Prefecture, Morioka City.

March 2016.

A young girl and her mother

were found stabbed to death at home.

The Morioka District Prosecutors' Office indicted Keita Oe, who lived nearby,

on suspicion of robbery and murder.

Here's how he was arrested.

- Oe fled during a police stop… - Hey, stop!

- …by a patrolling officer. - Hey, wait!

He ran into his house,

and when officers followed him in, they found a bloodstained knife.

He was arrested on the spot.

- Later DNA testing matched… - Hey! Settle down!

…the blood on the knife used on the victims.

Oe consistently denied the crime.

and the knife, the key piece of evidence…

I found it.

It's not mine.

Come on, that doesn't add up.

He refused the stop because he felt guilty, right?

HIGURUMA LAW OFFICE

No.

He was unfairly interrogated before

because an acquaintance of his used drugs.

So it was trauma?

Even so,

he "found" a bloody kitchen knife?

Why?

He says he planned to turn it in to the police later.

Later?

I know. Every part of his story sounds forced.

But if you consider his situation…

He is a live-in worker at an NPO.

It starts to feel like it isn't impossible.

An NPO?

They mainly run shelters and support

elderly people with nowhere to go.

Oe worked there, taking care of them.

But he wasn't paid a salary.

They call it "allowances." He gets New Year's money sometimes,

or boxed lunches and ingredients. That's it.

And despite that,

they charge him 50,000 yen a month as "rent."

That's brutal…

A lot of the residents there have criminal records.

As for why he was late turning in the weapon he found…

We weren't allowed to call them. Patrol cars or ambulances.

It would bother the neighbors.

That organization sounds pretty shady.

Yes. It's gray, almost black.

Ever since disaster relief money started flowing into Tohoku,

these shady NPOs have been increasing.

So a weapon lying around isn't that far-fetched.

There's more than enough chance Oe is innocent.

First, we dig into the group. Their activity record, tax filings,

and the identities of every resident.

I'll keep questioning Oe.

Shimizu, you keep investigating.

Isn't my workload increasing all of a sudden?

Also, can you keep a cat?

A cat?

Court appointments pay peanuts, but they dump a ton of work on you.

And public opinion is all "guilty."

Plus, it's murder. No suspended sentence, and the death penalty is possible.

You do all this, and for what?

Mr. Higuruma,

why did you take a case like this?

It's fine once in a while.

If I only do easy work, my skills get dull.

"Once in a while"?

This isn't once in a while!

What you're thinking is all over your face.

Higuruma, you never change.

It's rough when the boss attorney doesn't care about money.

I'm not saying

he should run a café on the side like you, Ms. Takagi…

But you said he never changes…

Was Mr. Higuruma always like that?

Not really.

If anything, he's worse now.

What?

Back when he was at our firm,

he handled a case for reckless driving causing injury.

Drunk driving, I mean.

The defendant was 19 years old.

People at work

forced him to drink and drive.

But they made everyone match their testimonies.

He couldn't come up with a settlement

or get a suspended sentence.

Liar…

You said I would be found not guilty!

You said you would try to get him probation.

You never said he would be found not guilty, though.

That should have taught you, right?

Quit taking hopeless criminal cases.

Saving the weak…

Sure, it sounds noble.

But on our own, without the court

and prosecutors, there are limits.

Oh, I found it!

You don't need to go that far. Even the clients would resent you.

They are cornered,

financially and mentally.

It is no surprise they lash out at me.

What is in your heart, Higuruma?

I…

The ruling. The defendant is…

Not guilty.

What?

What's going on?

No way…

We actually won…

Not yet.

They will appeal right away.

THE MORIOKA MOTHER AND CHILD MURDER CASE- NOT GUILTY VERDICT DESPITE SUSPICIONS

FORMER JUDGE WAS SHOCKED AT NOT GUILTY VERDICT DESPITE EVIDENCE

NOT GUILTY IF YOU PAY, YOU'RE NOT GUILTY

HOW MUCH WAS IT? LAW IS DEAD. PROSECUTOR IS USELESS

Next, the prosecutors…

The stolen items were not found in Mr. Oe's room.

Someone at the NPO

went missing right after the crime.

Also, at the estimated time of the crime,

the security camera at the shop

showed you there. That's the biggest problem.

Good thing you do not cook, Mr. Oe.

Mr. Higuruma, sir. Thank you so much.

Don't call me "sir."

And do not get ahead of yourself. There is still the appeal.

I WAS NERVOUS, TOO

It's not that.

Thank you for believing in me.

APPEAL TRIAL-SECOND TRIAL

LIFE IMPRISONMENT

The defense has to work

with limited budget and staff.

The prosecution pours in taxes and manpower to build evidence.

That is fine. That is how it works.

But in the appeal,

the prosecution added no new evidence.

Yet they ruled, "There is no reason to suspect

the missing person. The investigation was reckless."

And the verdict was overturned.

The Supreme Court is a narrow gate.

Most appeals are rejected outright.

It is hard to even get a proper hearing.

This trial was guilty from the start…

Why are you looking at me…

with those eyes?

What is in your heart,

Higuruma?

I'm not some champion saving the weak.

Since I was young, I could not ignore what I felt was wrong.

That is all.

The Lady of Justice blinds herself for equality under the law.

But people shut their eyes

to anything, to protect themselves.

So I will not shake off the hands that cling to me.

I want to be the one who keeps her eyes open.

If you object to this ruling,

file a notice of appeal

within 15 days, including today.

Mr. Higuruma?

Everyone, dismissed.

Start over.

CULLING GAME PLAYER

HIROMI HIGURUMA

Higuruma is…

- in Shinjuku. -…in Ikebukuro.

Shinjuku…

I hope Itadori is headed there too.

Ikebukuro?

Maybe Fushiguro is there too.

Isn't he a little late?

When is that kid going to bring me

the next sucker?

Huh? What?

No. That's not it.

Hey, what are you doing?

Like this.