Kenji no Honkai (検事の本懐)

What is that?

It's a human body! Call the police!

Early this morning, a body of a dead male was found in Shinagawa Bay.

Based on the condition of the body, it is presumed that it was a suicide.

The body was identified as a 52-year old, Katsuya Sonoya.

He was the accounting executive of Japan's Support Foundation

for Engineers and Technicians.

He was one of the primary witnesses against this foundation's bribery allegations.

Prosecutor of Yonezaki District Public Prosecutor's Office Sadato Sakata I'd like you to travel to Tokyo.

Prosecutor of Yonezaki District Public Prosecutor's Office Sadato Sakata To Tokyo?

Do you know a case of the engineers' foundation?

Sure, they are being investigated for bribing a House of

Representatives member, Sadakazu Okouchi.

Sure, the primary witness, Sonobe, killed himself.

The investigation is back to square one.

The investigative team from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors

Prosecutor of Yonezawa District Public Prosecutor's Office Mao Shoji Office asked other districts for support to build a case.

- When does it start? - Next week.

Yonezaki District Public Prosecutor's Office: Manager of the Trial Department Yoshio Tsutsui

It's a great opportunity. Try your best.

Has it been a year?

The House of Representatives member: Sadakazu Okouchi Sadakazu Okochi pressured us during

The House of Representatives member: Sadakazu Okouchi the groping case that you prosecuted.

Sure. The suspect's mother was the head of his support group.

It's strange karma that we are getting involved like this.

It doesn't matter who we are going against.

We just have to do our regular job. That's all.

KENJI NO HONKAI

Tokyo

Public Prosecutor's Office

Are you Mr. Sakata, the Prosecutor?

Yes.

I am Shiori Kato, the clerk of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.

I am Tetsuaki Koyama. Nice to meet you.

Please forget how you do things in your district.

It's said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

- Please trust me with broad tasks. - She sounds dependable.

This way, please.

Let's start.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office: Division Head of the task force Yoshihiko Konda I'm Konda, the head of this division.

I am in charge of this case.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office Chief Prosecutor of the task force Takuya Waizumi I am Chief Waizumi. Let's get down to business.

We decided to investigate this case secretly because, during our investigation

on the Engineers' Foundation's tax evasion case, we uncovered

the accounting executive, Katsuya Sonobe's false accounting activities.

In Sonobe's accounting ledger, we found 150 million yen of

unexplained expenditures, and 40 million yen out of that was

confirmed to have been personally embezzled by Sonobe.

However, we were not able to track down where the remaining

110 million yen was sent. Then, we became suspicious of

the head director, Keisei Masumoto.

Matsumoto has been planning to start a new technical college

funded by the foundation.

Once it started, a large amount of money including enrollment fees,

tuitions, donations would have rolled into Masumoto, the new director.

To accomplish his ambition, he might have asked the ruling

party member he knew, Sadakazu Okouchi, for support.

The University of Technology will be adaptable to the needs...

Thanks to Okouchi's approach, the college was established.

In return, Masumoto might have illegally donated a part of

the unaccounted-for funds.

We grilled Sonobe harshly based on that assumption,

but he absolutely denied any involvement.

I have no idea at all.

That cannot be logical.

Tell us the truth!

Who did you give the money to? Who?

Several days ago, he ran away from the hotel where he was being kept.

The rest is history as you know.

We must obtain new clues immediately.

So, tomorrow, we are conducting a compulsory search into

the foundation and Sonobe's residence.

We will bring Masumoto in for a voluntarily questioning.

Listen.

The University of Technology's case is just a tip o the iceberg.

If we can prove this the full picture of illegal donations to

other incumbents including Okouchi and cabinet members will be revealed.

The supporting members from other districts are the elite

prosecutors in each area. Please work hard for our task force.

Yes, sir!

University of Technology

Since Sonobe from your foundation killed himself for us, University of Technology

I thought everything ended, but...

The prosecution is pretty persistent.

University of Technology's opening ceremony is coming up.

About that...

I will not be able to attend.

Japan's Support Foundation for Engineers and Technicians, the head director: Keisei Masumoto You can't do that for us.

Thanks to your support we were able

to get the needed assistance to establish the school.

People will become suspicious if you are not there.

To start with, I didn't receive any money.

Am I right?

Sonobe

Japan's Support Foundation for Engineers and Technicians

Everyone, please stop your hands.

We are from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.

All of your items will be seized for inspection.

Mr. Masumoto, we'd like to ask you about the allegations of bribery.

Will you please come with us?

- Right now? - Yes.

Sure.

Freelance Writer Mamoru Kanezaki

Accounting ledgers, expense slips, data, and diaries...

Don't miss anything!

Toshiyuki Kuzumaki

Excuse us.

The task force will select and seize the evidence.

The prosecutors from other districts are supposed to carry

out the boxes outside. Please.

You guys are being too slow! Hey, pile them up.

May I speak to you?

About the primary witness, Katsuya Sonobe's suicide,

did the task force's forceful interrogation techniques cause it?

Your interrogation style was considered problematic before.

Your forceful tactics are used to bring results...

Sorry.

Mr. Sakata, please come this way.

Sakata?

I don't know about such money at all.

No? 110 million yen is a pretty big amount.

Sonobe took care of the money situation alone.

These are day planners for three years that were found in Sonobe's house.

It has numbers on certain dates regularly.

I compared slips and receipts that Sonobe handled.

They add up to 40 million yen that Sonobe embezzled.

"2" means 2 million yen.

"0.4" means 400,000 yen.

You are saying that Sonobe wrote down the amounts and

dates in his day planners.

He did, but I found one number that doesn't go with his slips or receipts.

It's dated November 30th, 2 years ago.

"30" means 300 million yen, right? That's huge.

It gets worse. Look at this.

"The mid-campaign contributions from Kuzumaki to Okouchi."

This is...

Yes.

No. We sent him a box of confectionery.

If you check it, you'd know.

We did check, Mr. Kuzumaki.

Kanshundo is on Nakahara Road by your office.

It's a historic store, isn't it?

A box of confectionary was purchased there.

You delivered 300 million yen in the box for Sonobe.

I wouldn't have been able to deliver such a large amount of money so easily.

I see. Is that why you used a taxi?

To go from your foundation to Mr. Okouchi's office, isn't it

quicker to use a train?

No! That's what we always do!

Who would believe that?

It's a matter of time.

If Kuzumaki confesses, this case will be closed.

Anyway, Ms. Shoji did excellent.

I heard she worked day and night for two days.

She is the most efficient human being that I've ever known.

Would you like to join us?

You don't have to examine everything in detail anymore.

I have some more work to do.

Me, too.

Is that right? If you change your mind, please let me know.

Excuse me.

Why don't you go?

That's just trash from the foundation, right?

Do you really need to look into those?

Once I'm concerned about something, I can't let it go.

If you are feeling bad for me, please go with them.

I just don't like to hang out with people that I barely know.

Grandeur Hotel? This is a five-star hotel in Kyoto!

I'm so jealous that they could use such a nice hotel for business.

What?

The things that you wanted to research badly were...

...places to visit?

"The prosecutors went out of control for the sake of justice.

"The bribery case's primary witness, Katsuya Sonobe,

"killed himself after the task force's aggressive interrogation."

- What do you think, sir? - Not good.

Readers are more interested in who gave Okouchi money.

I will buy it if you write about that.

Okay. Forget about this article. I found a better topic.

Nearly 30 years ago, a corporate attorney for a well-known firm

in Hiroshima was accused of embezzlement.

I worked for a newspaper publisher in Hiroshima

up to three years ago. I heard about this then

Who would be interested in such an old story? See you.

The lawyer's son is working on Sonobe's case.

The embezzler's son became a prosecutor and is investigating

a case of embezzlement. What do you think of this title?

"Can the prosecutor with a father who went against justice achieve his own justice?"

Okay.

The embezzler's son's name is the prosecutor, Sadato Sakata.

Gather up!

Kuzumaki disappeared.

We went to pick him up from his home earlier today for the scheduled hearing,

but we were told that he had already left.

He has not answering our calls after that.

Oh, no. Is he going to be like Sonobe?

This is not good! Talk to everybody Kuzumaki had

contact with and find out where he is!

Chief Prosecutor.

I have an idea where Kuzumaki might be.