The Incident (事件)

With

TAMBA Tetsuro - Lawyer Kikuchi MATSUZAKA Keiko - SAKAI Hatsuko

OTAKE Shinobu - SAKAI Yoshiko NAGASHIMA Toshiyuki - UEDA Hiroshi

Directed by NOMURA Yoshitaro

THE INCIDENT

My sister was dead in that forest,

while you and I were living in Yokohama!

Forgive me!

I don't know what to say!

But I've come here to see you, haven't I?

Will you forgive me?

It's not a question of forgiveness!

Even mother said that I shouldn't come here!

Is our baby inside you alright?

"SNACK BAR OWNER SLAIN BY YOUTH"

"KILLING ONE SISTER, LIVING WITH THE OTHER ONE"

"YOKOHAMA DISTRICT COURT"

"COURT OF JUSTICE"

"SCHEDULE OF HEARINGS"

Please.

Thank you.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

"JUDGE-s OFFICE"

Good morning.

Good morning.

Do you know the counsel for the defense, Kikuchi?

We've graduated the same school.

I've met him at gatherings.

How is he like?

He has handled many criminal cases.

Prosecutor Okabe is likely to have a hard time.

"The two lived together in a small apartment. "

"A brief period of happiness... "

Everything's ready.

Rise!

The trial of defendant Ueda Hiroshi can now begin.

The charges are: murder and abandoning the corpse.

Defendant.

State your name.

Ueda Hiroshi.

Date of birth?

Showa 31, 9.10.

Domicile?

Kanagawa Prefecture, Tsuchida Town,

No 28.

What is your correspondence address?

Yokohama, 33 Hara-machi, Isogo Ward.

What is your occupation?

Shipyard worker.

Arraignment.

"The defendant is a worker at the Shipyard..."

".. located in Yokohama. "

"Living in an apartment house... "

".. with his wife Sakai Yoshiko,"

"aged 19, second daughter of Mrs Sumie. "

"Yoshiko's sister, Hatsuko, aged 23,"

"found out Yoshiko was pregnant and wanted to inform... "

".. Yoshiko's mother and the defendant's father. "

“The defendant started planning... “

“.. to kill Hatsuko. “

"On Showa 51, 3.28, 1977, at 2 p. m. "

"He secretly went to the town of Chogo. "

"From the Kikuichi Hardware Store in that town... "

".. he bought a knife with a 8.5 cm blade. "

“At 3:00 a. m. the same day... “

“.. he stopped at Chogo Motor Co. “

"The rental of a light truck for moving was negotiated. "

“Just then Hatsuko passed by. “

"He decided to carry out his murder plan. "

"He took Hatsuko on his bicycle and rode with her... "

...up to a dessert spot, located...

...50 meters south of the Sarashizawa Crossroad, and then,"

"suddenly, he pulled out his knife..."

".. and plunged it into Hatsuko,"

"inflicting a wound that reached the heart. "

"Death resulted from excessive bleeding. "

"Then, in order to conceal the crime,"

"he dragged the body for about five miles. "

"The body was finally dumped in a forest."

The charges are: 1. murder, Article 199 of the criminal code,

2. abandonment of a corpse, Article 190.

Has the defendant anything to say about the arraignment?

An answer is not mandatory.

Whatever you say, favorable or unfavorable,

will be recorded as evidence.

I killed Hatsuko-san,

but that's not why I had bought the knife for.

I really never planned to kill her.

But...

...Hatsuko was going to tell everything to Yoshiko's mother.

I wanted to stop that.

I took out the knife.

But I can't understand how it happened.

I must have killed her.

I am ready for the death sentence.

The evidence will now be presented.

The prosecution, please.

Murder. Abandonment of a corpse.

In presenting the case against the defendant...

...the facts to be proven by evidence are the following:

First - the defendant's background.

The defendant was born on Showa 31, 9.10.

His father is a farmer.

He graduated from Junior high school in March, Showa 47.

While studying further at a night school...

...he worked at a factory in Chigasaki in the daytime,

as an apprentice, a temporary worker.

Diligent and with a genial disposition,

he never quarreled with others.

From about Showa 50, 9.23, he became intimate...

...with Yoshiko, the second daughter of Sakai Sumie.

They used to meet at an inn, and in other places.

Yoshiko became pregnant in December that year.

There was talk about their relationship.

The two became afraid...

...of Yoshiko's pregnancy becoming known to their parents.

The two planned to run away and live together.

For that purpose...

...he decided to move to Yokohama,

and went to the Kinoshita Shipyard there.

He applied there and was hired to start work from April 1st.

Next: the preparations for the murder.

Sakai Hatsuko...

...had worked as a hostess in Tokyo, from Showa 47,

in various restaurants and cabarets.

She had returned to her father's house in Showa 50.

She had, then, opened a snack bar.

The defendant went there with Yoshiko very often.

Hatsuko became aware of Yoshiko's pregnancy.

She strongly urged them for an abortion.

On March 20,

Hatsuko insisted again for an abortion.

Both the defendant and Yoshiko refused.

Hatsuko said that she'd inform their parents.

In order to prevent that from happening...

...the defendant decided to kill Hatsuko.

On March 28th...

...the defendant finalized his plan to murder Hatsuko.

At 2:00 p. m. he cycled to the town of Chogo.

Hatsuko had come in town by bus.

He went to the Hardware Store.

There he brought a 8.5 cm blade knife,

Planning to kill Hatsuko at the first opportunity.

At 3:30 p. m.

...he went to the Chogo Motor Co. where he had talked...

...on an earlier date about renting a truck.

He negotiated for renting a truck overnight.

As he was talking in front of the store,

Hatsuko happened to pass by.

Next, the facts concerning the murder.

On this day the victim was collecting...

...the drinking debts made to her snack bar...

...situated in front of Atsugi Station.

She boarded a bus...

...heading for Yokohama at about 2:16 p. m.

She collected 2,050 from Mr Sakakibara.

After chatting there for a while...

...she visited Miyachi Tatsuzo at his apartment...

...above the snack bar "Ah Li",

and she left there at 3:30 p. m.

She walked along the bus road to the Chogo Motor Company.

The defendant was negotiating there.

He was startled to see Hatsuko.

Hatsuko asked him for a ride back home on his bicycle.

Suspecting she was on her way to tell her mother and father...

.. about Yoshiko's pregnancy,

the defendant felt the time for the murder had come.

At 3:50 p. m. he let the victim ride...

...on the back of the bicycle.

While on the way home,

at about 4:10 p. m.

While passing by a flower shop, they quarreled.

They kept quarreling all the way to the top of a hill,

East of the forest.

Knowing that this was a very lonely spot,

the defendant was ready to kill.

He intended to conceal the body in a forest,

in the countryside.

Suddenly turning to the left,

he made the victim get off and walk to the scene of the crime.

He took out the knife.

Hatsuko laughed, at first,

but she was soon overcome by fear.

She said that she admitted she had done wrong,

and that she would not tell anyone.

"Don't kill me, I beg you!"

Despite her plea, the defendant struck.

He grasped Hatsuko with his left hand.

Taking care not to have blood spurting on him,

he plunged the knife into her,

inflicting a wound that reached the heart.

Death resulted from excessive bleeding.

A few drops of blood on his trousers...

...remained unnoticed by the defendant.

Don't you feel well?

No, I'm all right.

Just acting.

Young and clever.

You may proceed.

On the way back home...