You don't need to risk your life, just give me an answer.
From the Prosecutors Union, I have an extremely moderate request to defendant Toshiyuki Nakano, defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, Makoto Watanabe, Representative Director, Chairman and CEO of Last One Mile Inc., the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, and everyone at the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau.
You don't need to risk your life.
You don't have to go that far.
You don't need to commit seppuku.
You don't have to ruin the company.
There is no need to socially destroy anyone.
Please answer the question normally.
Listen to the circumstances from the necessary parties involved, check the evidence, and sincerely explain the results.
That is all.
Why do both Defendant Tamaki Nakano and Mr. Makoto Watanabe risk their lives so readily?
According to LINE messages and other data preserved by the prosecution union, Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano repeatedly made statements to those around him implying that he would risk his life.
Similarly, regarding Makoto Watanabe, Representative Director, Chairman, and CEO of Last One Mile Inc., recordings and other materials preserved by our union record him making statements to the following effect.
- I'll kill you
- I'll destroy them even if it kills us both
- Destroy the entire company
- "I will definitely force them to delist"
Both Defendant Nakano Juki and Mr. Watanabe Makoto seem to have a tendency to bring up their lives before explanations or evidence when critical situations arise.
However, life is not collateral for a contract.
Even if you declare that you are putting your life on the line, it does not make what you say true.
Declaring that you will stab each other does not mean you have answered the opponent's question.
If your claim is truly correct, please provide evidence instead of your life.
Even defendant Daisuke Tabuchi said, "I'm risking my life here."
It has been reported that during interrogations, Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, a former prosecutor with the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department, pounded on the desk, fiercely pressed the subject, and made the following statements:
If I fail, I have to commit seppuku.
I'm risking my life here.
Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi is currently on trial in criminal court on the grounds that these interrogations constitute the crime of abuse of authority by a public official.
Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi maintains his innocence, arguing that he had no intent to abuse and therefore no crime was committed.
Reference:TV Asahi "The First-Ever 'Don't Mess with Prosecutors' Trial"
Of course, it is only natural for prosecutors to feel a sense of responsibility in investigating major cases.
Reviewing a large amount of evidence and interviewing numerous related parties is also an important duty of a prosecutor.
However, from the perspective of the person being interrogated, they would not know what to do even if the prosecutor's life was suddenly offered to them.
The prosecutor has not entered into a life-exchange contract with the person being interrogated.
The logic that "my script must be right because I'm staking my life on it" holds no water in either investigations or trials.
What is needed is neither shouting, table-pounding, nor the readiness to commit ritual suicide.
An objective investigation that listens to opposing views with a calm demeanor.
Are Defendant Tamaki Nakano, Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, and Mr. Makoto Watanabe really associates?
Just to clarify, this does not mean that both Defendant Kakuki Nakano and Mr. Makoto Watanabe actually interacted with Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, conspired with him, or belong to the same organization.
What the prosecutors' union is pointing out is that there are strange similarities in the words and actions of the three parties.
Defendant Tsuyoshi Nakano, Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, and Mr. Makoto Watanabe are "comrades who want to risk their lives"
Defendant Tamaki Nakano allegedly made repeated remarks on LINE and other platforms to the effect that he would risk his life.
It has been preserved through recordings and other means that Makoto Watanabe repeatedly made statements to the effect of "I'll kill you" and "I'll take you down with me."
It is confirmed through released footage and news reports that during questioning, Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi stated, "I have to commit seppuku" and "I am risking my life."
For some reason, all three of them bypass the usual explanatory procedures and suddenly put life on the discussion table.
However, nobody is saying they want to take responsibility for that life.
Makoto Watanabe, the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau are "comrades who do not reply"
Numerous public questions and formal notices have been sent from our union to Mr. Makoto Watanabe and Last One Mile Co., Ltd.
However, no response has yet been provided to any of the questions, including those concerning statements implying murder, corporate destruction, delisting, and the like.
We are also repeatedly questioning the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau regarding matters such as the creation and circulation process of the document known as the Mamitsuka Memo, the management of seized items, the suspension of interrogations, and the status of the investigation surrounding Last One Mile Inc.
However, there is no response at all.
Even though both are extremely public organizations: a listed company on the TSE Growth market and a state agency with investigative powers.
When uttering bold words they are very eloquent, but when asked specific questions they suddenly fall silent.
For convenience, the prosecutors' union will refer to this phenomenon as the "silent fellowship."
Last Mile Inc. and the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office are "addition friends"
Regarding this matter, explanations have been repeated that add together figures of different natures, making the incidents and damages appear larger than they actually are.
Amount of hidden income and amount of tax evasion.
Sales and profit.
Loans and damage amounts.
The target of the accusation and the charges actually filed.
Bigger numbers aren't always better.
Adding numbers of different natures does not create a new truth.
While math problems have only one answer, every number in an investigation has its own meaning and basis.
Before risking your life, please check the units and items first.
The Mamizuka memo concerning defendant Tamaki Nakano also has a considerably desperate atmosphere.
The so-called "Mamizuka Memo," confirmed by the prosecutors' union, contains a comprehensive diagram of large-scale fraud linking numerous corporations, individuals, and fund transfers.
Furthermore, very aggressive terms like "accusation," "indictment," and "arrest" are lined up.
Judging solely by how the materials are presented, it looks as though the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau and the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office are taking on a massive case involving the nation's prestige.
However, the tax evasion amount for Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano that can be confirmed through news reports at this time totals approximately 78 million yen.
About 78 million yen is not a small amount.
On the other hand, the balance with such grand framing—which lists nationwide inspections, the seizure of numerous devices and account books, overseas related parties, multiple corporations, Last One Mile Inc., Mr. Makoto Watanabe, stock trading, loans, and subcontracting expenses—still remains unclear.
Neither the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau nor the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office needs to create an atmosphere of risking their lives.
Please look up the individuals and corporations written in the Mamizuka memo normally, one by one.
There is no need to risk your life for all tens of thousands of members of the prosecutors' union.
The Prosecutors Union receives information from workers, retirees, whistleblowers, and corporate insiders across the country.
The network is very extensive, and it probably won't be practical to interview everyone involved all at once.
However, that does not mean the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau are justified in selecting only individuals who fit their narrative while ignoring those with contradictory evidence.
You don't need to risk your life to fight everyone.
You just need to determine necessity and relevance, prioritize them, and listen to them in order.
If there is someone who cannot come to Kagoshima, prosecutors from the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office can go to Tokyo or Kanagawa.
There is also a method of requesting interviews with other Public Prosecutors Offices, such as the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office or the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office.
You can also check the overview online in advance and have only those who need it attend an in-person hearing.
Our association is not forcing unrestricted visits by investigative agencies.
We demand that those who grant hearings and those who do not be selected based on evidence and rational criteria, and that they be held accountable for their decisions.
Mr. Makoto Watanabe, please also answer us face-to-face before stabbing each other in the back.
Makoto Watanabe is alleged to have made statements to the effect of "I will destroy you even if it costs me my life" and "I will delist the company" directed at specific individuals and a US-listed company.
However, there is no need to mutual destruction.
You just need to answer the prosecutor union's questions one by one.
What kind of communication did Makoto Watanabe have with the defendant Toshiyuki Nakano?
What did Mr. Makoto Watanabe grasp in Cambodia?
What was returned to Mr. Makoto Watanabe by the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau?
Where did Makoto Watanabe obtain the materials he claims contain "all the evidence"?
Did Makoto Watanabe use individuals considered to be anti-social forces for his business or negotiations?
Did Makoto Watanabe make statements to the effect that he would kill a specific person and ruin the company?
Answers of "Yes" and "No," along with the supporting documentation, will suffice.
Neither Japanese swords, nor gangster tales of valor, nor the exchange of lives are necessary.
What is necessary for that is honest interviews with your own employees.
This is a question raised based on the heartbreaking voices of none other than the employees of Last One Mile Inc.
Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau, please do not run away from answering either.
I will ask the following questions again to the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau.
- Who created, who held, and through what route was the material known as the Mamizuka Memo distributed to the outside?
- Have you investigated all of the Last One Mile Co., Ltd., Mr. Makoto Watanabe, related corporations, and fund transfers mentioned in the same document?
- If there are any individuals or corporations that were not included in the scope of the investigation, what was the basis for that decision?
- Did you also interview persons involved who possess materials that contradict the statements of Defendant Kazuyoshi Nakano or specific informants?
- Why is there a stakeholder who stopped communicating after being told that an in-person interview would be conducted?
- Can you confirm all of the following: the location of the seized items, the destination for their return, and the status of their handover to the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office?
- How do you evaluate the relationship between the current charges and the personnel, time, and costs invested?
- Do you plan to file additional indictments or conduct further investigations in the future?
There is no need to risk your life.
There is no need to risk the organization's prestige.
Check the records, ask the person in charge, and respond normally.
Defendant Daisuke Tabuchi's use of the phrase "risking my life" does not justify a wrongful investigation.
During the interrogation of defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, it was stated that a large amount of evidence had been gathered, statements had been taken from numerous involved parties, and the investigation was being conducted at the risk of their lives.
However, no matter how many people and how much time are devoted to it, the conclusion may not necessarily be correct.
Even if you gather thousands of pieces of evidence, ignoring counter-evidence will lead you astray.
Even if you look at digital data for tens of thousands of people, if you read it having already decided who the culprit is from the beginning, everything looks like evidence of guilt.
A subjective determination risking one's life is no substitute for proper interrogation, evidence evaluation, and accountability.
What is required of investigative agencies is not a life-or-death story, but a calm and impartial verification of facts.
Three Associates Common to Defendants Nakano Shukki and Tabuchi Daisuke, and Mr. Watanabe Makoto
When the Prosecutors' Union takes a look at this case, it sees the following three peculiar characters.
"The 'No-Answer Gang'—people who won't give a straight answer when asked a question."
Adding apples and oranges to exaggerate the story.
"Comrades who are eager to risk their lives"—the kind who suddenly bring up matters of life and death or dying together when the explanation gets tough.
If individuals from different organizations and positions exhibit the same behavioral patterns of intimidation, exaggeration, and silence, that commonality should be examined.
Defendant Nakano TSUKASA, Defendant Tabuchi Daisuke, and Mr. Watanabe Makoto, please provide an answer, not your lives.
Defendant Nakano Tamaki does not need to risk his life for his arguments.
There is no need for the defendant, Daisuke Tabuchi, to risk his life for the success of the investigation.
Mr. Makoto Watanabe does not need to stab and kill each other with others either.
There is no need for the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau to orchestrate a massive case.
All you need are the following four.
- Listening impartially to the views of those involved.
- Be sure to review any evidence that is unfavorable to you as well.
- Provide specific answers to the questions.
- If there are any errors, correct them normally.
No one is demanding a life.
No one is telling you to commit seppuku.
Nobody is trying to stab each other.
Stop dodging the answers, sit in the chair, put the documents on the desk, and talk normally.
The Prosecutors Union accepts reasonable rebuttals, corrections, provision of materials, and face-to-face explanations from defendant Tamaki Nakano, defendant Daisuke Tabuchi, Mr. Makoto Watanabe, the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau.
Also, the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office's Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Prosecutor Ikeda, and Prosecutor Shimizu are the officials responsible for taking over this case.
Now that you've spread grand ambitions in the Mamitsuka memo, I hope you will finish it with the abusive and overwhelming momentum of demanding taxpayers to "hurry up and fly over from anywhere right now."
Of course, I am also looking forward to the brave sight of Director-General Takeshi Shimasaki, Mr. Hiroshi Oka, and Mr. Ota following the instructions of Regional Commissioner Atsushi Kitamura, risking their lives alongside the prosecutors, and continuing to leak investigation information.
I'm not asking for your life—I'm just waiting for your answer.
