"If you want to avoid severe foreign punishment, you should just get arrested in Japan"—If the outcome matches the leaked recording, whose story is Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi completing?
Regarding the case involving Defendant Tamaki Nakano, an extremely eerie question has emerged from a completely different angle than before.
Are the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office prosecuting defendant Kazuyoshi Nakano?
Or has it, as a result, played the role of securing defendant Toshiyuki Nakano within Japan and separating him from overseas investigative agencies?
It might sound absurd.
However, when you align the contents of the recording, which is said to be widely circulated among the parties involved, with what is actually happening chronologically, it has become an issue that cannot be ignored without at least verification.
Information that Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano has been indicted and remains in custody.
First, here are the publicly known facts.
On June 18, 2026, the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office indicted defendant Hiroki Nakano for violations of the Consumption Tax Act and other charges.
According to the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau, defendant Toshiaki Nakano, "together with accomplices," allegedly recorded fictitious expenses exceeding 100 million yen, evaded approximately 2.5 million yen in consumption tax, and received a refund of about 9.5 million yen. Furthermore, on the same day, he was re-arrested on suspicion of fraud and attempted fraud involving 10 million yen in subsidies.
And the Public Prosecutors Office is leaking information to the press club, and according to insider information, Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano remains in custody, and it is said that information is flowing from sources around the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office suggesting that the reasons behind this are his denial of the charges and the fact that an alleged accomplice believed to be abroad has not yet been arrested.
The authenticity of this internal information needs to be verified.
However, if it's true, it's interesting.
■First, the law—"detention because of a denial" is not the law
This is very important.
It is not the prosecutor who decides whether to detain a defendant after indictment.
It is a court.
The grounds for detention stipulated in Article 60 of the Code of Criminal Procedure are
- Having no fixed residence.
- There are reasonable grounds to suspect the destruction of evidence.
- fleeing, or there being sufficient grounds to suspect that they will flee.
is.
The accused is denying the charges.
There is no independent ground for detention.
Much less
We have not been able to arrest the other accomplice yet.
That reason is not written as-is in Article 60 of the Code of Criminal Procedure either.
Of course, it would be different if there is a recognized risk of specific evidence tampering, such as coordinating stories with unarrested accomplices.
However, if that's the case, what is there a risk of being destroyed?
must be specifically questioned.
That is where it gets strange—has that "accomplice," the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, been able to ask questions?
The Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office has publicly identified that person abroad not merely as a witness, but as an "accomplice."
Furthermore, we even requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue an order for the return of the passport.
He is that important of a person.
However, information has even been circulating from stakeholder materials and the so-called Mamizuka Memo indicating that the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau never once questioned that person.
There is even circulating information that the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office itself is running around and unable to conduct questioning, which is truly bizarre.
Defendant Tatsuki Nakano is evaluated as requiring continued detention because there are unarrested accomplices.
Meanwhile, he is running away from his unarrested accomplice and won't ask questions.
So when will it end?
■Will Defendant Tatsuki Nakano continue to be held as long as there are "accomplices who have not been caught"?
If it is indeed true that the fact that "an accomplice has not been arrested" is heavily influencing the decision regarding Defendant Toshiki Nakano's detention, it becomes a critically important issue.
Because the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office itself has not been able to have that accomplice returned to the country.
I requested an order to surrender the passport.
However, there has been no announcement that they have returned to the country.
There is no announcement that they have been arrested.
I am abroad.
In that case,
- The Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office cannot catch the overseas accomplices.
- Because that person has not been caught, we argue there is a risk of Defendant Nakano Shatsuki destroying evidence.
- The detention of the defendant Kazuki Nakano continues.
If such a structure is created, the failure of the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office's own international investigation could potentially become justification for the prolonged detention of the defendant within Japan.
This should be verified carefully.
■ And the leaked recording: "If you get arrested in Japan, you can escape from overseas"
From here on, the problems get deep all at once.
Information has been received from concerned parties that before being arrested in Japan, Mr. Toshiyuki Nakano returned to Japan after being prosecuted overseas for fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes.
Furthermore,
- Mr. Keiichiro Tanaka
- Makoto Watanabe, Representative Director of Last One Mile
- Certified Public Accountant Satoshi Saito
There is also information that a recording is widely circulating in which Mr. Toshiyuki Nakano allegedly discussed the intention of avoiding pursuit by overseas investigative agencies by being arrested in Japan.
This is quite serious.
If they were going around boasting that "you can escape heavy overseas penalties by using Japan's National Tax Agency"
Assuming the gist of the alleged circulating recording was that by exploiting criminal cases handled by Japan's National Tax Agency and prosecutors and getting detained within Japan, one could distance themselves from criminal proceedings abroad, the current reality has indeed taken on a shape quite similar to that.
Defendant Nakano Tamaki is in Japan.
Being prosecuted by the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office.
There is information that he is being held at the Kagoshima Detention House.
On the other hand, what kinds of criminal cases exist abroad are not publicly organized.
If foreign authorities or the like are seeking the custody of Defendant Toshiki Nakano, as a result, hasn't Japan's detention facility become the safest place for Defendant Toshiki Nakano?
This is very ironic.
■ Is the prosecution "holding the defendant in custody" or "protecting them from abroad"?
Of course, legally speaking, it is completely different.
If he has been lawfully prosecuted in Japan and is lawfully detained by the court, that is not detention to "protect" Defendant Nakano Toshiyoshi from foreign investigation.
However, the problem is the result.
Acting freely overseas may lead to issues such as arrest or extradition by foreign authorities.
However, if you are inside a Japanese detention facility, foreign investigative agencies cannot simply take you away.
If the foreign side seeks custody, it must go through formal procedures for criminal mutual assistance, extradition, and other processes with the Japanese government.
In short, as a matter of hindsight, it is quite possible that Japan's criminal detention system could serve as a massive barrier against foreign investigations.
■If Mr. Kakuki Nakano himself had planned it in advance
This is the biggest highlight of this article.
If it just turned out that way, it must be a coincidence.
However, if the recording showing that Mr. Nakano Jajiki himself planned that outcome before his arrest and talked about it to those around him is genuine, the story is entirely different.
Mr. Nakano Toshiyuki
- How the National Tax Agency operates.
- How the prosecution will act.
- What happens after being arrested.
- How post-indictment detention works in Japan.
- And what will happen to the relationship with international investigations.
Could they have been reading that far ahead?
If so, it means the person under investigation was one step ahead of the investigative authorities.
Has it not turned out exactly as the story drawn by Mr. Nakano Toshiyuki?
Let's organize this.
- Facing criminal charges abroad.
- Returning to Japan.
- Japan's national tax cases are set to move.
- The Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office arrests and prosecutes.
- Detention continues even after indictment.
- Foreign investigative agencies cannot directly touch the person detained within Japan.
If the leaked audio had shown this trend in advance, it would be too good to be true.
Did the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office corner defendant Tadayoshi Nakano?
Or did he transport himself to the safety zone painted by the defendant Toshiyuki Nakano?
If overseas investigations really exist, is the Japanese government aware of them?
The method to solve this question is simple.
Regarding defendant Tsuyoshi Nakano from foreign authorities, etc.,
- Has an international investigative assistance request arrived?
- Is there an arrest warrant?
- Is there a request for extradition?
- Is there information sharing through INTERPOL?
When did the Japanese government become aware of it?
And did the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office know?
If you had known, how would you have coordinated the criminal cases between Japan and foreign countries?
Let's eagerly await the report by Shuji Mizoguchi, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, who requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue an order to return the passport and requested international cooperation.
If you didn't know, wouldn't that also be a problem for an international investigation?
Conversely, if the Kagoshima and Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Offices had no grasp whatsoever of criminal procedures in foreign countries, that is the biggest problem of all.
Because the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office itself has even requested passport return orders for overseas "accomplices" and has begun international handling of suspects.
While they themselves are expanding their investigation overseas, they do not confirm whether any foreign investigation is being conducted against the defendant.
Then the international investigation is one-way.
■Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi: Did the passport surrender order fail, leaving only Defendant Kazuyoshi Nakano secured domestically?
And at the center of this composition is Shuji Mizoguchi, Deputy Prosecutor of the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office.
The Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office even requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue an order for the return of the passport for the overseas accomplice.
However, the results of that person's return to Japan and arrest have not been shown, and information has even been received that inspectors from the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau are mocking the situation.
Meanwhile, there is information that the custody of defendant Nakao TSUKASA, who is in Japan, continues to be secured.
This asymmetry is far too great.
Foreign accomplices cannot be caught.
Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano will remain detained.
So is the whole case really moving forward?
■How much of our tax money is being spent on holding them in custody every day?
Of course, public funds are used for detention.
- Facility.
- Staff
- Meal.
- Transfer.
- Security.
- Medical.
- Escorting to trial.
Each and every one of those is funded by taxes.
Of course, there is no problem in itself with using tax money for lawful criminal procedures.
The problem is whether that detention is truly necessary to resolve the case.
What if,
- He denies it.
- Foreign accomplices won't get caught. Or rather, audio recordings and other evidence have even leaked showing the National Tax Agency and the District Public Prosecutors Office dodging questions from foreign accomplices.
- The relationship with foreign investigations has not been sorted out either.
If only the individual's detention continues to be maintained in such a state for a long period, it is only natural that the people of Kagoshima Prefecture and the citizens of the nation will ask, "What on earth is this tax money being used for?"
Saying "If you deny it, we won't release you" is nothing short of hostage justice.
Even more critical is the information that "the fact that defendant Toshiyuki Nakano is denying the charges is the reason for his continued detention."
I'll say it again.
Mere denial is not grounds for detention under Article 60 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The defendant has the right to contest.
You also have the right to remain silent.
You also have the right to plead not guilty.
If you easily link that to "there is a risk of destruction of evidence because they do not confess," then in the end: confess and you get out; deny it and you don't.
approaches such a structure.
That is precisely the core of why Japan's criminal justice system has been criticized as "hostage justice."
Moreover, this time, there is a possibility that this "hostage justice" system may work to the advantage of the defendant, Taki Nakano.
However, this case is even more ironic.
Hostage justice is usually criticized as a system disadvantageous to defendants.
However, if there is a possibility that defendant Nakano Toshiki will face more serious criminal prosecution from abroad, remaining in custody in Japan could, conversely, work to defendant Nakano Toshiki's advantage.
In other words, this is the ultimate irony of Japan's hostage justice system.
Hostage justice becomes a "safe haven" for the hostages themselves.
Who is the detention for?
At this point, the question is simple.
Is it for the Japanese people?
Is it for the preservation of evidence?
Is it to ensure the trial takes place?
Or is it, as a result, becoming detention to place Defendant Satsuki Nakano in a safe place from foreign investigations?
Of course, there is no basis to conclude that the latter is the intended purpose.
The issue is whether the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office and the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office are investigating the possibility that this is the result.
It is enough to check the recordings allegedly containing statements addressed to Mr. Keiichiro Tanaka, Mr. Makoto Watanabe, and Mr. Satoshi Saito.
Therefore, what needs to be done is clear.
Mr. Tamaki Nakano
- Mr. Keiichiro Tanaka.
- Makoto Watanabe.
- Satoshi Saito.
What kind of explanation had been given to others?
If a recording exists, we will receive it.
Authenticate the authenticity.
Check for edits.
Specify the date and time.
We will confirm the extent to which Mr. Nakano Kazuyoshi was aware of the overseas criminal case at that time.
And they will investigate whether he was trying to take advantage of his anticipated arrest in Japan beforehand.
This is what I call an investigation.
■If the recording is real, it's even possible that the direction of "intent" could be reversed.
Even more important.
The prosecution usually proves how the defendant planned the crime.
However, if this recording is authentic, it could suggest a different kind of premeditation.
It is a plan not on how to handle tax cases, but on how to utilize Japan's criminal justice system.
In other words, there is a possibility that outside the "tax evasion and fraud story" drawn by the prosecution, there existed a story drawn by Mr. Kakki Nakano himself: a "story of utilizing Japanese criminal procedures to avoid overseas risks."
There is no reason not to look into this.
Even things like LINE messages have been leaked, which Mr. Nakano had already openly stated he would use the National Tax Agency to wipe out.
If leaks are coming from the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office that "denial and unarrested accomplices" are the reasons for detention, information management is an issue once again.
And one more thing.
This time,
Defendant Tamaki Nakano is denying the charges
Since overseas accomplices have not been arrested, detention continues.
There is information that even such internal matters are being leaked by the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office side.
If investigative or trial-related internal information is truly leaking outside, it's the same problem all over again.
Just how well are the Kagoshima and Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Offices managing case information?
- Passport surrender information.
- Arrest information.
- Pleas
- Accomplice.
- Detention decision.
If you are going to go out this much, what on earth is a covert investigation?
Information leaks, you run away from accomplices, and only the accused continues to be detained.
If the current composition is written in a single line, it goes like this:
Information leaks.
I'm too scared to ask my overseas accomplice.
Even with the surrender of the passport, they cannot be made to return to their country.
However, only Defendant Nakano Toshiyuki continues to be detained in Japan.
Can this really be called a smooth investigation?
Rather, isn't it at the stage where we need to verify the investigative methods themselves that have continued to be called "hostage justice"?
■Questioning Deputy Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi: Have you not completed the story for defendant Tsubaki Nakano?
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi.
The scariest part of this incident is not the failure to issue a passport return order.
Nor is it because the foreign accomplices haven't been caught.
What is even scarier is that the National Tax Agency, the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, and the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office appear to be acting according to the scenario that Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano reportedly talked about before his arrest.
The person himself/herself,
- Flee to Japan.
- Arrested in Japan.
- To be taken into custody.
- Distance oneself from international investigations.
If such things were truly discussed in advance, those recordings should be examined as a top priority.
It is not enough just to criticize hostage justice—this time, the issue is "who used hostage justice?"
This case involves new issues that cannot be explained solely by conventional criticism of the hostage justice system.
The investigative authorities used hostage justice.
That is not all.
It is possible that the defense side even calculated on utilizing that hostage justice.
If so, it is an even more serious warning regarding Japan's criminal justice system.
Arrest.
Detention.
Long-term detention
The stronger they are made, the more, in some cases, Japan becomes a "safe detention country" for individuals wanting to escape foreign criminal proceedings.
Even such a paradox is born.
Whose strategy are they executing with our tax money?
Therefore, I want to ask in conclusion.
Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau.
Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office
Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office.
And Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi.
- The public funds used to detain Defendant Kazuki Nakano.
- Costs for haphazardly pursuing foreign accomplices.
- Passport revocation action that moved the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- International investigation.
- Personnel costs for investigators.
It's all taxpayers' money.
Is that tax money to go after Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano?
Or, as a result, has it become taxpayer money used to realize the scenario allegedly devised in advance by the accused, Toshiyuki Nakano, to evade foreign investigations?
This difference is far too large.
An "answer confirmation" far more significant than the failure of the passport revocation order has begun.
Whether the passport return order succeeded or failed.
If it's just that, it's a matter of a single administrative procedure.
However, if the inability to catch that overseas accomplice is linked to the continued detention of the defendant Joki Nakano, and furthermore, if there even exists a recording of Joki Nakano himself previously talking about how "if I get arrested in Japan, I can distance myself from foreign criminal proceedings," then the meaning of the case changes completely.
The question is not whether the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office is investigating the case.
Whether the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office is carrying out a fabricated case as it was designed by someone.
Thinking I was chasing Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano, I end up completing Defendant Toshiyuki Nakano's story.
We must avoid such an outcome.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shuji Mizoguchi.
What is needed now is not to extend the detention further.
I will interview all parties involved, including the overseas accomplices.
Check for the existence of overseas criminal cases.
Verify the recordings in circulation.
Inquire with foreign authorities.
And to re-investigate from the beginning who used whom in this incident.
From the era when hostage justice was a "killer move," to the era when hostage justice itself is utilized by suspects.
If this case becomes the first symbol of that, it is far more serious than the failure of the passport surrender order.
Is the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office holding Defendant Tsuguyoshi Nakano?
Or have they become a wall protecting the accused, Kakki Nakano?
Since taxpayers' money is being used, we cannot run away from verifying the results.
