[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-47":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Literary Master of Tokyo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2354896,4607,"Chapter 47: Disappearance and Trial","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-47",47,"\u003Cp>The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is the police authority governing security in Tokyo, under the direct supervision and management of the National Police Agency of Japan. With over 43,000 police officers and direct oversight of 102 police stations within Tokyo, it is, by all accounts, a behemoth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is located in Chiyoda Ward, the political, administrative, and judicial center of Japan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto rode in Asano Aiko’s car the entire way there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the car window, he saw the Metropolitan Police Department building from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, there was nothing particularly special about it—it consisted of two buildings, each about 20 stories high, looking somewhat like the municipal government buildings of the county-level cities he had seen in his previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asano Aiko parked the car in a nearby parking lot and then led Akiwara Yuto to a nearby café—since they were visiting in a private capacity today, they could only wait in the vicinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it was nearly the appointed time, the two of them walked into the café and ordered three coffees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto looked at Asano Aiko and found that she seemed unwilling to engage with him, which left him feeling somewhat helpless for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, he had asked Asano Aiko to help him find a police officer, but he had suddenly felt playful and tried to fool her, claiming he had done something wrong and was preparing to turn himself in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had even fabricated a reason at the time: to gain inspiration for his writing, he had strangled a homeless person in the dead of night and thrown the body under a bridge to stage it as a suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon noticing Asano Aiko’s panic, he immediately abandoned the joke and hurriedly explained it to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing she had been deceived, Asano Aiko was so angry she hung up the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto realized he had gone too far and immediately called to apologize, but it took three calls before she finally picked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Asano Aiko answered the phone, she remained silent for a long time; later, she verbally accepted his apology and agreed to help him find someone related to the police. However, when they met today, she still appeared as though she did not want to talk to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto looked at her profile, pondering how he could express his apologies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a middle-aged man in a gray uniform walked up to the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asano Aiko stood up immediately to bow and said politely, \"Uncle Teiko, sorry to trouble you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto stood up as well and took the opportunity to size the man up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man was about 40 years old, stood a little over 1.7 meters tall, and had a thin build, looking somewhat like a bamboo pole. His appearance was ordinary, the kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd, but the expression on his face looked very serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, upon seeing Asano Aiko, the serious expression on the man’s face vanished without a trace, and he said with a smile, \"Aiko-chan, given my relationship with your father, there’s no need to be so formal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asano Aiko smiled and then began to introduce them to each other: \"Uncle Teiko, this is Mr. Akiwara Yuto, the author I am currently in charge of; Mr. Akiwara, this is my father’s friend, Uncle Teiko Hei, who is also a Police Sergeant at the Metropolitan Police Department.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Asano Aiko’s family to have this kind of connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the position of Police Sergeant was generally reserved for those unlucky souls who hadn't managed to become a Police Inspector even after ten years, it still counted as a local power player with a bit of authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without overthinking it, he bowed to Officer Teiko, introduced himself, and explained that he wanted to learn about the situation at the Metropolitan Police Department to facilitate his literary creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning his intent, Teiko Hei was somewhat puzzled: \"Mr. Akiwara, I am quite close with the Asano family, so please feel free to speak plainly if you have any questions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was genuinely curious; having worked in the police force for many years, he usually dealt with either parties involved in cases or the local media, and this was the first time he had been consulted by a mystery novelist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange as it was, he would have a new topic to talk about when drinking with his colleagues tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing him say that, Akiwara Yuto did not stand on ceremony and asked directly, \"I want to write a story about a disappearance case, so I would like to ask Officer Teiko to tell me about the aspect of disappearances... if it is convenient, please tell me more about things that are not known to the outside world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That shouldn't be a problem.\" Teiko Hei pondered for a moment, ran through his thoughts, and finding no classified information he couldn't share, asked directly: \"Mr. Akiwara, do you know what the filing procedure for missing persons in Japan is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isn't it just a matter of calling the police once a disappearance is discovered?\" Akiwara Yuto asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not the case.\" Seeing Akiwara Yuto take out paper and pen to start recording, Teiko Hei began to explain in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, there were many things he had kept bottled up inside that he hadn't said, but he could talk about them this time; besides, since the other party was recommended by Asano Aiko, it shouldn't be a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through his introduction, Akiwara Yuto began to gain a better understanding of the missing person reporting procedure in Japan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Japan, nearly 100,000 people go missing every year; among them are the elderly and children, but more are disillusioned adult men and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, to reduce the workload, the police set a rule that only immediate family members can file a report. This leads to many victims not being rescued in time, as reports made by friends after a disappearance are often ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, the police generally do not have a proactive attitude toward the search and rescue of missing persons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless it is a case with a very high level of social concern, such as the disappearance of a minor, the police will not dispatch a large number of officers to search.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, it often ends with just the production of a few missing person posters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This creates a major drawback: many people may have been intentionally murdered and buried, but because the police did not prioritize the whereabouts of the victims, many criminals remain at large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto wrote all of this down, but in his heart, he was speechless regarding the Japanese police system. Is this the \"Japanese-style\" police system? It truly takes the fear of trouble to the extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite having a large number of police officers spending their days on trivial matters like managing noise complaints and trash disposal, no one is available to investigate major life-and-death issues like disappearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head, feeling a bit worried about his own safety, and considered whether he should just immigrate back to China, though citizenship didn't seem easy to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind, let’s not think about that for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped out of it, looked at his notes to confirm he had recorded everything just now, and then asked a slightly over-the-line question: \"Officer Teiko, when the Metropolitan Police Department interrogates suspects, do instances of coerced confessions through torture occur?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teiko Hei did not expect to be asked this question; unlike before, this already touched upon classified matters, and he looked at Akiwara Yuto in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto saw his hesitation and immediately assured him: \"Officer Teiko, everything I learned in the café today is something I discovered on my own, and it will have nothing to do with you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he received the assurance, Teiko Hei was still hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Asano Aiko, thinking that since she was the daughter of a family friend, she shouldn't set him up, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not clear on the situation at the Metropolitan Police Department, but in other regions, I have heard of precedents where suspects died due to interrogation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto nodded to show he understood, while in his heart, he automatically replaced the \"other regions\" the other party mentioned with \"Metropolitan Police Department.\" After all, as a mere Police Sergeant, how could he know so much about other regions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment and followed up: \"What is the cause of the suspects' deaths? Are there any excessive measures?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teiko Hei hesitated, but still said: \"The circumstances of the deaths are unclear, but generally, it would be 'tag-team' interrogations, 'spotlight' interrogations, or psychological intimidation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these terms, Akiwara Yuto was a bit confused at first, but Teiko Hei quickly explained these terms in detail and introduced the reasons why they were done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the standard for coerced confessions in Japan is that there must be no physical damage, if they want a suspect to confess to a crime now, they generally adopt \"mental\" torture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First is the \"tag-team\" interrogation, where police are constantly arranged to interrogate the suspect, preventing the suspect from sleeping and causing mental fatigue and pressure. Under these circumstances, as long as the interrogation continues for about 40 hours, the suspect will usually confess voluntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"spotlight\" interrogation is similar; by using high-intensity floodlights, the prisoner is kept in a state of sleep deprivation, leaving their mind in a state of anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for \"psychological intimidation,\" it involves creating the illusion that the suspect will definitely be sentenced to a heavy penalty; under this fear, the suspect often confesses voluntarily to reduce the punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto was even more speechless after hearing this. Search and rescue for missing persons is not taken seriously, yet they are so skilled at coerced confessions—Japan is truly beyond saving!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, in 2017 in his previous life, Japan seemed to have introduced a \"conspiracy crime\" law, allowing police to arrest and prosecute people based solely on subjective judgment without any criminal facts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder they could film a TV series like *Legal High*; he had thought it was all fake at the time, but it seems art really does come from reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, having learned so much today, the difficulty of the subsequent adaptation work would be much lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two chatted about other aspects, including the daily work of the investigation division police, the authority of police in different positions, and the influence of politicians on the Metropolitan Police Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They talked for a full 30 minutes before ending this interview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto and Asano Aiko expressed their gratitude to Officer Teiko, and before leaving, Akiwara Yuto even staked his reputation on the guarantee that he would never let the outside world know he had obtained this information from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in the car on the way back, he organized today’s notes and suddenly remembered the phone call Ikawa Akemi had made to him earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Asano Aiko, who was driving, and asked tentatively: \"Asano, are you free this Friday?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there something? If it’s to turn yourself in again, please don't ask me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto saw that she was still a bit angry and said helplessly: \"It’s not to turn myself in, I just wanted to ask you to accompany me to a school festival.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asano Aiko looked at him subconsciously, feeling a bit confused for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has nothing to do with work, right? Could it be a date?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But isn't Akiwara pursuing Ikawa Akemi?\u003C\u002Fp>",1936,"2026-06-21T03:58:01.347Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","d145bb81b13fd42b9c4d49296d9b511deb9cfad378c0af6554c67ca0e325a06a","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-48","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-46",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]