Chapter 850

Nango Yui opened the documents.

"The origin of the matter was the extreme right-wing former Self-Defense Forces anti-German terror incident eleven years ago."

He opened the documents: "I believe it should be this matter."

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, examining the details of the incident at that time.

Eleven years ago, during the mid-to-late Heisei period, Japan was in a strange era atmosphere.

The shadow of the burst bubble economy had not yet fully dissipated, but new anxieties had already emerged from the cracks in geopolitics.

That year, German Foreign Minister Ludewah Lu and his brother, Director of the HK Security Bureau Luzhenhua Lu, visited Japan; this "coincidence" was interpreted by some domestic extremist forces under the international situation at the time as "containment of Japan by major powers" or "reinforcement of the postwar system."

"I remember this matter; at that time, the relations between the two countries had already been as close as family like in the 80s and 90s, and multiple declarations had been made to write off all historical grudges, even research papers on aggressive wars were not allowed to be considered as damaging Sino-Japanese friendship, the era of Murayama Tomiichi and Hosokawa Morihiro successively issuing the Murayama Statement was different." Uesugi Muneyuki slowly nodded, he pondered and said: "At that time, both sides already had some friction, but back then, foreign affairs relations were still barely passable."

"Yes." Nango Yui said softly: "At that time, someone had planned a terrorist attack."

"Former Self-Defense Forces?" Uesugi Muneyuki moved the mouse to the sub-file.

There was a group of people, a group of people very dissatisfied with the current situation.

Former Self-Defense Forces self-defense officials, a group of former Self-Defense Forces members.

Aged between thirty and fifty, mostly grassroots cadres of the Ground Self-Defense Force, long dissatisfied with the Self-Defense Forces' position in postwar Japanese society after retirement.

In their view, the Self-Defense Forces had always been treated as "second-class citizens," bound by the pacifist constitution, mocked by media and left-wing intellectuals as "civil servants who only do disaster relief," while the true national defense responsibility that should be borne was replaced by the Japan-U. S. Security Treaty and the U. S. nuclear umbrella.

They felt Japan needed an "awakening"—and awakening requires blood sacrifice.

Their plan was: during the visit of German officials, to create a sufficiently shocking terrorist attack within Tokyo Metropolis.

The target did not necessarily have to be the officials themselves—too difficult—but to cause massive casualties and international impact, blame "external forces," thereby triggering a surge of nationalist sentiment domestically, ultimately pushing for constitutional amendment and upgrading of the Self-Defense Forces.

This plan was crazy, paranoid, detached from reality, but the planners were not madmen.

They were former military professionals, organized, disciplined, armed, funded, and extremely calm.

"In the end, they did not succeed; the information here shows they were stopped." Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the documents: "However, this incident led to the death of four police officers."

"Yes, including Isomura Eigo." Nango Yui retrieved Isomura Eigo's documents: "Moreover, at that time Yaegaki Tetsu was also present as a detective at the scene, although the information is vague, but—I am saying but—besides you, who could make public security police and criminal police act together?"

"Hmph." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled: "No wonder Kashiwagi Misa said that yesterday; thus this incident is highly likely to be an error caused by lack of information sharing."

Lack of information sharing, in the Japanese police system, is not a secret, but the norm.

Public security and criminal police are two worlds—legally both belong to the police system, but in practice they never interact.

Public security thinks criminal police are loose-lipped; criminal police thinks public security are mysterious and secretive; the information barrier between the two systems is as thick as a Berlin Wall.

Due to lack of information sharing, when public security foreign affairs police were about to apprehend this group of extremists, they happened to encounter Watanabe Eiji personally leading a large group of Investigation Division 1 police to the jetty to arrest a violent group involved in drugs and guns; this action greatly disrupted public security police deployment, ultimately leading to the extremist former Self-Defense Forces members hiding in the violent group detonating in the ship's hold the explosives originally intended for Ludewah Lu and Luzhenhua Lu brothers, the explosion killed four police officers, including Isomura Eigo, the fiancé of Asahina Kyōko?

If this inference is made, then it basically makes sense.

That is to say, Yaegaki Tetsuya came to the Metropolitan Police Department to kidnap several high-ranking officials, essentially wanting to understand some hidden matters involved at that time? So he neither made demands nor killed anyone.

Uesugi Muneyuki stroked his chin, thought for a while, and said to Nango Yui: "Generally speaking, criminal police information is relatively transparent to public security police; Isomura died, Yaegaki lived, so it is very likely that Yaegaki thus bore a great moral burden? Therefore he wanted to know who the shadow management official of the Security Planning Division who made the initial decision was? He wants revenge?"

"Shadow management official?" Nango Yui asked strangely.

Uesugi Muneyuki realized Nango Yui did not know Yaegaki repeatedly asked about the shadow management official, he fell silent for a moment, wisely choosing to change the topic: "Regarding this matter, is there any other data?"

"No, but I found out that Yaegaki is a former Self-Defense Forces member, like Date, joined the Metropolitan Police after passing the local civil service exam post-retirement, but because he is a former Self-Defense Forces member, he has always been distrusted, and after working over a decade in the Metropolitan Police, he is still only a Patrol Officer Department Manager at thirty-seven or thirty-eight." Nango Yui half-smiled: "Just like Date."

"It's not because everyone is too vigilant, but because the Self-Defense Forces itself is a military, prone to producing right-wing ideology; Date is also a fanatical patriotic battle bunny, all day thinking about plotting to destroy England and bully Germany." Uesugi Muneyuki sighed: "Fortunately he has a wife, with a wife he is not repressed."

"But what about the countless former self-defense officials without wives?" Nango Yui teased.

Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at Nango Yui.

Yes, this guy is a Kyoto University old left-wing origin, with a simple sense of justice.

Yes, this guy is inherently kind and lives comfortably, thus often holds goodwill toward the outside world.

Yes, this guy is a top student, able to deeply understand various deep-level social relations, comprehend the situations of all strata.

But he still despises self-defense officials.

This TMD is almost engraved into Japanese people's DNA.

Japanese people just have very bad historical memories of the military and Special Higher Police.

So it's no wonder this group of former Self-Defense Forces members went extreme, because people in such an environment find it hard not to become extreme.

"Let's leave this matter here for now; I'll go find the Director General." Uesugi Muneyuki said to Nango Yui.

"Go directly to him?" Nango Yui opened her mouth wide: "Is this not————"

"Some matters are best laid out directly." Uesugi Muneyuki said seriously: "Being suspicious and paranoid will instead lead to many problems."

"Then, okay, but don't say it's me investigating." Nango Yui shrank her head.

"Of course."

That afternoon, Watanabe Eiji's office was opened to outsiders for the first time after the shooting incident.

Uesugi Muneyuki sat on the visitor's chair, the supervisor's desk in front was tidy, even the miniature cactus usually placed in the corner was gone.

Watanabe Eiji changed into a dark gray open-cardigan sweater, not wearing a uniform, looking not like a Superintendent General, more like an ordinary man in his fifties who had just experienced a major ordeal.

"Muneyuki, ask whatever you want; between father and son we need no concealment." Watanabe Eiji lifted the teacup and took a sip, it was hot tea: "I will say what I can say; I will also tell you what I cannot say."

—

Uesugi Muneyuki did not exchange pleasantries: "Eleven years ago, at the port. When you led the team charging in, did you know public security police were also at the scene?"

Watanabe Eiji's teacup paused in mid-air, paused for a moment, then was set down.

"I don't know. Even now I'm not sure what they were doing there. That night we monitored that violent group for nearly three months, intelligence said they were making a large arms deal at the port. I led the Investigation Division 1 from four directions to encircle, the emergency lights were intentionally on, wanting to drive them into the encirclement. Later gunfire rang out, explosion occurred, several of my brothers were injured, the enemy died several. When we came to clean up the scene, the Forensic Identification Division personnel told me they found some equipment and relics not belonging to us in the ruins. Only then did I know that night was not only us there.

Uesugi Muneyuki stared at his eyes, those eyes had no evasion: "Did you later investigate? Investigate why public security police were there?"

Watanabe Eiji fell silent for a moment.

His finger slowly turned once around the rim of the teacup.

"I investigated. Not formally, just privately asked a few people. The answers were very consistent—involving state secrets, no comment." So I didn't pursue further. Not unwilling, but unable. That public security wall, criminal police this side can't break through. Moreover, not long after that incident, I was promoted. After promotion, even less could I touch it; touching it would be overstepping.

Uesugi Muneyuki changed angle: "Violent group————terrorists, what's the connection?"

Watanabe Eiji's expression changed: "You already found out about the leak? Back when we seized that batch of military supplies at the port, there were a few items that didn't look like the kind of goods violent groups usually handle. Detonation devices, timer mechanisms, and some chemical substances. I felt something was off at the time, so I sent samples to the research institute of the National Police Agency."

"The report hadn't come out yet when public security took it away. Later, someone privately told me that shipment was linked to a former Self-Defense Force extremist group. They originally planned to use these materials to make bombs and attack foreign dignitaries visiting Japan. The violent group was just their supplier and cover. As for whether public security went after that terrorist organization that night, I don't know. But then an explosion happened, people died, and those leads were cut off."

"So, Father, you know Yae Ken, right?"