Tokyo Barrister: Start the law firm bankruptcy

Chapter 940 The Day the Court Opens

Soon, the day arrived for Aso's trial.

It was 9:23 a.m.

A large crowd had gathered outside the Tokyo High Court. As Furuya had planned, a large number of victims had gathered on the street diagonally opposite the court. Many of them held banners and chanted slogans, demanding that the court severely punish the ringleader, Aso.

Such situations are rare in the courts of the East.

So many people gathered outside the courthouse.

The sheer number of people creates immense pressure.

Many court staff members secretly peeked at the outside scene through the Venetian blinds.

Many bailiffs stood guard behind the courthouse doors to prevent any conflict. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department also deployed additional officers to assist the bailiffs.

The more people gather, the better.

Even if they are harmless citizens, they are enough to create enormous pressure.

The police officers on standby at the scene did not dare to take their eyes off the scene for even a moment.

Suddenly, a piercing microphone boomed from the crowd, followed by chants:
"Severely punish the ringleader, Aso! Recover the citizens' assets! Make up for investment losses! Investigate the mastermind behind this!"

The shouts of the citizens came like waves.

It was enough to be breathtaking.

These assembled people had already undergone careful training by the old man.

In particular, these groups are demanding a thorough investigation into how many municipal enterprises supported Aso's Yamaha Capital, which has had a wide-ranging impact.

Even the parliamentary elections next April.

Through Furuya's tireless efforts, they discovered that some members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and members of the House of Representatives had supported Aso and taken photos of his visits.

The overwhelming public anger, like a flood, surged towards these lawmakers who had once supported Aso.

Numerous news satellite vehicles were parked on the side of the road.

Dozens of cameras were pointed at the entrance of the courthouse.

At the scene, a female anchor from Asahi Shimbun TV is reporting:

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are about 40 minutes left before the trial of Aso's fundraising fraud case begins. Nearly 900 citizens have gathered near the courthouse to express their demands, asking that Aso be severely punished."

"According to the latest information, this case involves funds amounting to hundreds of billions of yen. The Cabinet has expressed its deep concern over this case. According to figures we obtained from the Metropolitan Police Department, more than 300,000 people nationwide have filed police reports regarding the Aso case. The scope of the case is unprecedented."

"And it's worth noting—" the female host said, "that the timing of the Aso case coincides with the cabinet's preparations to establish special offshore financial zones in Tokyo and Osaka. Currently, countries around the world are vying to introduce measures to attract transnational financial capital."

"The Cabinet has also introduced measures to establish special offshore financial zones. Specifically, two special zones will be established in Tokyo and Osaka. Within these special zones, cross-border capital flows will be completely free, and procedures such as financial institution licenses and trust establishment permits will be simplified to the greatest extent possible."

"However, at this critical juncture, the outbreak of the Aso case has led to questions about the cabinet's financial measures. While allowing financial capital to enjoy maximum convenience and freedom, has the lack of regulation led to moral hazard among financial practitioners, thereby harming the interests of investors?"

The content broadcast by the female host clearly demonstrates that the impact of the Aso case extends far beyond its immediate implications. It could even escalate into opposition to the cabinet's establishment of a special offshore financial zone.

Many commentators worry that offshore financial special zones may become lawless havens for financial fraud and money laundering. Some even question why the cabinet has made attracting international "hot money" a priority.

Some commentators have pointed out that attracting transnational financial speculative capital will not only fail to promote the prosperity of the domestic financial industry, but may instead increase instability.

The Aso case is showing signs of shaking the cabinet's popularity.

After all, unlike the grand narratives that make Japan great, here, the citizens are losing their own real money.

now--

At the entrance of the courthouse.

A group of men and women dressed in black suits appeared. Most of them wore the Autumn Frost Sun badge, indicating they were from the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office.

Leading the way were Prosecutor Takada, Prosecutor Akie, and Attorney Furuya, representing the victims.

Once the reporters spotted it, they immediately swarmed around it.

"Excuse me, are you Prosecutor Takada?"

"I heard you are the prosecutor in charge of this case. Could you share your thoughts on it?"

Prosecutor Takada stopped and looked at the reporters. At that moment, Takada adopted a righteous and indignant expression: "I want you citizens to rest assured. Our prosecutor's office will absolutely do everything in its power to protect the safety of the people's property. We will absolutely not forgive any evildoer who attempts to defraud the people of their property!"

Takada knew that a brief response to the reporter was necessary.

If they simply ignore it, it will not be good for the image of the prosecutor's office.

Takada further stated, "Our prosecutor's office and the Tokyo police have established a joint mechanism and are employing various advanced methods to locate and trace the assets involved in the case. Please rest assured! We will do our utmost to recover the stolen goods and minimize losses for the citizens!"

Many journalists continued to ask questions:
"How much property has the police seized so far?"

What percentage of compensation can the victim receive? Could you please answer this?

Takada smiled, didn't respond, and walked straight into the courtroom.

The reporters probably knew that the prosecutor's office wouldn't answer questions that were too detailed, so they turned their attention to the victim's lawyer, Furuya.

"Attorney Furuya! Could you please share your thoughts on this case?"

Standing before a crowd of reporters, Furuya, a civil rights lawyer, was not afraid of the flashing lights.

"First of all, the fact that the victim's lawyer was allowed to participate in the trial in this case is a testament to the joint efforts of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office and the Tokyo High Court. I personally express my gratitude to the judicial authorities for this. The long-standing problem of neglecting the rights of victims in our country's criminal procedure law has finally been addressed in this case."

"The fundraising fraud case involving Aso is an unfortunate case. However, we must also look at the reasons behind it. As you have seen, before the case came to light, many powerful individuals actively endorsed Aso's Shanhu Capital. Of course, such endorsement is not necessarily a criminal act, nor does it mean that they assisted in the fraud. But this is an issue that we should investigate in depth."

"Why would our municipal enterprises, our public employees, stand with a criminal? This is definitely a question we need to reflect on in the future!"

(End of this chapter)