Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 360 Ishihara: I am wronged!
Before the other party came to him, Zhang Chao made his final "apology": "I also want to apologize to the 75-year-old novelist Shintaro Ishihara on behalf of the 25-year-old Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara. The former has spent his entire life proving that he is just a messenger for the latter's soul!"

At this time, the "black suits" had already crowded around him. Although the reporters didn't know what was going on or who these people were, they all pointed their cameras at them.

Reporters had a hunch that this might be a day that would go down in the history of Japanese journalism.

A leading man in the "black suits" first showed his ID, and then said in stiff English: "Mr. Zhang Chao, I am Haruki Yamada, a police inspector of the Shinjuku Branch of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. There is a charge of "defamation" against you. I hope you can follow me back to the police station for investigation."

(Police stations in Tokyo are also called "branches")
As he said this, he was about to step forward and control Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Why, are you going to handcuff me?"

Yamada Haruki was stunned and quickly explained: "Since you are not a violent criminal, if you have not resisted the investigation, we will not put you in restraints."

Zhang Chao kept smiling and said to Yamada Haruki, "Of course I won't resist, but can I say one last word to the reporters?"

The reporters were all excited when they heard this. The last words of a writer before being taken away by the police? This was a temptation that no one could refuse.

Zhang Chao looked around at the reporters present and said solemnly: "You have seen that although Governor Ishihara has come to his senses, freedom is dead and journalism is dead!"

After that, he turned to Yamada Haruki and said, "Let's go."

The density and brightness of the flash lights on the scene reached their peak at this moment, and the entire conference room looked like a brilliant galaxy.

Haruki Yamada breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he had been anxious since he received the task. If Zhang Chao resisted arrest on the spot, the situation would probably be out of control, so he brought more than a dozen colleagues with him for the first time.

He just wanted to "control" Zhang Chao as decently as possible.

I didn't expect this "thorn" in public opinion to be so cooperative. It seems that people are afraid of violent robots. As for what will happen after Zhang Chao is brought back to the police station, it is not something that a small detective like him can participate in.

While thinking about this, Yamada Haruki and his colleagues surrounded Zhang Chao and staggered out under the pressure of hundreds of reporters.

The reporters certainly did not miss this opportunity. They raised their cameras high and stabbed the police with their microphones like daggers. They also flooded the crowd with questions:
"Excuse me, was it the Ishihara family who called the police?"

"Have you received the order from Governor Ishihara?"

“Will the Metropolitan Police Department intervene in public opinion like this in the future?”

"Will Zhang Chao be sentenced?"

"Has the Metropolitan Police Department become the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's thug?"

"Did Councillor Shinaki Ishihara ask you to arrest someone?"

"Zhang Chaosang, do you have anything else to say to everyone?"

……

Of course, neither the police nor Zhang Chao said a word at this time, and just hurried forward.

When they arrived at the entrance of Hachioji Hospital, three black cars with flashing police lights were already waiting quietly. Zhang Chao was stuffed into the back seat of the middle police car, and Yamada Haruki sat next to him.

As Yamada gave an order on the intercom, several cars sped away with sirens blaring.

The reporters who had cars all jumped in, stepped on the accelerator, and chased the police car; those who didn't have cars hurriedly took out their cell phones and called the newspaper, demanding that they immediately send someone to wait at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The news that Zhang Chao was taken away by the police swept through Tokyo's journalism, literary, and political circles like a hurricane.

Everyone's first reaction was: "Shintaro Ishihara is not dead, but he is crazy!"

You are the governor of Tokyo and a public figure. You called the police and had someone arrested just because a young writer criticized you. This will make international news!

Kadokawa Koyomi, who heard the news first, was stunned for two or three minutes. It was not until Vice President Inoue Shinichiro kept urging him that he came to his senses and immediately said, "Tell the printing factory to print an additional 10 copies of Zhang Chao's work!"

Inoue Shinichiro was also stunned and asked hurriedly, "'Hometown'?"

Kadokawa Leyan stared at him with a look of disappointment and emphasized, "All, I mean all of Zhang Chao's works, 10 copies of each!"

After saying this, he couldn't wait for Shinichiro Inoue's reply, and hurriedly left the office to find the faction he supported to discuss important matters.

If the previous stroke only made it possible for Shintaro Ishihara to resign, then Zhang Chao's being taken away by the police would inevitably cause Ishihara to face strong backlash in culture, news, politics, and even diplomacy.

If Ishihara could still sit on the throne of Tokyo governor, he might as well become the emperor.

As the Tokyo governor is about to be re-elected, Kadokawa Toshihiko naturally wants to know more inside information in order to gain greater business benefits.

Moreover, in order to rescue Zhang Chao, these faction leaders will also need to take action.

In addition to Kadokawa Lehiko, the most anxious person was undoubtedly Professor Iizuka Yoshio of the Faculty of Letters at Chuo University in Japan, who was organizing an exchange program for young Chinese and Japanese writers. When he heard that Zhang Chao was taken away by the police for "defamation," he jumped up from his chair on the spot:

"Ishihara, you sinner! You bring shame to the entire country!"

Wang Zhenxu, who was standing next to him, was so frightened that he dared not speak. After a long while, he timidly asked, "Professor, what should we do?"

Professor Iizuka thought for a while before saying, "You continue to work. I'll go out and make a few phone calls."

After saying that, Wang Zhenxu left with a depressed look on his face, put on his coat, picked up his cell phone and left.

In the editor-in-chief's office of the Yomiuri Shimbun, Watanabe Tsuneo was also very surprised when he heard the news reported to him by the reporter. He could not imagine what had driven Ishihara to make such an impulsive decision.

As a staunch opponent of the emperor system and militarism, he certainly disliked Shintaro Ishihara, an old man of the same age, but he also thought that Ishihara was a cunning political fox.

Behind those outrageous remarks, there are almost 100% shrewd political calculations, either to attack political opponents, to boost election prospects, to divert attention, or to consolidate the base...

In short, Ishihara is definitely not the outspoken lunatic as most people see him, but a political genius, otherwise he would not have been re-elected as the governor of Tokyo for three consecutive terms.

Out of respect for Ishihara, Watanabe Tsuneo did not react in a hurry, but smoked his pipe alone in the office.

It wasn't until his pipe of tobacco was burned out that he made up his mind and pressed a button on the table.

After a while, a middle-aged man opened the door and walked in. He bowed respectfully and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Watanabe Tsuneo turned his pipe upside down, tapped it on the ashtray, put it in his pocket, and then said, "Get the car ready, call Qingtian, and we'll go to the Shinjuku Police Station."

The power of this hurricane did not stop there and soon shocked the world literary world.

Since he had "confronted" Ma Yueran and Pamuk in the previous two months, everyone still has a deep impression of Zhang Chao.

Whether they admired him or hated him, they couldn't believe their ears when they heard that Zhang Chao was taken away by the police for cursing a Japanese politician.

Previously, Japan had a relatively positive impression on most countries - a developed economy, beautiful environment, good hygiene, and everyone is polite...

The various cultural outputs here - anime, music, movies, and films - also give many people a good impression of Japan.

Now everything has been refreshed by the news that Zhang Chao was "punished for his speech": This is actually a country that openly arrests foreign writers? Just because he cursed the mayor of Tokyo?
Zhang Chao's partners in the United States, Random House and Simon & Schuster, took action first and immediately issued instructions to their offices and liaison offices in Japan, requiring them to go to Shinjuku Police Station to bail Zhang Chao out.

No matter how much bail is needed, it can be paid in advance. At the same time, the printing company was notified to print a batch of Zhang Chao's books urgently...

Pamuk also learned the news soon. He was also surprised by the Japanese police's arrest of Zhang Chao, but then he thought of something.

Twenty minutes later, a large group of American reporters gathered at the door of Pamuk's residence. The Nobel Prize winner soon appeared in front of the camera, with his girlfriend Kiran Desai behind him. He made a simple statement to the reporters:
“In view of the unjust measures taken by the Japanese police against Zhang Chao and my concerns about the suppression of foreign writers’ speech in Japan, I will cancel my trip to Japan originally scheduled for the end of this year.

Although Zhang Chao and I have some differences of opinion, they are all limited to the field of literature. Both he and I are writers from the third world, and we have a spiritual connection. I have deep sympathy and concern for Zhang Chao's experience.

I hereby call on the Japanese government to treat all criminal charges against Zhang Chao seriously, fairly and carefully, and to restore the freedom of this outstanding young writer as soon as possible."

Zhang Chao's experience and Pamuk's statement spread around the world through the Internet in an instant, becoming one of the most important news of the day.

Ma Yueran, who has already concluded her visit to China, immediately conveyed a clear message to the outside world through her own channels:
"Zhang Chao was taken away by the Japanese police for investigation. This is the most serious infringement on writers in the 21st century. I hope this is just a misunderstanding and that Zhang Chao can return to his family as soon as possible.

I will be praying for him from my home in Sweden!"

Around the world, the country that reacted most strongly to Zhang Chao's arrest was of course his home country, China.

Zhang Chao got into the police car, but before he arrived at the Shinjuku police station, Tie Ning got the news. She was so unbelievable that she confirmed it with the other party twice in a row, and then confirmed it again through other channels before she dared to believe it was true.

It was too late to hold a meeting this time, so she just called Wang Meng. The old man was also shocked when he heard it, but he was a man who had seen the world after all, so he quickly calmed down and said to Tie Ning on the phone: "Go on your own now, and see you at the ministry. I don't believe that they can arrest any Chinese writer they want!"

On the Internet, this news completely exploded.

Almost all portal websites immediately put Zhang Chao's arrest by Japanese police on the headlines, with pictures showing the live scene in the meeting room of Hachioji Hospital.

Zhang Chao is located in the center of the photo, with a compassionate expression, his body slightly leaning forward, his mouth saying something, his hands stretched forward, as if he wants to embrace the world; several men in work suits and uniforms with fierce expressions are rushing forward with bared teeth and claws, preparing to press Zhang Chao to the ground.

The area was also "dotted" with newspaper reporters who looked shocked and at a loss.

Whether it is composition, lighting, or sense of story, the effects are all maximized, comparable to world famous paintings.

Zhang Chao’s speech at the “Tokyo in World Literature” event a few days ago has already caused quite a stir in China.

He was scolding Shintaro Ishihara! The one who deserved to be chopped into pieces by netizens was Shintaro Ishihara!

I don’t know how many people were so excited that they shouted to the sky or even threw away the mouse in their hands after reading the translation of Zhang Chao’s speech!
Now Zhang Chao was arrested by Ishihara using dirty tricks, and he might even have to go to jail?

This is intolerable!
Not only were all the major forums flooded with posts such as "Conquer Japan", "Kill all the Japanese dogs", and "Capture Ishihara alive and skin him alive" in just a few dozen minutes, but even the "Emperor Bar" officially announced: Go!
In an instant, hundreds of thousands of "Di Bar" netizens, following the command of the bar owner, rushed to major Japanese websites like a torrent.

First, various official websites could not be opened, then portals like Yahoo Japan, and then forums like 2CH... Japanese netizens were confused, as if all the websites could not be opened suddenly.

From then on, a slogan resounded throughout the world Internet: Diba went to war, and not a blade of grass would grow! (The first Diba went to war was on June 2007, 6, so the timeline is correct.)
What no one expected was that in the VIP ward of Hachioji Hospital, Shintaro Ishihara, who had just learned the news, picked up the teacup on the bedside of his bed and flew it towards his eldest son, Shinaki Ishihara, causing a bump on his head.

"Baga! What on earth are you thinking? Are you going to destroy the entire Ishihara family?!"

Although Ishihara Shintaro's voice was weak, it was still clear. Except for those closest to him, no one knew that his stroke was not serious, and it was not a "cerebral hemorrhage", but a mild "cerebral infarction".

Because he was sent to the hospital in time, he regained consciousness after thrombolytic treatment. The sequelae were not serious, except for a slight disability in walking.

The reason for releasing the news of his serious illness to the outside world was, on the one hand, to avoid Zhang Chao's attention, and on the other hand, to confuse political enemies.

He wanted to wait until his political opponents were jumping up and down to force him to resign and then appear in front of the public in a healthy attitude. This would not only turn all his enemies into clowns, but also help him rebuild his own image.

Unexpectedly, my son's momentary impulse ruined everything.

Ishihara himself is a writer by profession, so he certainly knew that Zhang Chao was taken away on charges of "defamation" for insulting him. Not only would it be impossible for Zhang Chao to go to jail, but it would also completely end his political career.

Even his son's political career would end as a result.

Not only because most of their companions and collaborators felt that the Ishihara family was too overbearing and kept their distance from them, but also because this impulsive style of doing things would be considered unlikely to lead to great things.

Ishihara Shinaki was stunned by his father. After a long while, he said, "No, I... Dad... not you..."

Before he could finish his words, Shintaro Ishihara pulled out the tubes from his body, got out of bed, picked up his coat from the hanger, and walked towards the door of the ward.

Ishihara Shinaki was anxious, and hurried forward to hold him and said, "Dad, what are you doing?"

Ishihara Shintaro coldly shook off his son's hand and said, "I'm going to save the future of the Ishihara family, you loser!"

……

In the evening of that day, the Shinjuku Police Station located at Nishi-shinjuku 6-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, welcomed the grandest scene since its opening.

Countless TV reporters, photographers, and broadcast vehicles surrounded the entrance of the police station.

Professor Yoshio Iizuka led more than a dozen influential professors in the academic world and also stood in front of the police station to demonstrate silently. Among them, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly Haruki Murakami, who had not appeared in front of the media for a long time.

He slowly said to the camera: "Zhang Chaosang's experience confirmed the worries deep in my heart when I left Japan that year..."

Kadokawa Lehiko and dozens of senior editors from the publishing industry also stood silently in front of the door, with a banner behind them: "Speech is not a crime, Zhang Chao is free"

In addition, there is the "Overseas Chinese Association in Japan", the "Tokyo Housewives Association", the "Japan-China Friendship Exchange Association"... Almost all related cultural and social organizations gathered at the door.

Some shouted slogans, some held banners, and some accepted interviews...

Shinjuku Police Station also knew that the situation was not good. The door was closed tightly, and only a spokesman was guarding the door. But he only said one sentence: "Our superiors will come out to explain..."

In the midst of the bustle, a black official sedan with a Tokyo Metropolitan Government license plate drove up. The door opened and the Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who had not been seen for many days, got out of the car tremblingly with the help of his son.

Many reporters who were familiar with him could not recognize that this was Shintaro Ishihara. Not only had he lost weight, but his complexion was extremely bad, and he was wearing a hospital gown under his coat.

As one of the central figures of the storm, he immediately attracted all the attention as soon as he appeared. Reporters rushed up desperately and handed the microphone to Ishihara.

Ishihara ignored their questions and said in a weak voice:
"Please believe me, Zhang Chaosang was taken away by the police. It was not me or my son who did it. We are innocent and we have been wrongly accused..."

Before he could finish his words, the door of the police station opened, and Zhang Chao and an old policeman in his fifties walked out side by side.

The reporters immediately abandoned Ishihara and rushed towards Zhang Chao - now it was Zhang Chao's turn to be drowned out by microphones and flash lights.

A reporter asked, "Mr. Zhang Chao, what do you want to say about Governor Ishihara suing you for defamation?"

Zhang Chao was surprised and said, "Governor Ishihara? I was not brought here because he called the police!"

reporter:"……"

At this time, the policeman next to him spoke up: "It was not Governor Ishihara or Congressman Ishihara who called the police, but the Tokyo Host Association. They accused Zhang Chaosang of comparing Governor Ishihara to a "host", which is a great insult to their personal dignity.

We brought Zhang Chaosang back just to conduct a normal investigation. Now after mediation, the two sides have reached a settlement. The Tokyo Host Association has withdrawn the charges against Zhang Chaosang.

Upon hearing this, Shintaro Ishihara, who was not far away, screamed miserably and fell backwards.

(End of this chapter)