Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 582, Adverse Encroachment? Illegal Tenant?
Justice Minister Yonezo Setouchi may seem carefree, but he's actually having a tough time.

The Ministry of Justice has a nickname: "the graveyard of professionals".

Although the Minister of Justice is also a cabinet minister, his position in the cabinet is very low. Unlike other ministries and agencies, the Ministry of Justice has an extremely powerful and independent group within it—the Public Prosecutor's Office. This results in very limited upward mobility for professional bureaucrats within the Ministry of Justice, with actual power concentrated in the hands of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Public Prosecutor's Office is responsible for investigations, prosecutions, and executions, while professional bureaucrats are only responsible for administrative affairs. I won't go into details here; you get the idea.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice has a convention that the Vice-Minister of Justice can only be a former prosecutor, so the professional group can only become a bureau chief, which is practically hopeless for these elites who have passed the national civil service exam.

Going to the Metropolitan Police Department at least gives you the chance to become the Superintendent General or Commissioner General of the National Police Agency! The police are a powerful force with access to all of society's resources! Solving cases also brings a sense of accomplishment; you could become a big star like Kashiwagi Jin, and even curry favor with Uesugi's powerful connections!

The Superintendent General of Police is the head of 80,000 police officers in Tokyo, while the National Police Agency oversees more than 300,000 police officers nationwide! They control budgets of hundreds of billions of yen!
So what about the Minister of Justice? Unfortunately, the Minister of Justice also has a difficult job. First of all, the Ministry of Justice is a small ministry with a very low budget and no room for personal gain. It is also responsible for executions and prison management. It is a position with little power but a lot of responsibility. Any decision can easily cause huge controversy. There are so-called "abolition of the death penalty alliance" and "human rights protection organizations" in Japan that are watching the Ministry of Justice and the Minister himself all day long!
Onoda knew that Minister Seto was actually an abolitionist, but faced with the prevailing trend, he did not hesitate to say that he would carry out the death penalty for Sakuma Kaito as soon as possible and that he supported keeping the death penalty.

This person is a politician with flexible stances and a lax bottom line.

The biggest difference between a politician and a statesman is whether they have political ambitions and a political blueprint.
Onoda did indeed need his support on some matters. This younger brother of the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the leader of the Public Security Police who had sidelined the Commissioner of National Police Agency, was plotting a "grand plan."

"Regarding Uesugi Muneyuki... the death row detention centers in Tokyo are overflowing right now!" Minister Setouchi said with a sigh of helplessness. "They've practically divided into the Uesugi faction and the non-Uesugi faction."

"Hi↑ee↓?" Onoda was taken aback.

"When every serious offender enters the detention center, they ask each other if Uesugi sent them in. If yes, they're considered part of the Uesugi faction; if not, they're not. In just three years, the Uesugi faction has taken over half of the detention center. During exercise time and meals in the canteen, the inmates will ask each other, 'Were you sent in by Uesugi? You were also sent in by Uesugi? What? I was also sent in by Uesugi?' Then they become sworn brothers, calling themselves the Uesugi Association, and worshipping him like Guan Yu." Minister Seto complained, "This amusing anecdote has even reached me."

"Hehe." Onoda Kimiaki chuckled, a hint of worry on his face: "Doesn't this just prove Uesugi's ability? Oh, by the way, good news came from Shizuoka Prefecture. They said they've wiped out the Red Canaries in one fell swoop, and they all committed suicide by self-immolation."

"What good news is this? It's just another name added to the list of those awaiting execution." Minister Setouchi said with a bitter face, "Since I took office, the list of those awaiting execution has grown rapidly, longer and longer! I really... every time the court sends me documents, I get goosebumps when I see Uesugi's signature on the autopsy report!"

"It's all Uesugi's fault!" Onoda Kimiaki smiled, thinking to himself that if it weren't for Uesugi, he would already be the Superintendent General of Police, but he couldn't do without him!
"It's all Uesugi's fault!" Minister Setouchi said angrily, thinking that if it weren't for Uesugi, there wouldn't be so many names waiting for execution, but they couldn't do without him!
This guy is really unlikable, but it seems that without realizing it, he has become an irreplaceable behemoth!

————I am the dividing line of this behemoth————

At the same time, on the other side.

When Inspector Yamato of the First Criminal Investigation Division of the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters arrived at the scene with elite detectives from the prefecture, Uesugi Muneyuki had already completed the autopsy.

"The deceased, Mizuki Yamashita, 19 years old, her biological father is unknown, and her biological mother, Saeko Yamashita, died six months ago from breast cancer." Inspector Yamato was exchanging information about the deceased with Muneyuki Uesugi: "She was found by patrolling police officers after fainting alone near Karuizawa due to anemia and getting lost, and her identity was registered."

"She herself is not the owner of this place. According to our investigation, the owner of this villa is named Kimura Aki."

“I see.” Uesugi Muneyuki stroked his chin.

Inspector Yamato was a fierce detective in his forties with a scar on his face. He was said to have fought a bear before. As soon as he received the report from the Karuizawa Police Station, he immediately led his elite team to the scene, looking somewhat excited.

To be able to work on a case with Chief Uesugi is the greatest honor for us Japanese police officers!

"Chief Uesugi, the request for guidance from the Metropolitan Police Department has been formally submitted from the prefectural headquarters to the National Police Agency. Have you made any discoveries?" Inspector Yamato asked immediately when he saw that Uesugi Muneyuki was hesitant to speak.

"The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning." Uesugi Muneyuki arrived at the scene with Inspector Yamato and several detectives, pointing to Yamashita Mizuki's body in the center of the living room: "The cherry-red lividity is the most typical sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. Her cheeks, neck, and other lower parts of her body have an unusually vivid cherry-red color, like poorly applied makeup, creating a bizarre contrast with her bloodless, pale skin. In forensic medicine, this is direct evidence of the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood."

"Rigidity has progressed throughout the body, with the jaw, neck, and major joints of the limbs unable to bend passively. Based on the cool nighttime temperature in Karuizawa, the time of death is preliminarily estimated to be 12 to 15 hours ago, that is, late at night the previous day."

"Several empty beer cans and a half-eaten convenience store bento box were scattered around her. An elegant metal fireplace was filled with burnt-out charcoal ash, and in the center of the room, two traditional seven-wheeled charcoal stoves were placed more conspicuously, the charcoal inside also completely burned out. Next to them was a suicide note that read, 'So tired,' 'My mother is dead, and I'm ending it all.'"

“Therefore, without a doubt, Yamashita Mizuki died of carbon monoxide poisoning.” Uesugi Muneyuki told Inspector Yamato and Minami, who was standing next to him, about the situation at the scene. “In addition, I also found minor pry damage to the lock cylinder of the back door at the scene. Also, although this villa has indeed been uninhabited for a long time, there are more than one convenience store package in the kitchen and the trash can, indicating that she lived here for some time.”

"I see." Miss Minami immediately understood: "So, this Miss Yamashita Mizuki broke in? She's making this her home? In other words, she's an 'illegal tenant' here? Or perhaps, an 'illegal occupant'?"

"'Illegal tenant,' is it?" Inspector Yamato muttered to himself.

“Yes, she is an illegal tenant of this villa.” Uesugi Muneyuki frowned.

This is a rather interesting concept. You may have heard that in Europe and America, many vacant houses have been broken into and occupied for a period of time. The homeowners are unable to evict the occupants and can only engage in protracted legal battles. This situation is called "illegal tenants," with the United States and France being representative examples.

When the poor and homeless have nowhere to live, some knowledgeable people will observe for a period of time before breaking into an empty house and moving in.

They would quickly forge a "lease," however crudely made, and then brazenly become "rent-free tenants." When the homeowner discovered that their house had been broken into and called the police, the police would usually say upon arrival: "Sir, this is a civil dispute. We cannot determine who the legal occupant is. You need to obtain an eviction order from the court before we can enforce it."

In this way, the issue changed from "criminal unlawful intrusion" to "civil eviction proceedings".

The landlord then has to go to court with the tenant.

The lawsuit between the United States and France has been protracted, lasting at least several months. If the tenant has some legal knowledge, the appeals, requests for a change of jury, and repeated motions could potentially extend to two or three years.

During this period, the homeowner cannot take any action against them, otherwise they will be sued for "illegal eviction" and face huge compensation.

This exploits a loophole in US law that "protects tenants," allowing many people to enjoy luxury apartments and villas that are used for investment or vacation by the wealthy. Even if they lose a lawsuit, they have nothing to enforce against them.

France even has a "winter break" ban: the period from November 1st to March 31st of the following year is the "winter break." During this period, landlords cannot, in principle, evict tenants even if they do not pay rent. This is out of humanitarian considerations to prevent people from being homeless during the harsh winter.

Karuizawa, like Sapporo in Hokkaido, is a place where many wealthy people buy a villa and only stay for a few weeks each winter or summer, leaving it vacant most of the time.

Japan's real estate registration system is very strict, and the protection of tenants is not as strict as that in France. However, there is room to exploit the "illegal tenant loophole." It's just that the Japanese sense of shame doesn't allow them to do such shameless things, so there are relatively few illegal tenants in Japan.

"So, this was a suicide?" Inspector Yamato nodded, feeling that the logic made sense: "The deceased was struggling financially and ashamed to seek help, so she had no choice but to break into this place. Then, considering her situation, she decided to commit suicide. You see, Chief Uesugi left a suicide note, and it was a carbon monoxide poisoning. There were no other people's fingerprints at the scene, and the autopsy confirmed that she died of carbon monoxide poisoning. So, without a doubt, this was a suicide, right?"

“Yes, Miss Yamashita broke in, yes, Miss Yamashita died of carbon monoxide poisoning, yes, Miss Yamashita lived in poverty but was ashamed to ask for help, all of that is true.” However, Uesugi Muneyuki smiled and shook his head: “But, this is murder!”

"What???" Inspector Yamato and Minami Watanabe, who had arrived at the scene, were both shocked.

Not suicide? Was it homicide?

"Gentlemen, have you ever heard of 'adverse possession'?" Uesugi Muneyuki nodded slightly, giving a "trust me" look, and said, "Please call Ms. Kimura Aki, the owner of this villa, immediately."

"Please ask her to come over so we can explain this complicated matter clearly."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the villa, which was covered in dust and contained a corpse.

This matter is a bit complicated!

(End of this chapter)