"A SHOCHIKU picture" "THE VICTORY OF WOMEN" "Rise." "How did it go?" " We won a three year stay." " You succeeded." "I'm relieved." "A woman should be defended by a woman." "By the way that campaign for..." " Unifying jurists?" " Yes, it'll be realized." "Is it making progress?" "Civilians will take the positions in the Justice Ministry." "I can't believe it." "It's the beginning of unification of officials and people." "We need thorough interchange of jurists." " That's right." "There'll be a meeting of the Bar Association." "This evening?" "That's too bad." "I don't think I'll be able to attend." "It's the first meeting." "You'd better attend." " Well, but..." "Prosecutor Kohno, your sister's husband, is against unification of the jurists." "He's insisting that present system should not be changed." "Mr. Kohno is that kind of person." "You'll be in a hard position personally." " No, I won't." "I'm going my way no matter what he will do." "But I'm sorry for my sister, Michiko." "She stands between her husband and me." "Why can't you go?" "Mr. Yamaoka is to be released today." "Released from prison?" " Yes, but he is sick." "He's seriously ill that he can't walk." "He'll be taken to a hospital." "It was Prosecutor Kohno who had Mr. Yamaoka arrested." "This may be harsh to you, a man like Prosecutor Kohno should resign from his post." "I'll never resign from my position." "I hear Yamaoka is to be released." "Yes, he has no family." "You have no connection with him anymore." "My wife, Michiko, is at your home today." "Is Mr. Yamaoka that ill?" " Apparently so." "What will Hiroko do with him?" "I think she parted with him." "I hope she won't take up with him." "But he has no relatives." "Hiroko will have to take care of him." "Listen, mother, if Hiroko gets along with him as before, my position will become awkward." "But you know..." " For Mr. Kamaoka my husband is a sort of enemy." "I don't think so." " As you know." "Kohno accused him in accordance with the law." "But the war has changed Japan." "He may be treated as a war criminal." "And Mr. Yamaoka was released as a political prisoner." "He'll try to get even with Kohno." "He won't do so." "He isn't such kind of man." "He didn't change his views under oppression." "He's a wonderful man." "He would never think of personal requital." "I wonder." " I'm sure of that." "Is it Mr. Yamaoka's?" "We've kept his clothes and books since he was arrested." "I'm back." "Hello." " Hello, Hiroko." "How are you?" "You must be busy." "Yes, but I've just finished a case." "Mr. Yamaoka was released, I hear." "Yes, he was." " How is his illness?" "He's seriously ill." "Listen, Hiroko, what will you do from now on?" "About what?" " About you and Mr. Yamaoka." "I'll take care of him." "I see." "When he was arrested, you promised me that you'd break your engagement with him." "I did, but I was compelled to do so." "But you agreed." "Listen, Michiko, who confined him in a cell for five years?" "The man was Mr. Kohno." "Mr. Yamaoka came out of prison today." "He's seriously ill." "He can't even stand." "Mother, I'll get the dinner ready." "Listen, Michiko," "I want you to visit Mr. Yamaoka once." "You'd best do so." "Hiroko's been waiting for him." "Try to understand how she feels." "When Mr. Yamaoka recovers, I'll allow her to marry him." "Marry him?" "Hello." "I went to the court today and I heard Hiroko's summation." "Hello, Michiko." "Hiroko, I want you to part with Mr. Yamaoka." "Think it over please." "Michiko, we'll have supper soon." "Won't you stay and eat with us?" " No, thank you, mother." "Hello." "Hello, anybody home?" "Don't you want some meat?" "Meat?" " You can have it at low price." " Let me see please." "This portion is left unsold." "I'll discount." "Will you give it to the sick man?" "That's an idea." "How much?" "Thirty yen, ma'am." " I'll take it." "Wait a moment please." "She is Miss Asakura, isn't she?" "The girl you went to school with?" "Oh, yes." "You're right." "Miss Asakura!" "Miss Asakura!" "I'm back." " You're late." "Mother, you'd better take a rest." "You'll have a pain in your eyes." "There's some porridge in the pot." "How do you feel, darling?" "I've bought a fish." "May I boil it?" "Or may I broil it?" "I happened to see Hiroko today." "Hiroko?" "You mean Miss Hosokawa?" "I see." "In short, the military politics distorted the people." "It deprived them of their freedom and threw them into the darkness." "The people have now been freed from the bands of the militarists." "They regained humanity, and the sun of freedom." " You're right." "The only way for Japan to recover itself is to establish a finely democratic system." "Freedom's been offered." "It's most important to accept and cherish it." "Well, thank you very much." "Professor, will you return to our college?" "I will." "I want to return." " We all are waiting for you to return." "I'll be back when I get over my illness." "We'll come again." "My best wishes." " Take care." " Thanks." "Can you be outside?" "I'm allowed to be up for thirty minutes." "You must not read the papers." "Caught me in the act." " Silly." "You must be careful." "Ok." " Come, let's go to your room." "This is a present." " Thank you very much." "What's up?" " What happened to you?" "I suddenly felt dizzy." " You met people and got excited." "You're exhausted." "Don't get excited." " She's right." "Come on, lie down." "I want to stand on these feet." "I was released from that dark room after five years, and now I can't walk." "I cannot move around." "There are many things I want to do." "My college and people are waiting for me." "But my body's weak." "I cannot walk." "I'm impatient with my useless body." "But, Hiroko, I'll fight." "I'll fight trough with the people." "The five years of dark prison life have aggravated my sick body." "But the trials I underwent there have only strengthened my will power." "I have been faithful to my principle." "I haven't changed it." "It is time for me to realize my thought." "I'm sure I can do so." "Hello, I'm glad to see you." " Is he asleep?" "No." " This is a present from me." "Thank you." "My sister has come to see you." "I'm Mrs. Kohno." "How are you." " She brought flowers." "The Prosecutor's wife!" "Your husband bound me and isolated me from society." "I cannot accept flowers from you." "Hello." "Hello, dear." "I heard you saw him." "Who told you to do so?" "You need not give him flowers." "But..." " This isn't a matter for you to meddle in." "In accordance with the law, I acted to remove a hindrance from the world." "The law solemnly exists." "I acted as the law ordered." "By the way, what is Hiroko thinking?" "Will she renew her engagement to Yamaoka?" "He was taken to the hospital from prison." "I'm not asking that." "I want to know her plan." "I don't care what she will do." "She is now adult." "But who made her a lawyer?" "Who has taken care of her?" "She should realize these points." "Aren't you Miss Asakura?" "You must be worried." "His illness is getting worse." "I thought he'd die last night." "Didn't you negotiate with the company?" " Yes." "But they didn't listen to me." "Isn't he crying for milk?" " I don't have enough milk, that's why." "Mrs. Asakura, please listen to me." "We'll have a good place to live in." "We must make a better world." "Don't lose courage." "The goal isn't so far." "Don't let life defeat you." "Don't stop while you are going uphill." "Don't think of your fall." "Keep going upward." "Let me have two eggs." "Thank you very much." "Please give these to your husband." " Don't bother so." "Take them." " I can't." " Please take them." "Thank you." "When you get over difficulties you'll see something good." "That's the way of life." "Understand?" "Well, excuse me." "Take care of your husband." "He won't rest in peace in this condition." "The factory badly treated Toyo." "He wasn't injured by his mistake." " Certainly." "They threw him out of the hospital." "You're too late." "He has passed away." "Hello." "Anyone at home?" "Yes." "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "Oh, it's you." "You're Mrs. Asakura." "What happened?" "It's late." "What happened?" "I wanted to see you." "I see." "Come right in, please." "Please come this way." "Come on." "Please come in." "Oh, no!" "Don't sit down there." "Don't be reserved." "Come here." "Please sit down on this." "Now, tell me." "What happened?" "Well, the truth is..." " What's the matter?" "My baby..." " What happened to your baby?" "No, no!" "Nothing happened." " Then what is it?" "Well, my husband..." " Your husband?" "He passed away." "When?" "When did he die?" "The day when I last saw you." "We held the seventh day service." "It must be a shock to you." "I'm at a loss." "I don't know what to do." "Mrs. Asakura, I'll help you." "I'll do anything for you." "Tell me anything." "Is your baby sick?" "Did something happen?" "Don't hesitate to tell me." "My baby..." "He died!" "While taking my breast, my baby died." "Your baby died?" " Miss Hosokawa, help me!" "Help me!" "Help me!" "Tell me exactly what happened to him?" "Your baby was taking your breast." "But why did he die?" "Come on." "Why did he die?" "I'll tell you." "He suddenly began to cry in the night." "When I gave my breast to him." "He fell asleep soon." "While looking at his face," "I couldn't help crying." "How could I raise my baby?" "While I was thinking of my future," "everything turned black." "I was dropping into a black hole." "I was firmly holding my baby." "Did you then find your baby was dead?" "I madly ran out of my house." "I intended to die with my baby." "I went to my husband's grave." "But when I thought of my mother's future," "I couldn't kill myself." "When I came to, I found men tending me." "I knew I had fainted holding my baby." "What about your baby?" "The neighbors took my baby..." "My baby!" "I'm glad to see you confess." "Mrs. Asakura, what do you intend to do now?" "Will you go to the police?" "To the police?" "Miss, Hosokawa, I can't!" "You must surrender yourself to the police." " But what will become of my mother?" "You've been defeated." "You were beaten by life." "I told you a few days ago, that you must not run from life but face it." "But what is done can not be undone." "What you must do now is to compensate your mistake." "Go to the police with me." "Let's go to the police." "No. 12, you have a visitor." "Please take your seat." "Sit down." "How are you?" "You must forget all you did in the past." "You know you must start a new life." "I understand." "Your new life starts from this place." "Is my mother fine?" " Yes, don't worry about that matter." "We decided to let her stay with us." "Thank you very much." "Someday..." "I will..." "I'll repay your kindness." "Mrs. Asakura, your eyes are very bright today." "Thank you." "Please explain how the factory treated your late husband." "I've been waiting." " I'm sorry I'm late." "You'll handle the baby killing case." " Yes." "I'll confront my sister." " I'm worried about that." "Don't be." "I've pushed through my way until today." "The bar association will demand your resign, if your opinion angers them." "Those who stand in my way are pushed away." "Clever men keep of from me." "But..." "Democratization of the judicature is absurd." "The dignity of the law exists where the government has its own strength." "People are judged by the law itself." "A man is a proctor of the law." "We need good appliers." "We need good experts of the law." "I believe in your skill." "But the times have changed." "We can't sit in legal chairs at ease." "We must not be conceited." "Do you think a man with a faith, a self conceited man?" "Anyway I wish you good luck." "If you fail, I'll lose too." " Don't worry." "If I can succeed, I'll be promoted to a chief prosecutor." "Thank you, Mrs. Kohno." "Your wife must be very anxious." "Women's duty is easy." "All they should do is self sacrifice." "Is it true that my son and Hiroko will compete with each other in the court?" "Hiroko has become an important person." "What will you look like in the court?" "Do you feel uneasy?" " That's not what I mean." "I want to see how you will handle this case." "The world is like the threads in this." "People are connected with each other." "They're complicatedly connected." "The man who accused me five years ago, in concert with the militarists, is still working as an attorney." "He is not worried." "He's interweaving in the mesh of the world." "We must remove this thread." "Can you cut out the thread called Kohno?" "You'll think I'll act as a poor counsel." "I want you to go for a change of air." "No, this place's fine to me." " I know a good place by the beautiful sea." "I don't want to give you much trouble." " Please don't mind." "When you recover, you will take care of me." "I have a hole in my lung." "I wonder if I'll recover." "Breathe plenty of clean air, eat a lot of fresh fish, then you can build up a healthy system." "There's a phone call." " Thank you very much." "I'm on my way back from your home." "Today is my birthday." "I want you to come to me." "I'll be waiting." "I have something to ask you." "Some business turn up?" " It can wait." "You'd better finish it." "I want to stay here a little longer." "May I?" "All right, if you want to." "Glad to see you." " Haven't seen you for long." "Today is Michiko's birthday." " Yes, I remember." "Is Mr. Yamaoka still in the hospital?" " Yes." "How is his condition?" " It's rather bad." "The time has come for me to see your skill." "I should meet you at a trial some day." "Why do you oppose the democratic system?" "I don't see the necessity." " What is the reason?" "Laws are not... this is my pet theory..." "Laws are not to be interpreted." "Laws are laws to the end." "All we must do is to command them." "There is independence of the judicature and a fair trial." "The democratic system makes laws impure." "When a man tries ti interpret laws, law will lose its pureness." "What do you think?" "To think men should command law as it is, or should be commanded by law is outdated." "Do you say outdated?" "Law that judges people should be people's." "People shouldn't be oppressed by law." "Law should be for the people." "Hiroko, our opinions are already separated." "Hiroko, come." "My husband is so stubborn." "Please pay no heed to what he says." "Why?" " Don't you see?" "I invited you today, because I wanted you to make up with him." "We're not quarreling." "How can I make up with him?" "Hiroko, I beg you." "Don't get me into trouble." "I think I'm going now." "Hiroko, I want to talk to you for a while." "Come, please." "Favor me, will you?" "I gave you monetary aid until you became a lawyer." "But I'm not asking you to repay me for this," "I'll be in the same way." "Remembering my words, please listen to me." "The coming trial is your first major case." "For me, it's a crucial one." "The bar association may try to force me to resign from my post, depending on the final speech of mine." "You should've known that better than I do." "But I don't want to deliver my seat which I've cherished long." "I want to keep it." "I want to cut my way through." "If I can keep it a little longer," "I'll get the position of chief prosecutor." "In short, I don't want to cause a stir." "I want to remain as calm as an old marsh." "Hiroko, you have a stone in your hand." "If you throw it into the marsh, it'll cause rippling on the surface." "For many years, I've been riding a horse called law." "I am good at handling it." "Darling, I'll talk to Hiroko later." " Shut up." "I'm saying this not for me but for Michiko." "A beginner at riding should ask an experienced rider about the horse's disposition." "Don't you think so?" "Do you understand what I'm saying?" "What do you say?" "Let's ride without hurting ourselves." " Excuse me please." "Hiroko!" "It's I who made her a lawyer." "She must know that better than anyone." "Hiroko, wait a moment." "Can't you understand my position?" "Can't you understand my position?" "I asked Kohno to take care of you." "I didn't know you thought that way." " I have an obligation to him." "Understand how I feel." "Think of my position." "I beg you, shake hands with Kohno, please." "Once is enough." "Just this time is enough." "Only this time." "I beg you." "Please." "Please make up with Kohno." "I have to despise you." "I'm sorry." "I'm thinking, if Hiroko and I will be opposed to each other, you'll feel hard to be in my home." "Mother." "Michiko, you have a cold hearted sister." "For the first time, I could see such a woman." "Because I've spent many years." "If this were ancient times, she would be severely punished." "First of all, she doesn't know what obligation is." "How can a person who doesn't know humanity fulfill her duty as a lawyer?" "I understand how hard you feel." "But let me say this." "What they say about obligation is completely different from its real meaning." "Don't mind opposing your sister now." "That will make her happy later." "I'm sure of that." "Michiko, if he wants to divorce you, don't hesitate to come home any time." "What did you say when I got married to him?" "You said I must not come back to this home." "You said so very strongly." "Yes, I still hope you can stay there." "Mother, I cannot come back to this house." "Kohno is my husband." "Whatever he may be, he is my husband." "At the wedding I certainly said you must not return." "Because I was educated that way and thought that was a woman's duty." "But while I was seeing the way you live" "I found that what I was taught was wrong." "As Hiroko used to say, even a woman should have her rights." "I naturally started to think that way." "I'm home." "Hello, Michiko." "Michiko has come to have a talk with us." "She says it's painful to stay with Kohno." " I see." "I know I shouldn't express my opinion, but I want you to think of her position." "What will she do?" "She is conservative." "She says she wants to go back to Mr. Kohno." "Hiroko, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday." "Don't mention it." "I was wrong." " You are weak." "I feel awful." "It's difficult." "It's difficult to live with Kohno." "Thanks to you I could become a lawyer." "I'll never forget it." "But ideas of Mr Kohno and you are wrong." "Will you do me a favor?" "Please have someone take your place." "It'll be the same if I do so." "No, it won't be the same." "Anybody else will be good." "Michiko, are you happy in that house?" "When you were with us you weren't like you are now." "You are definitely a full grown woman." "Stand up on your ow feet." "Michiko, don't you realize the situation you are placed in that house?" "And don't you feel sorry about it?" "But you know this is a woman's way." "If so, why don't you try to correct it?" "You'll understand when you are married." "Sometimes a wife has to obey her husband even if she knows he is wrong." "Don't misunderstand me." "I'll never be like you." "You must know a woman is apt to be dominated by a man before she is aware of it." "You're wrong." "It's not true." "Not true!" "There are women like you so women cannot progress." "You're a remarkable woman." "No, this is not an irony." "You can judge duty and humanness objectively as if you are looking in a mirror." "What they say about duty is different from its real meaning." "I understand but..." "Michiko." "I also feel painful." "I also feel hard." "But I can't lead a wrong way of life." "Michiko, don't worry and come back any time." "Michiko, where are you going?" "Mother, do you think my idea is wrong?" "No, dear." "I want to make my sister happy." "I'm sure she'll understand my idea." "Mother, where's Mrs. Asakura's mother?" "She isn't here." "Isn't she here?" "Oh, what happened to you?" "Why did you try to go?" " Come on." "Let's go home." "Miss Hosokawa, because of us you're suffering." "I'll leave you." "I'll leave you now." "Please come back to us." "Come to our house." "Please don't worry." "Let's go together." "Mother, she's come back." "I'm so glad to see you back." "Please don't hesitate to come this way." "It must be cold outside." "I'm relieved." "I'm glad to see you again." "I'm very sorry to have bothered you, madam." "Don't say that." "You're already a member of my family." "It's cold." "Come here and warm yourself." "Sit down on the cushion." "You're hungry, aren't you?" "Let's have our meals." "Please come this way." "Oh, please use this cushion." "Don't be reserved like that." "Eat it while it's hot." "Hosokawa, there's a call for you." " Thank you very much." "Please start eating while it's hot." "Please take this one too." "Take as much as you want." "Permit me to eat." " Please do." "Is Mr. Yamaoka not well?" "That's right." "I'm sorry for my late father, but will you sell his books and this house?" "I want to repay Kohno for all I owe him." "I want to be free from him and independent." "All right." "Have you finished your preliminary work?" "Don't worry." "Is Mr. Yamaoka's condition serious?" "Yes, I've been at the hospital." " You must be worried." "Hold on a minute." "You have a call." " Thank you." "You'd better go." "You have forty minutes." "Go see him." "I'll accompany you." "How was the trial?" "It'll start soon." "Don't be defeated." "Pull yourself together." "On these little hands of yours there's something great." "On your shoulders" "There are hands of countless people who are seeking the fair world." "Please go." "Don't get involved in a private matter." "Go at once." "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "I'll go." "Rise." "Moto Asakura." "If you have something you left unsaid or forgot to say in the former sessions, tell us of them now." "There's nothing." "The, Prosecutor, begin your summation." "The crime of the accused has been clarified in her statements and other records of this trial." "In judging this case, there is one question." "Are there any extenuating circumstances?" "When the accuse explained the motive of killing her baby, she said she was in a state of dementia and that was the only reason." "But by the expert's opinion, we found she had not been mentally deranged." "And when we checked her conduct at the time of killing, we found she was calm like common people." "So we must judge it as a premeditated crime." "No matter what dilemma a mother may be in, killing her child is inexcusable." "That's against her duty, against her instinct and against her motherly affection." "Traditionally mothers in Japan have saved their children first." "In adversity, they've collected courage to live trough with their children." "So many episodes have still been told that I need not repeat any of them here." "From this point of view, I conclude the accuse couldn't bear her pain and cruelly murdered her child, on the pretext of dementia, that this criminal act shows she avoided her duty as a mother and disgraced morals of women." "And in order to warn women in general, I cannot allow her crime." "Therefore I'll apply a proper law to this." "I propose five years imprisonment to the accused." "The accused may remain seated." "Your argument, counselor." "My opinions are totally different from those of the prosecutor." "I must point out that the difference depends on his lack of knowledge of women." "He only measures women with a scale of law and sees the world through the cold glasses of law." "His formalism makes his point void." "He judged her act from a point of view of motherhood, but does he really understand women?" "Is he really trying to understand them?" "There have been many beautiful stories about mothers and women in Japan." "The important fact is that these stories have been used as the basis of education for women." "What is hidden behind these stories of women?" "There's a feudal society." "It is a family system governed by men." "What position was given to these women?" "They were deprived of personal right, compelled to live like slaves, and forced to serve men completely." "They had to give all they had to men." "And self sacrifice was described as a virtue." "Many stories of women have been handed down to the present day." "And even in these modern days, they are used as the examples for women." "In the feudal social system men would built up, almost all Japanese women were compelled to be men's slaves." "They couldn't show their abilities and they were treated like animals." "The accused is a woman who was denied of her intelligence." "Her husband's death, her mother and baby she must attend, hunger closing in on without mercy," "necessity to sell the food rationed to her." "She had to face these trials by herself." "Then she lost her husband who had been her only support in her mind." "She finally broke down, lost her reason, and suffered temporary mental derangement." "And then she became absentminded." "Do you think my interpretation is wrong?" "According to the expert testimony, it is clear that she was mentally deranged." "She firmly held her child like one dazed." "When she came to herself, she found her baby has been miserably suffocated." "She tried to bring her child back to life." "She was desperate to do so." "But she failed." "The accused held her dead child in her arms, and tried to kill herself in front of her husband's grave." "But she couldn't kill herself." "She was rescued by passers-by." "And now she's waiting for judgment with a peaceful mind." "What caused this kind of tragedy?" "The prosecutor should pay special attention to the core of the fact." "We must abandon formal application of the law." "The true object of justice isn't to punish men, but to save them." "Judging from this point of view," "I believe the accused is not guilty." "Let me rebut counselor's argument." "Can it wait?" " It's simple." "The counselor's argument is abstract and romantically colorful." "It lacks the persuasive basis and is a vised view full of sentimentality." "In the attitude of the accused here, we cannot see a trace of a woman who has lost everything by man's power." "We can see strong will power in her eyes." "Your Honor." " Wait, I'll hear you later." "I was weak, Your Honor." "But..." "Thanks to Miss Hosokawa," "I now feel at rest." "That's all." "Life is the continuance of temptation." "The hand of temptation is nearing people." "A right minded man cannot be it's captive." "Her crime was caused by her surrender to temptation." "She is a failure in the social system." "She isn't a person who is qualified to live." "The counselor said that feudal idea was the cause." "I'll tentatively deny the feudal idea." "But if the idea is to blame, we should view all crimes from this angle." "The crime of the accused is a fact." "We must precisely judge a fact as a fact." "We must be realistic." "Unless we calmly apply the law to crimes, what does the law exist for?" "We must recognize her crime as an act of murderous intent." "I'll continue to prosecute this case as a murder case." "Your Honor, allow me to speak once again." " Go ahead." "The prosecutor denied the feudalism, but his point is basically feudalistic." "Once, under the militaristic government, he displayed his masterly tact and sent all the liberals and all the democrats to prison." "And he buried them in the dark." "Counselor, please don't become personal." "The accused's late husband, Toyoji, was working for a factory during the war." "He got injured in a truck accident and became ill." "The factory provided him with medical care." "But at the end of the war they stopped giving him such assistance." "The factory made huge profits during the war." "After the war they evaded its duty." "They sacrificed their employees to money." "We must thoroughly accuse the factory." "Loss of job, illness..." "It is the factory that killed the accused's husband." "It is also the factory that drove her in the miserable plight." "I think many people are leading miserable life like Moto Asakura." "Thinking of the fact makes me shudder." "She had to take care of her mother and baby." "She had no milk available for the baby." "I want you to imagine her miserable life." "I want you to think of the society which forced her to despair." "The purpose of a trial is to maintain social order, and not to seek reprisals on crimes." "A decision should conform with the feeling of people in general." "Your Honor, I strictly insist that the accused is not guilty." "The one who killed her husband is the profit seeking factory." "And the one who made her kill her child is our society itself." "Who is responsible for the foul society?" "Who is the statesmen?" "When I see this case from this standpoint" "I must ask you to find why she was indicted, who indicted her and why she had to be tried." "I want you to get the real cause." "A trial must be warm and kind to the people." "Judicial power and law must not seek to suppress people." "You want to speak more?" " Yes, Your Honor." "Then we'll take a recess." "Rise!" "Thank you very much." "Mrs. Asakura, don't act like that." "I'm only trying to do my duty." "Thank you very much." "Please take a seat." "Miss Hosokawa." "Mr. Yamaoka has passed away." "He said you would surely win." "He said so." "And then he gave me a message for you." ""Thank her for her help." "I'm very grateful."" "He repeated the words." "Counselor, it's time." "It'll reconvene." "Hiroko, this is from Michiko." "Michiko made up her mind." "She said she'd return to our home." "My sister!" "She made up her mind?" " She'll live like you." "She'll live in the new times as a strong girl." "She wants to stand firmly on her own feet." "She's right." "The happiest person in the world is one who can stand up without any help." "I understand." "You know she will..." "Michiko will start her life afresh." "When she comes back to us," "I want you to give her a very warm welcome." "Mother, I'm on my sister's side." "How eagerly I've been waiting for the day she returns!" "Dear Hiroko:" "I'll start anew." "I'm no longer a puppet." "I'll be an independent woman, not a woman who is controlled by a man." "Miss Hosokawa, please hurry." "THE END" "Transcribed by Inglourious @KG"