"Translated by: 8thSin" "[ A Suo Masayuki film ]" "" An Innocent shall not be punished, even if 10 true offenders slip away "" "Groper!" "What?" "!" "I wouldn't touch an ugly bitch like you for a million yen!" "Liar!" "You just touched me with these hands!" "Let go, hey!" "I'm going to file a complaint!" "Don't act dumb!" "The woman says you touched her!" "I didn't do what I didn't do!" "Don't mess with me, you pervert." "I can tell from your face." "Why?" "I didn't do anything." "We'll discuss this in the station." "I have an interview now." "It won't take long." "What are you going to do if the same fibers as that woman's panties are found?" "Listen, you're sadly mistaken if you think groping leaves no evidence." " Left hand." " Yes." "I'm sorry!" "My life will be over if my company or my wife finds out." "I'm sorry!" " I see, you're going to admit it?" " I'm sorry!" "Yeah." "Excuse me," "A moment please, Yamada." "Again?" "I just had a night shift!" "I'm sorry!" "Right, what did you do?" "A little..." "You again?" "!" "I'm sorry." "It's all right now, you don't have to be scared." "You did well." "What's so fun doing things like this?" "!" "You always do it?" "Huh?" "The girl said you did it." "Hey, don't be denying it." "Take out everything in your bag." "Hurry up!" "You're going to work with this?" "Give me a break!" "Take out everything in your pockets." "From your pants too." "I heard the victim grabbed your wrist." "Uh... not my wrist, my sleeve." "That's right, just tell me the truth." ""I grabbed a female junior high school student's buttocks in a crowded train to work, and she caught my sleeve."" "What are you talking about?" ""It was just a sudden whim, but I'm deeply sorry for what I have done."" ""I will tell you what really happened now."" "Wait a minute!" "I didn't say things like that." " I'm leaving..." " Hold it!" "You were arrested." "Arrested by the Individual in an Act of Crime." "You understand?" ""Individual" doesn't mean a police officer." "It refers to an ordinary citizen." "You were caught red-handed by the victim!" "Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai " Even so, I didn't do it "" ""I lifted up a junior high female student's skirt on the way to work, and touched her buttocks over her panties..."" ""such a thing absolutely did not happen."" "Here, sign it." "I'm going to tell you this one more time." "You can get out right away if you truthfully admit it." "It's the same as breaking a traffic law." "You're released once you pay a fine after a Summary Judgement." "Fingerprint, left hand, index finger." "[ Kaneko Teppei ]" "Take off your pants." "This is a good luck charm?" "Yes." "Underwears too?" "You can keep it on." "What's this?" "An iPod..." "Hello..." "Your first time?" "What did you do?" "Uh, nothing... it's some kind of mistake." "Really?" "What should I...?" " About what?" "What should I...?" "Oh, where should I sit?" "Anywhere." "Most people who were here went to the public prosecutor's office." "Do you know what public prosecutor's office is?" "It's where they investigate and file charges." "Police detectives only do the catching, you don't know what dumb cops would do if you let them do as they please." "Smart public prosecutors who passed the bar exam will examine you with composure." "Or so they claim." "So, what about a lawyer?" "Huh?" "Oh, the person who defends a client." "I'm not quizzing you." "You didn't do anything, right?" "Yes." "Then you have to get a lawyer." "Didn't the detective tell you?" "About what?" "There's something called a "public defender system", first time is free." "Person in charge!" "Oh..." "He wants you to call a lawyer." "Do you know someone?" "Huh?" "Uh, no..." "Public defender." "Public defender." "It's too late, he'll probably come tomorrow." "Well, I'll contact him for you." "I don't think he'll make it today though." "Tsk, he's teasing you." "It's barely past noon." "He'll come right away." "Don't worry." "Did you contact your family yet?" "Uh, no..." "You can ask me anything you want." "I know a lot about false charges too." "False charge?" "That's what happened to you, right?" "You're innocent, right?" "There are such cases once every while." "He's released." "You know what he did?" "Businessmen who come in the morning and leave by the afternoon." "It's this." "Hey!" "Groping, it's groping!" "Let's eat." "Let's eat!" "She called me a groper in the station, and I was taken here." "[ Card:" "Hamada Akira ]" "You denied it during interrogation too?" "What?" "You said you didn't do it?" "That you're not a groper?" "Yes." "Are they planning to charge you for Infringement of Public Safety?" "What?" "There are different charges for groping." "Simply put, if you touched her over her panties, it's Infringement of Public Safety." "If your hand goes into the panties, it's Excessive Obscenity." "Oh, the police detective accused me of touching her over her panties." "Tell me what happened after you got on the train." "Yes, sure." "Let's see, I got on the express from Sumiregaoka, and..." " What line is that?" "Let's see, I got on the express from Sumiregaoka, and..." "Oh, it's Jouhoku Express Line." "And I was planning to get to Kishikawa, but I got off at Musashidai..." "Um, why did you get off in the middle?" "I was worried about forgetting my resume." "I had an important job interview." "So I got off because it was too crowded on the train to look for it." "Are you a student?" "No, I'm unemployed. 26 years old though." "Did you find your resume?" "It wasn't there, but I'd be late if I went to get it." "So I gave up, and that's when the departure bell rang..." "I hopped onto the express in a hurry..." "Doors are closing!" "More like being pushed in by the station staff." "Because it was way over capacity." "The doors closed at last, and I secured some free space." "But it felt like I was being pulled back, and when I thought something was wrong," "I realized that the end of my jacket was caught between the doors." "I panicked a bit and pulled it with my right hand, and tried to twist my body, but it didn't budge." "Then my arm or something hit someone, the woman to my right tilted her head and stared at me." "I met her gaze, so..." "Sorry." "I whispered "sorry" to her..." "After that, I tried pulling it and moving my body without bothering others." "The man to my left kept pushing me for some reason, and I was worried he might push me too hard and rip my jacket, but it finally came free when I was about to reach Kishikawa." "Please stop." "Then someone said "please stop"... and I heard someone crying when I turned around." "Turned around?" "Oh, I was looking at where it was caught while pulling, so I turned around." "And when the train arrived at Kishikawa and I got off, she suddenly grabbed my sleeve..." "You were groping, weren't you?" "The girl said I was groper..." "Groping?" "Then some weird guy showed up and told me to discuss it in the office if I didn't do anything wrong, and it was causing a scene." "What's wrong?" "The station staff came, and said he'll hear us out, so I followed him to the office, and when I went inside... the woman came, and said "he's not a groper because he was just trying to free himself from the door"..." "It was the person I apologized to earlier on the train." "That woman actually said it wasn't you?" "Yes." "Did she talk to the police too?" "No, she went somewhere..." "The station staff closed the door without even listening to her, so I got agitated." "She just said it wasn't me." "I told him she was an important witness, so let her in." "Sir, why did you let her go?" "I got outside and called her, but she was already gone." "So, that station staff didn't record her account or get her contact information?" "He didn't." "He said he'll hear me out, but he didn't listen at all." "The police detective too." "The detective asked "who was it, if it wasn't me", so I said some fat guy standing beside me was suspicious because he kept pushing me." "Then he goes "no one told me there was such a guy", "don't lie"," ""you'll lose for sure if it leads to trial"," ""I'll let you leave if you just admit it and pay the fine", that's all he kept telling me!" "But I really didn't do it!" "The trial is really tough." "Tell you the truth, even for a light offense like this, you'll be detained if you plead not guilty." "If it gets to a trial, you may be locked up in here for up to 3 months until the plaintiff's testimony." "I know people who were detained for 6 months." "It was a case where he only had to pay 50000 yen ($500) fine if he admitted it." "In addition, there's no guarantee of winning in the trial." "Conviction rate is 99.9%." "Acquittal is given only once every 1000 cases." "Fighting over a groping case in the court, when you can just settle it with a plea bargain... to be honest, nothing good can come from it." "Of course, as a lawyer, I can't recommend you to admit a crime you didn't commit." "But this is the present state of the Japanese criminal justice system." "Plead guilty and settle it privately, then no one will know, and you'll get out of this place tomorrow or the day after." "Listen, you'll be interrogated here for at least 3 weeks if you keep denying it." "If they decide to file charges against you, it's trial." "It will take at least a year to defend your innocence." "In addition, there's no guarantee they'll decide you're innocent even if you really are." "It's the end of this whole thing if you just admit it now and offer a plea bargain." "We'll need the money right away for plea bargain." "Is there someone close to you who can prepare the money?" "I didn't do it." "You're right." "I apologize." "But the trial is really tough." "Probably more than you can imagine." "Just think it over tonight and call this number on the card." "Wake up!" "Good morning sir!" "Good morning." "Good morning." "To the "sheets room"." "OK." "Hurry, hurry!" "This way." "There, there." "Below, below." "Hurry." "Come on, hurry!" "Cleaning the toilet." "Deal with the cord." "Yes." "Turning vacuum on!" "Hurry up." "Get moving!" "All right, next." "Next." "Number 9, you're late!" "I'm talking to you, Kaneko!" "Move it!" "Come on!" "Hurry up!" "This bus will stop by 3 more police stations, and pick up a few more detainees like yourself before heading towards the public prosecutor's office." "Conversation of any kind is not tolerated, of course in the bus, but also in the office, while moving, and in the waiting room." "Other than during the interview, you are not allowed to talk until we get back to the police station." "What, you have a problem with..." "Hey!" "No talking over there!" "You leg is in the way, stinking old man!" "What did you say?" "!" "You fools!" "Are you deaf?" "Break it up!" "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..." "You'll get a friction burn if you don't raise your hand!" "Ow!" "Wait here until it's your turn for interview!" "Even when your interview is over, no one is leaving until you're all done!" "It will take almost all day." "Conversations of any kind are forbidden while waiting!" "Legal measures will be taken against fighting and other violation of rules!" "No matter where it hurts, we can only give you antidiarrheal medicines!" "Who asked for toilet paper?" "It stinks!" "Kishikawa case, number 9." "OK, let's go." "Face this way." "Sit down." "You have the right to remain silent." "You don't have to talk if you don't want to." "Tell me what happened on that morning." "Who is it?" "Here, over here." "I'm Kaneko's mother, he lives in this room." "Oh, I see." "I don't think he came back last night." "What happened?" "How am I supposed to know?" "I'm the superintendent here." "Thank you for looking after my son all the time." "Would you like to wait in his room?" "I'll get the key." "Thank you so much." "It was really crowded, so my jacket was caught between the doors," "I was only pulling on my jacket." "The witness..." "Idiot!" "I didn't ask you about that!" " No..." " Shut up!" "Your interview today is over." "Stand up." "Wait a minute." "Don't think you can just walk away by denying it." "I can see right through your deceptive nature." "I'll convict you no matter what." "Tomorrow is the "detainee inquisition"." "You know, detainees." "People who live in the cell." "Anyway, you'll go to the court, talk to a judge, and they'll decide whether or not to keep you here." "Well, you won't get out for sure if you plead not guilty." "I absolutely did not commit groping." "So, you will be denying it?" "Yes, I didn't do it." "You're detained for 10 days." "Uh, um..." "Can you contact someone for me?" "Yes, I can." "Then, please." "Yes." "Yes?" "Huh?" "I can't hear you." "Detained?" "What's that?" "What the... you're here!" "There was a weird phone call." "Who are you?" "Uh..." "Teppei's..." "I'm Tatsuo." "I wonder if it's phone fraud..." "Yes." "We can't see him on Monday because there's an interview in the public prosecutor's office?" "Yes." "Tuesday then?" "So, we can send him supplies on Monday?" "What did he do?" "Did Furukawa catch the wrist of your right hand, the hand you used to touch her right buttock?" "No, she did not." "Did you pull your right hand away when she caught your wrist?" "As I told you, I didn't touch her and she didn't catch my wrist." "Why don't you tell the truth already?" "I've been telling the truth from the start." "The victim says she caught your right wrist and saw your face." "I won't let bad things happen to you if you just admit the truth and repent for your actions." "Repent for my actions?" "I didn't do anything!" "Do you possess something indecent in your home?" "What's "something indecent"?" "Things like adult videos." "I'm a groper if I do?" "Then, you have them?" "Thank you for taking the day off from work to come." "It's alright, I'm not working anyway." "You are "knit"?" "Huh?" "Mrs. Kaneko!" "Yes!" "Oh, NEET." "[ Not engaging in Employment, Education, or Training ]" "[ Not engaging in Employment, Education, or Training ]" "Why are you giving him towels?" "He'll hang himself!" "Nothing long." "Belts are out of question." "Man, you don't know how things work in there!" "Whoa, a razor too?" "Are you trying to kill him?" "No..." "I didn't know what I'm supposed to send him, so I just packed everything he would need for a vacation." "He can buy soaps and toothbrushes inside." "Also, this is no good." "No food allowed." "I can't have you... doing things like this." "[ Hang on!" "I believe in you!" "From Tatsuo ]" "[ Hang on!" "I believe in you!" "From Tatsuo ]" "Are you Tatsuo?" "Stop playing stupid tricks!" "Sorry..." "What's the matter?" "It's nothing!" "There are plenty of one-time offenders around!" "No one will know about it." "He's still young." "My son hasn't done anything wrong." "Unconditional love is great." "Well you know, I've always thought he was strange!" "How so?" "Oh, just somewhat..." "Just somewhat... what?" "Well... he never went to work..." "You never contact me and only makes me worry!" "I went to see how the interview went, why have I end up interviewing you?" "!" "What did you do?" "!" "I didn't do anything." "Really?" "How can you not trust your own son?" "That's exactly why I can't believe you!" "Don't say things like that here..." "Are you serious?" "On the day of the interview?" "Wait, is it my fault?" "No, I didn't say that!" "You were kind enough to introduce a company to a bum like him." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that." "Do you know any good lawyers?" "Would you like to ask our corporate lawyer?" "Yes please." "My son, of all people, will never do something like that." "All lawyers have such thing as an area of specialty." "We specialize in civil cases, and rarely defend criminal cases." "Simply put, civil cases are disputes between two individuals." "For example, divorces, compensation for damages, and inheritance disputes." "Criminal cases are ones where the government charges against those who commit crime, correct?" "So the police get involved." "The lawyer defends the accused in criminal courts." "It seems like all lawyers defend murderers on TV, but in reality, many lawyers have never even defended a criminal case, much less a murder case." "Does that mean..." "I can't ask you to defend my son?" "Unfortunately... yes." "Can you introduce someone to me?" "I'm completely lost." "Sir." "I apologize." "I'm out of time." "[Tsugumi Law Firm]" "I wonder if these guys are dependable." "He used to be a judge, and he defends murder cases too, right?" "But it's groping." "Yes, yes." "I feel more at ease at a place like this." "Yes, I've heard." "I will send someone to you." "Right, yes, yes." "So, how is it on your side?" "Yes, right..." "I read an article about you in the paper just the other day." ""Sleeping bag in the super posh office, burning the midnight oil every day."" "No, no, no, it's amazing." "Yes." "What?" "Same as usual over here." "Took over my father's firm, and doing few things of my own." "Poor and busy!" "I wonder how long I can continue living like this!" "Remember what the law professor told us?" ""Defend criminal cases if you want to become a lawyer."" ""Civil cases are for legal advisors, not lawyers."" "For some reason, I often recall that quote lately." "Maybe it's time for me to turn back into a lawyer!" "Get in." "I'm Sudou, a lawyer." "I will be defending you upon request from your mother." "Our head lawyer is someone named "Arakawa", but I've been sent to ask you a few questions today." "I'm sure you've already repeated yourself many times during interviews, but could you give me your account of events?" "Um... before that... why do I have to stay in a place like this?" "They won't listen to me, they keep saying they'll let me out as soon as I admit it." "Why do I have to admit something I didn't even do?" "You really didn't do it?" "You're same as the police detective." "I will accurately record your account." "Please tell me exactly what happened on that day." "How did it go?" "I'll be blunt..." "I hate groping." "Of course." "Only the criminals like it." "And?" "Did this young man commit the act of groping?" "I don't know." "He denies it." "But I can't do it." "Can't do what?" "Defend him." "I have only done a few guilty pleas as an court-appointed attorney." "I have no experience in denial pleas." "And I think my job is to assist the victims of crime." "Denial cases are rare." "You might as well try it." "But defending a groper..." "He said he didn't do it, right?" "Yes, but... he can deny it as much as he wants because there is no evidence." "You may not know this because you're a man, but victims of groping usually know who's suspicious." "How can a lawyer say things like that?" "We'll never win a case if a person is the criminal just because he's suspicious." ""Innocent until proven guilty" is the fundamental right in criminal law." "How much courage do you think it takes for women to catch gropers?" "They must be scared and embarassed, and they'll have to testify in the court if it leads to a trial!" "If many groping cases are acquitted, it will just like before." "Judges are finally starting to listen to the victims." "Listen carefully, false charges of groping clearly represent the current problems in the Japanese criminal justice system." "We don't know if it's a false charge yet." "You can quit the moment you're certain our client is guilty." "So handle this case." "No one said your jacket was caught by the doors!" "Stop making up lies!" "You were after that junior high student from the start, weren't you?" "No, it just so happened to be her when I got on!" "See, you knew it was a girl!" "I didn't..." "I've been telling you," "I found out when she accused me after getting off the train." "That's ridiculous!" "She was right in front of you, there's no way you didn't know." "You saw her on the platform, and you pushed your body against her after getting on the train!" "I told you, the station staff pushed me in!" "All you had to do was move over a little!" "How could I?" "Relax, Yamada." "Right, maybe there was no space." "Detective Yamada isn't yelling because he hates you." "You know what they say, "hate the crime, not the person."" "Everyone makes mistakes." "I didn't make any mistakes!" "Now, now, why don't we calm down and think carefully?" "What do you think, maybe your right hand accidentally bumped into her buttocks?" "You know, the train's shaking, and it's full." "Accidentally bumping into her isn't groping." "What do you think?" "I accidentally bumped into the woman to my right, and that's only because I was pulling on my jacket." "I didn't bump into the person in front of me." "Right, it pains us to see a virtuous young man's future ruined too!" "Nowadays groping charges can lead to imprisonment too." "If you accidentally touched her, we can use that to convince the assistant prosecutor!" "It can't be accidental because my right hand was pulling on my jacket!" "Then... what about your left hand?" "I told you, I was holding a bag!" "Can't you try to remember?" "Don't hesitate." ""After that," "I went behind the female junior high student on her way to the train, got pushed by the station staff, and got on the train with my body pressed against her back."" "Absolutely do not sign it if your account wasn't recorded word by word." "What?" "I already did..." "It can't be helped if you already did." "Get them to make corrections during the next interrogation." "Do not sign so carelessly from now." "It will turn into disadvantageous evidence against us at trial." "The interrogation report is the interrogator's essay." "Even if you're simply answering their questions, their interrogation reports are in first-person narrative like "I will now tell you what really happened," right?" "That's not all." "They change the details and write the report in a way they can use against you." "For example:" "when they ask, "your hand can accidentally touch her buttocks, right?"" "If you answered "I guess", they'll record it like a confession," ""I accidentally touched her buttocks."" "Please insist on correcting it." "And also make sure to record the daily interrogations yourself." "Also make a note of anything you can remember about what happened on that day." "For example, drawing a diagram of everyone's position on the train that day." "What do you think?" "Can you hang on a little longer?" "Uh, they asked me if I accidentally bumped into her, but I denied it." "When you deny it, they'll keep you detained and try to force you to confess." "They call it the "Hostage Technique"." "Don't give in to such a dirty method of interrogation." "Just hang on a while longer, and they might not even indict you." "Even if it leads to trial, as long as you can get acquitted, you can get more than 10,000 yen ($100) per day as compensation." "Just think of it as a part-time job." "Is it true the conviction rate is 99.9%?" "That number includes those who plead guilty." "The acquittal rate for denial cases are higher." "How much?" "Around 3%, 3 cases out of 100 are acquittal verdicts." "Did a young clerical woman come to talk?" "I already told everything to the police." "What did you tell them?" "I have been told to keep details of this case confidential by the police." "I'm sorry, I'm on duty." "He's a really earnest young man." "His mother is visiting the city too," "I don't see problems in releasing him while continuing with the investigations." "The victim's and the accused's accounts are outright contrary." "We must carefully examine this case." "Then, as the accused repeatedly insist," "I want you to thoroughly investigate about the witness too." "It's a task the investigative authority should properly conduct." "Do you intend to indict him purely based on the victim's accounts?" "Do you think that groper will be indicted?" "It's not something we'll decide." "It's for the assistant prosecutor to decide." "But did he really do it?" "You'll never convict him if you have doubts." "It's been 10 days since my last session with the assistant prosecutor." "What did he ask you?" "Same as before, about how crowded it was and standing positions on the train." "Maybe he's confirming the facts for the final decision." "There's no way he can indict you merely based on the victim's accounts, without evidences or a confession." "Can I ask you one thing?" "Yes?" "Why did you need to pull your jacket so desperately?" "The door would've opened by itself in Kishikawa station." "Uh..." "This is the last day of our investigation." "You definitely didn't commit groping, correct?" "Yes." "That means the victim is lying, right?" "Uh..." "I don't know about that." "You were pulling on your jacket that was caught by the doors, correct?" "Yes." "Why did you pull it when the doors will open by itself in Kishikawa station?" "Indicted." "You're indicted." "Indicted." "A 15 year old junior high student mustered up the courage to catch you." "She's been scared of getting on the train ever since you touched her." "Your lawyer was totally behind you." ""Are you going to indict him without evidence," he said." "But you know, the victim's accounts and yours are in contrary." "I have no choice but to let the court decide it." "The trial will take a long time!" "I'll listen to you any time you want to admit it." "Don't assume you'll be deemed innocent in trial." "Well, you should seriously think it over." "This would've never happened if I listened to the public defender." "I don't know what to think!" "I really didn't do anything!" "Kaneko!" "That's enough." "I've been locked in here for 3 weeks, and I might be convicted in the trial?" "This is wrong!" "It's over." "Give me a break!" "People who really groped just have to admit it and go home as if nothing happened!" "Let me go, get your hands off me!" "I didn't do anything!" "[ I'm not a groper!" "]" "I have been mistaken for a groper on the train, have been detained by the police for 5 months, and they put me on trial." "Fortunately, I was able to prove my innocence in the trial court, but due to an appeal by the police side," "I'm still fighting over this case in the appellate court." "You should search for the witness right away." "You're deemed guilty solely based on the victim's account in groping cases." "What they seek from us is the evidence we didn't do it." "Far more difficult than proving we did." "A third person's witness testimony is very powerful." "There are precedents where the defendant was acquitted when the witness was found." "But how?" "I will help you." "Let's begin tomorrow." "It would be best if you can get your lawyer to accompany us." "Just in case we get in trouble with the station staff." "Is it all right for us to ask our lawyer for these things?" "You can't hold back!" "Lawyers will never do anything unless we tell them to." "They handle tens of cases at same time." "Who would be desperate to help if not the relatives and friends?" "Please put this on." "We're looking for a female witness, who on May 10th at around 8 AM, went to an office in the station and said "this person is not a groper."" "Good morning." "Good morning." "I'll be waiting here, let me know if there's any problem." "Oh, Teppei's mom, don't step in their property." "Please help us." "Please." "Help us." "We're looking for a female witness..." "[ Sign:" "We are looking for a witness ]" "Please help us if you know who we're talking about." "I apologize, but I'm not defending any more groping cases." "How can I persuade you?" "Both I and Sudou have our hands full, and you have more experience in this type of case." "I can't really help..." "It's true I've had my share of groping cases though." "I read the verdict for your last trial." "What a poor judgement." "Unbelievable." "Is that what's bothering you?" "No... well, a little, but..." "I'll stay away from criminal defenses for a while." "I see." "You won't be of any use if that's your attitude." "We're fighting against the mighty government." "You can't possibly serve as a criminal defense attorney if you're so easily discouraged." "Judges being sensitive to acquittal is not something that began recently." "The public defender is largely responsible for this case too." "He recommended a plea bargain despite the fact that the defendant was denying it." "Now the defendant is regretting his decision." "Everything backfired." "Is this yours?" "Ah!" "How do you explain this?" "What am I supposed to say?" "Is this a proof for groping?" "It will hurt your impression with the judge." "Yours too..." "But then, all men are guilty." "That's right, all men have the motive." "And the victim was right beside you, so you have no alibi." "It's the lawyer's job to do something about that!" "The courtroom is a dwelling place of demons!" "They don't even have the slightest concern for human rights!" "Innocent until proven guilty!" "Please show me your personal belongings." "Take your cell phone out." "This is your reference number." "Hello there, are you carrying a cell phone?" "Teppei's mother." "Please sit in the middle." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Excuse me, your hat." "Please take your hat off." "Sit down." "[ 1st Session ]" "All rise." "[ 1st Session ]" "We will now begin." "Defendant, please take the stand." "Yes." "Your name." "It's Kaneko Teppei." "Yes, thank you." "Please wait for your number." "...on the public transportation, the defendant blatantly violated another, therefore, causing lasting trauma to the victim." "Charges and penalties:" "Infringement of Public Safety through aggressive and violent behavior." "Same ordinance, article 9, paragraph 1, item 2." "Also article 5, paragraph 1." "The defendant have the right to remain silent." "You do not need to answer any questions you do not want to." "Please be advised that everything spoken here can be used against you as an evidence." "Are there any untruthful claims in their Statement of Allegations, which is what the prosecutor just read?" "Yes, there is." "I didn't commit groping." "Oh, you don't have to get close to the microphone." "OK." "Their claim that you were riding the same train as the plaintiff, who claims to be violated... is this justified?" "Yes, it is." "But I didn't attempt to touch her." "What's the defense attorney's opinion?" "I agree with the defendant." "The defendant has not committed acts of groping." "I also accept the claim that he was riding on the same train as the plaintiff." "You may step down." "Yes." "Now, we'll get to the examination of the evidence." "Prosecutor, please state your opening statement." "Here." "1." "On May 10th, 2005 at around 7:30 AM, the defendant tried to get on a departing train on Jouhoku Express Line's Musashidai station, and squeezed in after being pushed by the station staff." "2." "Soon after the train departed, he willingly pressed his crotch against the victim in front of him, who was then 15 year old, as they passed Nobukuro station, he started lifting up the victim's skirt with his right hand," "and then put his right hand inside victim's skirt, where he rubbed the victim's right buttock and committed the infringement as stated in our Statement of Allegations." "The victim had been previously violated by gropers on the train while heading to school, and filed a complaint to the railway staff before, but she had been told actions cannot be taken without definitive evidence such as catching his wrist," "so she knew she had to catch the groper's hand this time, and turned around as she caught the groper's right wrist and identified his jacket's sleeve, but the defendant's hand pulled back at that very moment, and she let go of his hand." "But that was when the victim re-identified the jacket the defendant was wearing, and confirmed that it was the defendant's hand." "3." "As the victim's train arrived at Kishikawa station, she chased after the defendant, who got off before her, and caught his right sleeve." "The defendant attempted to resist, but through assistance of another passenger, she arrested the defendant red-handed." "Have you been groped by him?" "I didn't!" "No, you did!" "To summarize, the defendant objects to exhibits 1 through 6." "Approves exhibit 7, the setting of date and place, and exhibit 8, the capacity of the train where the crime supposedly occurred." "Partial objections to exhibits 10 through 16, fully objects to exhibit 17." "The rest are on hold, correct?" "Yes." "We will have the police detective, Yamada Kouji's witness questioning in our next meeting, OK?" "Affirmative." "How would the afternoon of August 1st fit your schedule?" "I'm already booked." "Both morning and afternoon are open on the 4th." "I already have cases for both morning and afternoon." "How about the morning of the 8th?" "Yes, it will be fine." "OK." "Why didn't you bring your friends?" "We'll lose with so many empty seats!" "We have to fill all the seats with observers and make the judge serious." "All right?" "Thank you." "Good afternoon." "What are you doing here?" "I was just chatting with Mr. Sugimura." "Oh!" "That malpractice case?" "Yes, what about you?" "The judge is Oomori, right?" "Yes." "He has a good reputation." "He does?" "The press thinks otherwise." ""Acquittal disease", huh?" "They make it sound as if acquittal verdicts are bad." "If it really is a disease, I hope he'll pass it to other judges too!" "So, how was it?" "The defendant's account immediately after the incident hasn't been recorded at all." "The victim's account is completely missing the female witness' visit to the office, or that the defendant was pulling on his jacket." "So, the reports that should obviously exist are missing." "They always hide inconvenient evidence." "Can't be like that..." "Yes it is." "Once indicted, they have to convict him at all costs." "That's the public prosecutor's job." "[ 2nd Session ]" "This way." "[ 2nd Session ]" "Sit down." "And please turn off your cell phones." "Uh, um... you can't stand there." "People without a seat have to leave." "Can we get the judge to see there's so much attention for this case?" "They will leave right after the judge shows up." "Oh, all right." "All rise." "I will be presenting Exhibit 17:" "Reenactment of the Crime Scene Photo Report to the witness." "This Reenactment of the Crime Scene Photo Report is accurately recorded by you after a thorough investigation?" "Yes." "Did you threaten the defendant or force the defendant to reenact something contrary to his account during investigation?" "I did not." "So, you did not force the defendant to do anything against his will while producing this photo report?" "I did not." "That is all." "OK, then." "Defence attorneys, you may cross-examine the witness." "A question from Sudou, the defendant's attorney." "Oh, microphone." "Please use the microphone, otherwise we can't record it." "About the Reenactment of the Crime Scene Photo Report's female mannequin, what was its height?" "I think it was 165cm." "Are you aware of the female victim's height?" "I forgot." "Did you know the victim's height when that photo was taken?" "Probably." "Probably what?" "I probably knew." "The victim's height is 155cm. 10cm shorter than the mannequin." "Isn't the difference between the defendant and the victim's height vital in determining whether or not this crime was possible by the defendant in this case?" "That photograph was taken to reenact the standing positions, so I was not worried about the height difference." "The victim said he was carrying a bag in his left hand, and was pulling on his jacket with his right hand at the moment." "What didn't you let him carry a bag for this reenactment?" "As I stated earlier, this is for confirmation of the standing positions, so I thought the bag was irrelevant." "As for the defendant's right hand... he didn't hold on to his jacket, and put his hands together in front by himself." "I did not order him to do it." "A question from Arakawa, the defendant's attorney." "Did you interrogate the defendant on the day of the incident?" "Yes." "And you told him "I'll let you leave right away when you admit the groping, it's the same as breaking a traffic law."" ""You're released once you pay a fine in Summary Judgement," correct?" "I didn't say that." "Did you hear the accusations made by the victim before inspecting the defendant?" "Yes, I'd been informed of roughly what happened." "What did the victim accuse of?" "That he put his hand inside her skirt from behind, and touched her right buttock over her panties." "Did you not try to get an objective proof of this accusation?" "For example, extracting the sample of debris from defendant's hand, and check to see whether or not they match the fibers of the victim's underwear?" "I was busy... and it slipped my mind." "What do you mean it slipped your mind?" "!" "The defendant's life is at stake!" "I usually take the sample, but I don't really remember why I didn't." "There are so many similar cases." "You were in a position where you had to get proofs for the accusation, yet you did not even try to search for an objective proof." "That is not true." "You did not even make an attempt to listen to the defendant's explanation of events." "Why did you fail to properly record the defendant's account?" "No, I accurately recorded everything." "Why did you fail record the defendant's claim that his jacket was stuck by the doors, and he was pulling on it?" "He did not make such claims." "One last question." "Will debris analysis always detect someone who touches underwear?" "No, not always." "Has debris analysis ever been used as a proof of a crime?" "No." "I rest my case." "Today's theme was to reveal the sloppiness of this investigation conducted by the police." "And the police side obviously have evidence they failed to submit, so we agreed to evidences that can't hurt us, and our strategy is to agree with the rest of their evidence only after they submit all written statements by the victim, the male witness, and the station staff." "Of course, we will argue about the reliance of such documents." "Wait a minute there, we can't see all the evidence?" "Aren't they supposed to see everything before deciding if he's guilty or not?" "Which evidence to present is a strategy for both sides." "But only the prosecutor hold evidence for interviews." "We have nothing." "We can ask them to present the evidence, but to make such a request, we have to be specific and say "you must have this and that, so show us."" "We have to point them out." "What?" "You know what evidence they have?" "I don't, I can only make an educated guess." "I know this sounds really strange." "Who asked you?" "Who were those people?" "Mr. Sata got them for us." "Why?" "It doesn't make any sense, he knows nothing about me." "He doesn't know us, but he knows how these trials work." "So what?" "Why do I have to advertise to everyone that I'm charged of groping?" "And why did you get Youko too?" "Well, Youko..." "Ogura brought her." "Why?" "We're all friends." "The more observers we have, the better." "Friends?" "Don't you know we broke up?" "We're all worried about you." "[ Female junior high student ]"