01x03 - Past

[bunniefuu]

The accused is found innocent.

Mr. Hiyama committed a crime.

He committed m*rder!

I struggle to understand

where your sense of justice lies.

Seeing him save an innocent person,

I was inspired to be like him.

I respect your decision.

However,

just as you will stick

to your sense of justice,

I will also follow my own path.

-Um

-Ms. Shiraki.

Do you have the details regarding

the Shinagawa injury case?

Um,

you mean Shoichiro Tomita's case, right?

I've placed them

in the shared folder for the other two.

I'll send them over later.

I'll appreciate that.

CLIENT: SHOICHIRO TOMITA

I saw the news.

You've been appearing on TV a lot lately.

It's a bit embarrassing for me, you know?

Could you at least shave cleanly?

Sorry about that.

NPO DOG SHELTER

WAN HAPPY

COURTHOUSE

As stated in the indictment,

this injury case took place on March 8th.

The location of the crime is the alley

beside CLUB 1000 in Shinagawa Ward.

The victim, Mr. Hirokazu Kudo,

exited the club at 11:45 p.m.

Immediately afterward,

a man shoved him from behind

and assaulted him.

The assailant was wearing a hoodie

and his face was concealed.

However, just before

Mr. Kudo lost consciousness,

he claims to have seen the face

of the accused, Shoichiro Tomita.

The decision to indict the accused

is supported by three factors.

Firstly, the victim's testimony

claims he identified the accused.

Secondly,

there is evidence of a heated argument

between the accused and Mr. Kudo.

My bad. Don't be so upset.

You don't want to escalate this.

Especially for your daddy's sake.

Multiple testimonies from club customers

support this claim.

We believe the accused's anger

toward the victim's behavior

motivated the as*ault.

We have also verified that there have been

similar conflicts between the accused

and the victim in the past.

Finally, the third factor

is the testimony provided by Mr. A.

He was the first to arrive at the scene

and also witnessed their argument.

Mr. A saw the accused

leaving shortly after Mr. Kudo did,

seemingly following Mr. Kudo.

About three minutes later,

when Mr. A left the club,

he saw the accused

heading toward the main street.

Suspecting that something

might have occurred between the two,

Mr. A headed in the direction

the accused had come from.

There, he found the victim

who had been assaulted.

-Are you okay?

-Mr. A promptly called for an ambulance.

And the victim

was transported to the hospital.

Mr. A's call was made at 11:48 p.m.

This is documented

by the Fire Command Center.

Therefore, we believe the accused

assaulted the victim

within this three-minute window.

This concludes

the prosecution's opening statement.

Next,

defense counsel,

present your opening statement.

I, Akizumi, of the defense counsel,

will deliver the opening statement.

The accused acknowledges there was

indeed an argument with the victim.

However, he maintains

his innocence in this case.

At the time of the incident

The accused received a call

from his friend, Mr. Tomoya Kida,

who had arrived to pick him up by car,

and so left the club.

He proceeded to the main street

and entered Mr. Kida's car

parked by the shoulder.

They then headed directly

to Mr. Kida's residence.

Both of their smartphones have records

of a call at 11:45 p.m.

The club's security camera footage

also captures the accused

answering his phone

and engaging in conversation.

Mr. Kida has also testified

that Mr. Shoichiro entered his car

immediately after the call.

This concludes the proceedings

scheduled for today.

The focus will be on assessing

the credibility of each testimony.

Cross-examinations for each witness

will proceed as scheduled

in future trials.

The son of Diet member Tomita, huh?

The public must be in an uproar.

They thrive on scandals

involving politicians and their children.

But I disapprove of how the media

only seems to push

for power limitation during such episodes.

Can you handle Attorney Akizumi?

There's no need to worry.

It's clear that Shoichiro Tomita

has committed a crime.

Besides,

I don't agree

with Attorney Akizumi's efforts.

To secure an acquittal for a m*rder*r

That's something

that should never be allowed, right?

Yes.

DARK DONU

Is this okay?

Here's your change and receipt.

-Thank you.

-How's Mr. Akamine?

He seems conflicted about our policy.

He must have come here

with his own agenda.

You're right.

I suppose we'll wait and see for now?

Yes.

Tap your card.

-Thank you.

-Mr. Matsunaga

Next in line, please.

-How would you like to pay?

-By cash.

Mr. Kudo was shoved from behind

into this alley.

So, this is where he was assaulted.

He sustained

a compound fracture in his left arm.

Head injuries too.

My apologies.

I was occupied with another case

and only saw the details this morning.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound accusing.

I'll be heading inside first.

Right.

As mentioned in the report,

there are no cameras outside.

Mr. Kida's car was parked over there

after a right turn.

There were no cameras capturing

vehicles on that street either.

Can you believe there are still cars

without dashcams?

Can I see the cameras

at Mr. Kida's apartment?

Here.

This is it.

It's clear that Mr. Shoichiro and Mr. Kida

passed through the lobby at midnight.

It's about a 15-minute drive

to the apartment from here.

If they left at 11:48 p.m.,

they'd have 12 minutes.

They could compensate

for the three minutes by rushing.

You know

Yes?

Mr. Shoichiro is the client.

People who get to hang out here

must be living it up.

Are you jealous?

No.

That's a stereotype.

It's like assuming

all attorneys are intelligent,

which isn't accurate.

People might appear

to be enjoying themselves.

But they could be concealing

enough stress to snap

and beat someone to death at any moment.

That's just how humans are.

My apologies for the delay.

Thank you for your time.

I'm Mikami, the manager.

What brings you here today?

The victim Mr. Kudo?

Yes.

We've heard he was verbally abusing

Mr. Shoichiro Tomita.

Do you know if Mr. Kudo has been

treating others in a similar manner?

He has.

To be frank,

maybe because he runs his own company,

he's quite proud.

It's not a large company though.

Whenever he meets someone

seemingly more important

I'll try to collect

more negative gossip about Mr. Kudo.

It could help undermine the credibility

of motives and testimonies.

Right.

Let's begin interviewing

the regulars tomorrow.

Mr. Akamine?

Um right.

Here's the information I've collected

about Mr. Kudo over the past few days.

He's regarded by many

CLUB 1000 customers as a troublemaker.

They've testified that his verbal abuse

and boastful remarks

are a daily occurrence.

There may be more than one person

who holds a grudge against him.

Akamine, do you have something to say?

No.

I'll look into the crime scene further

before the next trial.

If we can find information

on the real culprit,

it should greatly aid

in solving this case.

Right.

You do that.

I will.

The as*ault took place here

And Shoichiro got into the car here.

But

HARAGUROYA

Lucky them.

This is the car.

It really doesn't have a dashcam.

Maybe it was removed after the incident.

Who are you?

Well

I was just admiring the car.

Excuse me.

You're still here.

I have to prepare

for the defense team meeting next week

regarding the food poisoning case.

You have a lot on your plate.

So, any compelling evidence?

No.

I couldn't find any.

Mr. Akizumi and the prosecution

have conducted investigations already.

-It's only natural that

-Ms. Shinomiya

Who do you think is the real culprit

in this incident?

We have the victim and Mr. A

as two eyewitnesses.

Are you saying Mr. Shoichiro did it?

I'm saying simply exposing

Mr. Kudo's personality

isn't substantial evidence.

This is Mr. Akizumi. He must have a plan.

Ms. Shinomiya,

why are you so obedient to him?

Because I want to understand

his viewpoint better.

THE SECOND PUBLIC TRIAL

On the day of the incident,

Mr. Shoichiro Tomita, the accused,

claimed he was insulted by you.

Is this true?

No.

The manager and regulars of CLUB 1000

have testified that you have previously

caused disturbances with other customers.

Is this correct?

I've been involved in some disagreements,

but I've never caused any big trouble.

A brief investigation revealed

at least four incidents

in the past two months.

I don't recall.

You don't? Even though you caused them?

Your Honor.

The intent

behind his questions is unclear.

Defense counsel,

clarify the intent behind your questions.

You claim not to recall events

from the past two months.

How then can you give a clear account

of the incident from a month ago?

I was assaulted.

It's natural that I remember that clearly.

The incident took place late at night.

Wasn't it dark?

There was light from the club.

And this light allowed you

to see your assailant's face clearly?

That's right.

Where was this light?

In the alley beside the club.

I see.

Your Honor, to clarify

the witness' statement,

I would like to present a video

taken at the crime scene.

But the evidence

hasn't been examined yet, right?

What is it?

I received permission from Mr. Mikami,

the manager of CLUB 1000,

to recreate the situation

of the crime scene at the time.

Prosecutor, your stance?

I will examine it,

then provide my opinion.

We filmed this at the same hour

as when the incident occurred

and recreated the situation.

The camera replicates the perspective

of Mr. Kudo, the victim.

Mr. Kudo, after leaving the club,

you walked toward the alley,

is that correct?

Yes.

You claimed you saw

the accused's face at this moment.

Wait.

It wasn't this dark when I was assaulted.

There was a light!

There was indeed

a motion sensor light at the crime scene.

However,

according to Mr. Mikami, the manager,

on the night of the incident,

the light was broken and didn't work.

That's impossible!

It was clearly noted

on the fixture list as well.

Three days after the incident,

the sensor light was replaced.

That's too convenient

A moment, please.

It may not have been as dark

when the incident took place.

But you can't prove

it was brighter either, can you?

I saw what I saw!

This man assaulted me!

By the way, what color is the hoodie

worn by the man playing the culprit?

Huh?

It's black.

Are you sure?

Our perception can be deceiving.

And memories are shaped

by bias and preconceptions.

If we're not careful,

we could invent a culprit

who's actually innocent.

We're back.

-We're back.

-Welcome back.

If you had told me,

I could've assisted as well.

Mr. Akizumi wanted to let you

focus on your other case.

-And let Mr. Akamine investigate too.

-No.

Mr. Akizumi

Will you secure

another acquittal for a criminal?

You didn't tell us

about that video in advance.

That's because Mr. Mikami was bribed

to testify in your favor, right?

When the crime took place,

the light should've been working fine.

But

Seiji Tomita paid him off

to testify in our favor, didn't he?

Seiji Tomita?

You mean Mr. Shoichiro's father?

And to conceal that,

you kept the video from us.

The fixture list too.

Shoichiro probably bribed him

to make their stories match.

Even the car had a dashcam,

but you told him to remove it!

Hmm.

That's a good theory,

fitting for an attorney.

And

what's your basis?

It resembles the previous incident.

Previous?

Before joining this office

I was assigned

to Shoichiro Tomita's injury case.

But even then,

his father, a member of the Diet,

used money to cover up his son's crime.

It was a case of injury,

much like this one.

Stop it!

You're going too far!

I tried desperately to stop him!

It wasn't me.

It was Shoichiro!

The next day,

the police showed up at my home

and suddenly arrested me.

Everyone who was there said I did it!

Later, one of his friends told me

that Shoichiro's father

was throwing money around

to make the people involved

change their testimonies.

But the friend was too scared

to come forward and testify.

That's why

No. Try to get a lesser sentence.

Why?

Because we're dealing

with the son of a politician?

Shoichiro is the one who did it!

The office I worked at

was put under pressure,

and I was removed from the case.

The decision.

The accused is sentenced

to two years in prison.

The execution of the sentence

will be suspended for five years

from the day it becomes final.

Wait!

Mr. Matsunaga is innocent!

Spectator, quiet down.

Your Honor, please review this document.

I order him to leave!

They'll use money to cover up

anything inconvenient to them.

That's what politicians do.

Shoichiro is using his father

and laughing about it as we speak.

You're aware that Seiji Tomita

is making people change their testimonies,

and yet you took on this case.

What's your purpose?

That's why you started the investigation

with doubts about the client,

Mr. Shoichiro.

I understand your point.

But that's not a theory.

It's just wild fancy.

Baseless fancy

doesn't hold up in the legal world.

Do you have evidence that Seiji Tomita

was distributing money?

Or that Mr. Mikami accepted the money

and altered his testimony

to fit the narrative?

Well

If you can't substantiate your claims

with evidence, it's just baloney.

The fact that Mr. Matsunaga was convicted

isn't the fault of Japan's justice system,

your law office, the court,

or even Diet member Tomita.

It's on you as the defense counsel.

The outcome of a trial

decides the fate of the client.

That's why we attorneys

must dedicate our lives to winning them.

You simply lacked

the commitment and skills necessary.

Mr. Matsunaga was condemned

to bear guilt because of you.

No matter how much you may regret it,

the fact that he was labeled

a criminal will never fade away.

If you can't come to terms with this case,

you're free to step away.

I won't.

If I uncover clear evidence

of Shoichiro's crime

before the trial concludes,

what will happen then?

Interesting.

It's against an attorney's regulations

to knowingly collaborate with a client

who provides

a highly ill*gal false testimony.

If you can uncover

that Mr. Shoichiro was lying,

I would also appreciate that.

However

only if such evidence exists.

They probably collaborated

with the club to work behind the scenes.

It's an affront to a fair trial.

Who knows?

But let's refrain from speculating.

What matters is presenting evidence.

Should I look into what's happening

with Manager Mikami?

No.

Reinvestigate the testimonies

of the customers instead.

Excuse me.

There was an injury case

in that alley on March 8th.

Do you recall anything?

Please, at least take the flyer!

There was an injury case in that alley

late at night on March 8th

HIROMACHI RIVER

HARAGUROYA

It's bad enough

that my son has been indicted.

And if he ends up being convicted too

All I've asked of him

is to stay out of trouble,

saying I'd have his older brother

take over my activities.

But did he listen?

The naughtier the child,

the dearer they become, they say.

Here.

I shelled out a hefty sum on his education

from elementary to university.

Maybe I should've been tougher on him.

He's such a handful.

But there's no issue with this case.

Your son is innocent, after all.

Can we trust you on that?

We've pretty much demolished

the victim's eyewitness testimony.

We just have to handle the other witness,

but we'll get it done.

Well,

I made the right call in hiring you.

Thank you.

However,

I'm concerned about something.

What about?

It's not a big deal, but

HIROMACHI RIVERSIDE

SHINAGAWA WARD

Planning to stay longer?

Yeah.

I'll make sure to lock up.

Thanks.

Good night.

HARAGUROYA

He was here until late last night again.

I wonder what he's up to.

Piping work

at fifth street Naka-shinagawa?

Yes. On the night of March 8th,

there was this truck at the site.

I'm trying to find it.

That's our vehicle.

-Could you come with me?

-Sure.

It seems there was a faulty pipe,

and they rushed over to address it.

How long did it stay there?

According to the records,

it came back at 6:30 a.m.

the following morning.

So I assume it was there the entire night.

I see.

Does the vehicle have a dashcam?

Of course, it does.

There's footage in that camera that

could provide crucial evidence for a case.

Could you please show me this data?

ATTORNEY SHUTO AKAMINE

The data?

You're back. How did your search go?

Huh? What's up with him?

You concealed the evidence.

There must be footage of Shoichiro

getting into Kida's car.

On the day of the incident,

the main street where Kida parked his car

was undergoing piping work.

However, there was a faulty equipment,

and this truck was sent there.

Don't you have the data?

I already handed it over

to the other attorney.

ATTORNEY MASAKI AKIZUMI

I'm impressed you figured it out.

Please show me the footage.

Is there a reason you can't?

The footage should show Shoichiro

entering Kida's car at 11:48 p.m.,

three minutes after he left the club.

If this gets out,

you'll lose the trial, won't you?

Fine.

I'll show you.

Let me fast forward a bit.

That's Kida's car, right?

Right.

This is the time the crime occurred,

at 11:45 p.m.

See?

He's not showing up.

He came.

As he testified, at 11:45 p.m.,

Mr. Shoichiro arrived.

Do you have any issues with the footage?

What about

Mr. A's testimony

of seeing Shoichiro leave the club?

That would be false.

Why?

Hiroshi Yamanobe.

That's the name of the man

known as witness Mr. A.

That day, Yamanobe witnessed an argument

between the two inside the club.

He saw this as an opportunity

because he was among those

who held a grudge against the victim.

Upon seeing the victim

and Mr. Shoichiro leave the club,

he immediately followed them

to frame Mr. Shoichiro.

He then assaulted Mr. Kudo.

Hold on a moment.

But he left three minutes after they did.

That would also be false.

The camera should show

Yamanobe leaving right after the two.

But

Well, the prosecution tends to ignore

evidence that's inconvenient to them.

After Yamanobe assaulted Mr. Kudo,

he played innocent and pretended

to be the first person at the scene,

then called an ambulance.

At least,

that's the narrative I've constructed.

Did you ever stop

to consider this possibility?

Maybe it's due to your previous trial,

but you're fixated

on this individual, Shoichiro Tomita.

Because of personal resentment,

you're unquestionably accepting

the prosecution's narrative.

You're overlooking objective facts

and attempting to convict this person.

Your actions are no different

from those of a criminal.

In fact,

your knowledge of the law

makes your actions even worse.

Deep-seated prejudices

and a half-hearted commitment to justice

lead to flawed judgments.

People like you end up

making false accusations.

THE THIRD PUBLIC TRIAL

I, Prosecutor Midorikawa,

will ask some questions.

According to evidence number 8,

as requested by the defense counsel,

you picked up the accused

in your car at 11:45 p.m.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Could it have been

after the as*ault took place?

That's impossible.

I made the call at 11:45 p.m.,

and Shoichiro arrived right after that.

The call records

have been presented as well.

Are you sure it was immediately afterward?

Is it possible you're mistaken?

No.

Objection.

Repetitive questioning.

Objection sustained.

Prosecutor,

please pose a different inquiry.

Your Honor,

to refresh the witness' memory,

I would like to present new evidence

and pose questions.

May I proceed?

I was unable to disclose it in advance

as it was acquired late.

However,

this footage is pivotal to the trial.

I ask that you permit this.

What is the content of this footage?

It captures the location

where Mr. Kida's car was parked

on the day of the incident.

Very well.

Defense counsel, your stance?

I defer to your judgment, Your Honor.

On the day of the incident,

at the main street where the witness

claimed to have picked up the accused,

there was ongoing piping work.

This footage is from the dashcam

of the truck stationed at that site.

Mr. Kida, can you confirm

that this is indeed your car?

Yes, it is.

It's 11:45 p.m.,

the time stated by the witness.

However, the accused has not yet arrived.

It's now 11:48 p.m.

This aligns with Mr. A's statement

that he exited the club at 11:48 p.m.

and saw Mr. Shoichiro.

Moments ago, you asserted

that you picked up

the accused at 11:45 p.m.

How do you explain this, Mr. Kida?

Perhaps the accused

requested you

to provide a false testimony?

That's not true.

Objection.

The prosecutor's statement

is merely speculative.

Objection sustained.

Your Honor, there is a crucial issue

that I would like to discuss

with the defense counsel and the court.

What is it about?

It pertains to the false testimony

mentioned just now.

I would like to discuss

whether it's feasible

to disclose this matter

during this session.

I will now play

the recently added evidence,

evidence number 20,

as requested by the prosecution.

This was provided by Mr. Gamo

from the pipe manufacturing company,

who also supplied

the video I previously presented.

Please watch the video.

-Please, have a seat.

-Thank you.

Here.

Let me cut to the chase.

This is your reward for providing us

with the dashcam footage.

But I can't

There's no need to fret.

Even if the prosecution comes knocking,

all you have to do is tell them

you didn't keep any records.

The truth is, this has happened before.

But if you accept this,

everything will fall into place.

Mr. Tomita can also orchestrate things

in your business's favor.

I trust you'll

The visitor is

the chief publicly paid secretary

to Mr. Seiji Tomita,

a member of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Kazuaki Kosugi.

From this,

we can see Mr. Seiji Tomita's attempt

to support his son's false testimony.

This serves as proof that he requested

the concealment of evidence

through his secretary.

Defense counsel,

do you have any rebuttal to offer?

After viewing the footage,

I was utterly shocked.

I had no idea that the accused

had conspired with his father

to conceal his crime!

Regarding this matter,

I will conduct further interviews.

And even consider

resigning from the defense

depending on the situation.

I'll handle the media, so I'll go ahead.

Mr. Akizumi.

That footage

You exposed my client's false testimony.

Thank you.

I don't understand.

When I saw the footage,

Shoichiro got into the car at 11:45 p.m.

The footage we were shown yesterday

was edited and false.

There we go.

Why do such a thing?

I'm surprised he went

to such lengths for you.

Hello?

Explain yourself, Akizumi!

It became clear you attempted

to conceal your son's crime.

That is all.

I can't continue defending a client

who provides false testimony.

But you instructed me to!

However, I'm concerned about something.

What about?

It's not a big deal, but

It appears that Mr. Kida's car,

which picked up Mr. Shoichiro,

was recorded by a dashcam

at the construction site.

It seems a truck belonging

to a piping dealer was stationed there.

The prosecution isn't stupid.

I believe it's only a matter of time

before they uncover that footage.

Which dealer is it?

Tanimachi Pipes.

That's what you said!

That's why I instructed Kosugi!

Do you have any proof?

What?

Why would I instruct you

to buy the footage from them?

You're the one who also made them

record that footage!

I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm pressed for time, so please excuse me.

Hey! Akizumi!

-Mr. Tomita!

-Mr. Tomita!

-Mr. Tomita!

-Mr. Tomita!

Is my dad all right?

Are you worried about him?

He's still my father.

The parent-child bond is just a facade.

Children don't get

to choose their parents.

But you can choose

what you do with your own life.

In the trial for the injury case

involving the accused Shoichiro Tomita,

he has now admitted to his involvement,

which he had previously denied.

The prosecution is also emphasizing

that his father, Diet member Seiji Tomita,

directed the concealment of evidence.

Please review these.

It's all about Tomita, isn't it?

After all, he was the candidate

for the next Minister of Justice.

I just can't wrap my head around it.

Why did Mr. Akizumi

show me the edited footage?

Last time, you were shouting

from the gallery.

The gallery?

Your Honor, please review this document!

I order him to leave!

During Mr. Matsunaga's trial,

we were present too.

Mr. Akizumi was present?

Hold on, did Mr. Akizumi take on this case

to seek revenge for him?

Who can say?

But I imagine he wanted to make a point.

To not confuse the truth

with personal biases alone.

Where's Mr. Akizumi?

You've taken down not only the son,

but also his father.

I made the right call

entrusting this to you.

Thank you.

The downfall of Tomita,

who belonged to the Takemoto faction,

will likely please Mr. Kazaki

from the Okuda faction.

Power struggles are scary, aren't they?

It's been a while, Judge Seko.

Chief Prosecutor Datehara,

it's unusual to see you here.

Prosecutor Midorikawa,

you handled this case commendably.

It's just like you

to expose a politician's misdeeds.

Thank you.

I imagine you're both busy,

but I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

I apologize.

You were aware

of Mr. Matsunaga and Shoichiro

from the beginning.

You were right.

I'd been looking at things

assuming Shoichiro was guilty.

It was inappropriate conduct

for an attorney.

Well, he ended up being guilty, though.

Regarding Mr. Matsunaga's case

I haven't given up yet.

I'll find incriminating evidence

on Shoichiro no matter what

and pursue a retrial.

That's why you came to this office, right?

Yes.

I heard you took on Shoichiro's defense,

which is why I joined this office.

I wanted to learn your methods

and help Mr. Matsunaga.

But

there are some things

I struggle to accept.

So I'll stay here and continue

to confirm things for myself.

To understand

why you secure acquittals for criminals.

I told you.

Follow your own path.

2021, 2020, 2019

Ms. Shiraki,

aren't there any records before this?

Why the interest in past case files?

I just

wanted to learn

what makes Mr. Akizumi so skilled.

You're quite enthusiastic.

But this is all we have.

This office was established

only five years ago.

And Mr. Akizumi

wasn't an attorney before that.

Really? What was he doing?

He was a prosecutor.

Mr. Shimizu, it's time.

Right.

Mr. Shimizu.

It's a pleasure

to finally meet you.

Subtitle translation by: Ai Matsuoka

Now, who should we bring down first?

Do you have an appointment?

It's difficult to speak out

against sex crimes.

It wasn't me.

Is he planning another dramatic move?

It seems he's beginning to realize.

You must pluck the tasty fruit yourself.

Maybe he has a purpose this time as well.

-Impossible.

-Mr. Akizumi is trying to use me.