01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

The Maebashi Family m*rder case.

I saw in the news that a second

retrial petition was filed.

Yes.

For it to happen

while you're in Maebashi

what a cruel twist of fate.

Yes.

Ando.

Yes?

That's really impressive.

Oh.

Hands are like a second brain.

They can show how you feel

without words.

Yours is impressive too.

I'm one to talk, huh.

Doctor?

Anyway, Ando.

Go at your own pace, so you stay on track.

Okay.

At my own pace. At my own pace.

Mr. Ando, you're too focused

on your own pace.

Yes, I firmly do things at my own pace.

Why are you so proud of that?

Huh?

Listen up. Six months in, and the number

of cases you've processed is quite low.

I'm sorry.

I guess there are two approaches

to judicial case management, huh.

The documentary-evidence system

focuses on case documents,

while the oral-evidence system

focuses on witness testimony.

Mr. Ando is clearly an oral-evidence type.

In major cases, maybe,

but in a standalone case,

a temporary summary court judge

focusing on oral evidence is unheard of.

Debt repayment, property damage repairs,

apartment eviction lawsuits

How much time are you spending on these?

-I can't decide unless I listen to both--

-I'll take all pending summary trials.

-No, but--

-Okay, Mr. Kadokura?

Oh, sure.

Just remember, it doesn't matter

whether an incident is big or small.

And Ando, the main event

is about to start.

We need to take our time

and really face it.

MAEBASHI FAMILY m*rder RETRIAL

You seem excited about this.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime case.

Honestly, I don't want to get involved

and draw negative attention.

Let's get going.

Okay.

See you.

-Bye.

-Goodbye.

I get that you want to give

every trial your full attention,

but try being adaptable and more flexible.

-Adaptable and flexible.

-That's right.

Don't overthink it,

just consider it carefully.

Don't overthink it, consider it

Exactly.

I am an alien.

My job is to judge

the disputes of Earthlings.

But their disputes are endless.

My goal is to reduce them,

little by little, at my own pace.

THEMIS' UNCERTAIN COUR

EPISODE 5

DOCUMENTS AND TESTIMONY

SUPREME COUR

As many of you have pointed out,

issues facing foreign residents,

such as visa status, nationality,

employment, and housing, are piling up.

Differences in culture, religion, customs,

and misunderstandings

lead to discrimination.

That said, we can't resolve

all of this at once.

We need to tackle these issues efficiently

and in order of priority.

JUDGE CHIKA OCHIAI

Mr. Nguyen.

I'm with the municipal office.

Mr. Nguyen?

Please answer if you're home.

He's definitely there.

I'm a Court Enforcement Officer.

If you don't answer, we'll unlock the door

and enter under our authority.

Please unlock the door.

Understood.

I've heard through the grapevine

that you could have

a future in the Supreme Court Secretariat.

I'm honored.

You're at that Maebashi District Court

First Branch now, right?

And by "that," you're talking

about Mr. Kadokura, aren't you?

I'll do my best

to keep a tight rein on things.

"The Glass Ceiling."

Invisible barriers still exist that hinder

women's promotion within organizations.

That's the reality.

Deliver results everyone can stand behind

and build your career.

I expect great things.

Yes, sir.

I'm an enforcement officer with the court.

I'm a contractor.

We're coming in on our authority.

You must be Mr. Nguyen.

I'm an officer with the court.

You understand that the landlord

has filed for eviction on the grounds

of keeping an unauthorized pet

and noise disturbances, do you not?

I've done nothing wrong.

You failed to respond

to a single court summons.

As a result, the court issued

an order for forcible eviction.

I haven't been loud.

And I don't own a pet.

I'll occasionally feed cats

on my balcony, but that's all.

That clearly counts as pet ownership.

-I'm sure he's keeping one inside, too.

-Excuse me.

Huh?

Hm?

Ms. Tsumura.

Oh?

Who're you?

Who is she?

I knew you were bringing girls in!

I can't have someone like you living here!

Xuan

Call the police.

-Okay.

-Not the police.

Get off me!

I'm fine.

It was just a scratch.

Where are the foreign resident

and the girl?

They both fled.

The police are looking for them now.

Mr. Ando's explanation wasn't very clear.

What do you mean by the landlord

may have filed a false claim?

Well, it wasn't serious enough to make

a call for unauthorized pet ownership.

No noise issues either.

He was involved in an as*ault

six months ago and has a prior conviction.

The landlord may have been concerned about

how it looked and wanted to evict him.

His failure to respond to the court

summons may be related to the girl.

Well, it's definitely

a complicated situation.

A certain someone took this over from Ando

and processed it as a formality.

You are a newbie after all.

I'm a third-year judge.

Court enforcement officers

must follow judges' orders.

I just hope the ruling's fair.

I followed the procedure correctly.

He failed to respond to any summons,

waiving his right to contest the eviction.

I would appreciate it

if you wouldn't suggest this was my fault.

-Defending yourself, I see.

-Yeah.

Yeah, what of it?

This pear is from Chiba Prefecture,

the top producer in Japan.

-Pears bloom in spring much like plums--

-Quiet, Mr. Ando.

Court enforcement officers are in danger

on the job and must protect themselves.

Isn't it your fault, not mine?

-This apple from Aomori Prefecture--

-Ando.

Please be quiet.

Okay.

I had an inkling

that you're the stay-in-your-chambers

kind of judge.

Huh?

Most judges don't step

outside of their chambers

and don't know how the world works.

It's like they seem to be keeping

themselves away from it.

Apples turn red when exposed to sunlight,

so it takes work to ensure an even color.

They caught them.

What?

A court official was stabbed

after seeking to evict a man

from his apartment.

Nguyen, a 24-year-old Vietnamese national,

was arrested for the as*ault

after fleeing.

Police say a girl,

whose identity is unknown,

was in the apartment

and accompanied the suspect.

A mysterious girl of unknown identity.

She has no ID and hasn't spoken a word.

No missing person's report either.

He's charged with as*ault, but kidnapping

and confinement of a minor may be added.

-Anyhow, I'll let Ando take this--

-Let's take care of this as a panel.

I can't hand it over to Mr. Ando.

If the case is complicated,

it will take him far too long.

-Do you object?

-I

No objection.

You caved.

Still, using Mr. Kadokura is a risk.

He's been unusually zealous

in handling trials recently.

I'd like to handle it on my own but can't,

since I'm not a special assistant judge.

I see.

-You're trying to own up to your mis--

-It wasn't a mistake!

It being seen as such is causing problems.

Retract your statement.

Sorry, I retract it.

I'll make sure it's resolved quickly

and deal with any flaws in the eviction.

Any objections? None?

Let's do a panel.

Can't even get an opinion in.

She sure is committed.

FIRST HEARING

The defendant has the right

to remain silent.

You are not required

to answer any questions.

Refusing to answer

won't be held against you.

With that in mind,

were there any mistakes

with this indictment?

DEFENDAN

NGUYEN VAN HONG

There's no mistake regarding the stabbing.

However, I won't say anything

about the girl.

Defendant Nguyen Van Hong got a work visa

and began working in Japan two years ago.

Six months ago,

while working at a major supermarket,

an argument with a Japanese coworker

led to as*ault, and he was fined.

He committed the crime in question while

rebuilding his life on a konjac farm.

He took in a girl with nowhere else to go,

but when discovered, he turned violent.

We will seek the maximum penalty

for this matter.

Defense counsel, your thoughts?

The defendant has not provided me

with any information on the girl either.

I don't see this as kidnapping or unlawful

confinement as the prosecution claims.

Please look at Defense Exhibit 1.

One month ago, the defendant took the girl

to a doctor due to severe stomach pain.

According to the doctor's testimony,

the defendant was very worried about her.

INO HOSPITAL

This case hinges on the relationship

between the defendant and the girl.

Why did he go as far as to stab

the officer and escape with the girl?

Who is she?

Why does the defendant

refuse to speak of her only?

And why is the girl also staying quiet?

Your Honors,

don't all of these "whys" bother you?

Well, yes, they do.

If you want to know what you don't know

Right?

A leading question

Judge Ochiai, if necessary, the court can

examine evidence on its own authority.

-As permitted by Article 298, paragraph 1.

-That's a stretch.

In principle, it's up to counsel for both

sides to assemble and submit evidence.

I believe we'd gain more insight

by considering various perspectives.

Given your experience, Prosecutor,

you have no objection, correct?

Don't drag me into this.

Counsel, needing the court's help

to obtain evidence shows incompetence.

Do not disrupt the order of the court.

How very abstract of you.

What did you say?

"How very abstract of you."

What?

She said that was very abstract of you.

It would be appropriate for both parties

to promptly conduct investigations

and hold the next hearing

once the evidence is in order, correct?

Yes.

In that case, the next hearing

will remain undecided for now.

Enforcement Officer Tsumura

is coming back today.

Something seems to be bothering her

about that unidentified girl.

I had something else I wanted to ask,

but I forgot when I went to the bathroom.

Ando, if you really need to know,

why don't you go ask?

I really need to know,

so I'm going to ask.

Come on, Mr. Kadokura.

Well, when Ando gets fidgety,

it makes me feel restless too.

You can go ask if you want to know too.

I'll ask in court.

Look who it is! I knew you'd come.

You're a stay-out-of-your-chambers

kind of judge, aren't you?

And to keep things fair,

I called Mr. Furukawa too.

Seriously Don't use a judge

as your personal field investigator.

We've got a pretty weird

district court, don't we?

Ms. Tsumura, what is it

that's bothering you?

Oh, these.

There are some of Mr. Nguyen's belongings

the police overlooked.

First, there's this.

I think this is what Mr. Nguyen was using

to study Japanese.

But the handwriting changes partway.

In which case, he may have been teaching

that girl Japanese.

If that's true,

doesn't this strike you as odd?

It's a textbook

for early elementary school

Right?

We don't know her exact age,

but she'd probably be in her

first year of middle school.

That's true.

Also

There's something off about this too.

Open it.

The same handwriting.

It's a list of where he wants to go

and what he wants

to eat in here, and more.

"Go to the park." "Wear nice clothes."

They're really basic things.

Is he marking things he's already done?

"Bake and eat a sweet potato myself."

That doesn't sound like something

one would make their c*ptive do.

She could be a substitute.

You looked into why the defendant

came to Japan, didn't you?

Yes, he came to Japan to earn money

for his family in Vietnam,

including his sister,

who was seriously ill.

However,

his sister passed away

when she was 13 years old.

We haven't ruled out that he abducted

a girl his sister's age as a replacement.

Oh

There's one more thing too.

When we went to evict him,

Mr. Nguyen called her

Xuan.

Xuan.

That's what he called her.

Is it her name?

Xuan means "spring" in Vietnamese.

Smooth

must be that overseas upbringing.

Thanks.

Huh? What're you looking at, Ando?

There it is. He gets like this

once he's locked in on something.

-Classic Ando.

-Yeah.

I remember seeing her somewhere

What?

But I don't know where I saw her.

I know about her. But I don't.

What's that mean?

From the children's center

where she's being held.

Yes? Onozaki speaking.

What?

The girl is gone?

It seems she disappeared

from the care center.

Mr. Furukawa is searching

for her with the police.

Ms. Onozaki is meeting with Mr. Nguyen--

Oh.

It's from Ms. Onozaki.

Yes? Ando speaking.

I got Mr. Nguyen to tell me

where he meant to go when they fled.

She may have gone to someone

from his hometown who's in Japan.

Mr. Nguyen also said

the girl might try to take her own life.

She's been gone for three hours.

We need to hurry.

I'll tell the police and the center

and go to the friend's house.

Please give me the address. I'll go too.

What're you going to do?

It falls outside my official duties.

It's not my place to handle it.

Are you cold?

Or just plain cruel?

Either way,

you're cold-hearted, aren't you?

She's not here. Even if she were,

it would just cause problems.

Japanese people aren't kind to us.

If there's trouble, we won't be able

to live here anymore. Please leave.

Ah, wait!

Anti-foreigner discrimination, huh

Even though they're Earthlings too.

Earthlings?

Ah, it's nothing.

-Let's head to the next possible location.

-Okay.

The police haven't found her yet.

No leads either. How about your end?

We struck out.

She didn't come to the place

Mr. Nguyen suspected she might go.

She's been gone for seven hours.

This is really bad.

Hm?

It's Ms. Ochiai.

Yes? Ando speaking.

What?

Ms. Ochiai has the girl in her care.

-What?

-Huh?

She was at the location

where Mr. Nguyen was arrested.

Please look after her.

How did you know where she was?

From the news footage

of Mr. Nguyen getting arrested.

She seemed

really concerned about something.

When I took a closer look, I realized

it was because she'd lost her pendant.

We had little to go on, so I checked

Mr. Nguyen's belongings.

One of the sentences was, "I want to live

without the pendant."

In other words, I realized the pendant

was something she needed now.

Did you find the pendant?

No, I couldn't find it anywhere.

What's so strange?

Nothing.

It's just that you left your chambers.

I thought about calling the police,

but I wasn't sure enough.

It was within thirty minutes of my route

home so I took a detour.

No charm at all.

Pardon?

Hm? Mr. Ando?

Oh, wait.

He's trustworthy.

You're Haru

Kisugi.

You're okay. Let's go.

I think I know

who she is.

What?

Look at this.

I thought I had seen Haru Kisugi before.

It was in a newspaper Judge Kadokura

was reading on September 22.

This sketch.

Seeing the sketch and her name,

Haru, meaning "spring," reminded me.

Xuan means "spring" in Vietnamese.

MISSING PERSON: HARU KISUGI

To think an eviction order would cause

such a complicated situation

Perhaps Mr. Nguyen was protecting her,

knowing everything that was going on.

He couldn't have known

everything about the situation.

Probably not.

How will the court handle this?

We have to speak to the girl.

Prioritizing testimony

over documents, huh?

There's far too little to base

a judgement on. It's unavoidable.

But will she talk

if we summon her to court?

No, I doubt she would show up

in the first place.

What if we do an on-site interrogation

and speak with her directly?

Good idea!

I also have a suggestion.

Before going to speak with Haru Kisugi,

there's one thing I want to know.

We're back!

Ms. Haru Kisugi.

Let me explain what we have

on record at this point.

Tell me if I'm wrong.

You lived in Fujieda City, Shizuoka

with your mom, Yayoi Kisugi

and your grandmother, Atsuko Kisugi.

Your father is unknown.

Furthermore, your birth

was never registered.

And you don't have a family register.

We know from the pieces of info we do have

that you weren't allowed to go to school,

and instead took care of your grandmother,

who had dementia, all on your own.

She has some nerve

forgetting everything she's done to me.

As a kid, if I went against her at all,

who knows what she'd do.

I'd rather just k*ll her.

But we have to keep her alive

or the money stops.

When I see Ms. Kamashima,

I always make this pose.

That's silly!

You don't have a family register,

so you can't go. You know that.

If the neighbors had reported her

to child services, you would've been safe.

But nobody did, for fear of angering Yayoi

and causing trouble.

Last year, your grandmother,

Atsuko, passed away.

After that, your mother had you work

odd jobs at her hostess bar.

And then, three months ago, Yayoi Kisugi

was discovered dead

at the entrance of your apartment.

She likely died from a head injury

sustained in a fight with someone.

Is this in any way related to

you running away?

And why

were you with the defendant?

I have something to say.

Haru Kisugi.

Will staying quiet solve your problems?

Don't say it like that

Judges, unlike defense attorneys

or prosecutors,

first meet the defendants,

and anyone involved, in court.

And also

we don't see them outside of court.

I keep my emotions out of the courtroom.

Emotions would prevent me

from making proper, clear judgments.

I won't give you

any half-hearted sympathy.

However

Since I was the one

who issued the eviction notice,

I believe

I bear some responsibility

for what happened.

With that said

Here is my opinion.

Let others help

with heavy burdens.

Share the hard parts.

Tell someone

when you need help.

If you keep reaching out,

someone will notice and be there to help.

After all, your "help me"

will ultimately

lead to helping Mr. Nguyen, won't it?

Did you find it?

Yes, it had fallen in a ditch

on the side of the road.

Oh, my lucky charm.

Finally

we get to hear your voice.

Is that a lucky charm?

Please continue.

Nguyen gave it to me.

I just checked inside.

There's a tablet inside.

Nguyen said I could take it

if I wanted to die,

and that dying is something

I could do anytime.

What is this?

If you don't know what you don't know,

you'll never know what you need to know.

Stop! That's poison!

What?! Mr. Ando! Spit it out!

Quickly, quickly!

Why'd you shove that

in your mouth like it was nothing?!

-Soda candy.

-What?

Huh?

It's soda candy.

SECOND HEARING

Counsel, proceed

with witness questioning.

Miss Haru Kisugi.

How did you feel about

the house you grew up in?

It felt

like a cage.

Three months ago,

you tried escaping from that cage.

Please tell us about that time.

The day I left

I know exactly what you're planning.

Stop.

Where are you going?

You're not going anywhere!

I won't let you be the only one

with a normal life!

Let go!

Mom?

38-year-old Yayoi Kisugi, a resident

of Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture,

was found dead in her home.

Police are investigating it

as both a crime and an accident.

Ms. Kisugi's daughter is missing,

and police are conducting a search.

I'm the one

who

k*lled my mom.

I thought I would just disappear.

Stop!

I told Nguyen everything.

He told me he had something for me.

There's poison inside of it.

Huh?

Actually, I have some too.

I came to Japan for my family,

and to help my sick little sister.

But I couldn't help her.

You're about the same age she was.

I couldn't help her.

There are times when

I wish I could disappear.

But dying is something you can do anytime.

That thought keeps me going.

Even if I live, I have nowhere to go.

Stay here.

Use this place as your home.

You lived with the defendant

for three months.

What was living with him like?

It was the first time

I ever had a full belly

and was able to sleep peacefully.

I told him I hated the name

my mom gave me, Haru.

He said in Vietnamese, Haru is "Xuan."

He gave me a new name.

I had never been to school before,

and he taught me as well.

He said, since I can die anytime,

I should write things I want to try

in a notebook.

I WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT THE PENDAN

One day

it'll happen.

Yeah.

Nguyen isn't in the wrong.

He waited until I was ready to tell

the police that I had k*lled my mom.

That's why that day

Xuan

-Call the police.

-Okay.

Not the police.

Please

Help Nguyen.

I beg you.

Please help

Nguyen.

I

I took Xuan in for my own sake.

Seeing Xuan slowly getting better

saved me.

But Xuan

is still emotionally fragile.

I thought if the police took her

she might vanish from this world

That scared me.

I panicked and injured someone.

I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

-Hello.

-Hi.

I heard

you got your family register.

I was told without a family register,

the court can't make a decision.

Now that your new life is about to begin,

I thought I'd give this back.

Sorry

I had a look inside.

You haven't finished everything yet.

And there's still plenty of space

for you to write.

What happened to Nguyen?

The verdict was just announced.

You came here to tell her, didn't you?

-The main issue is fixing the eviction--

-Nguyen

What happened to him?

One year and six months in prison.

Without

a suspended sentence.

After serving his prison sentence,

he will be deported.

Though there's room for leniency,

the law's framework

leaves some realities unchangeable.

Mr. Nguyen has accepted his reality.

He is prepared to formally reveal

the truth of his previous incident,

if there's someone who will believe him.

I

I'm going to visit him.

You'll likely face

difficult realities ahead too.

When the time comes,

please ask for help.

Also

use this

to refill your pendant.

Since you can die anytime

don't give up

on living.

Are they soda candies?

On that matter

I'll remain silent.

To be honest

I wasn't very fond of you.

You're stubborn, closed off,

and lack humanity.

You're exactly what I'd expect of a judge.

I wasn't very fond of you either.

You have a smug,

know-it-all vibe going on.

Well

I guess I'm still not fond of you.

We have that in common.

I don't

like you much either.

In April 2000, Tomoyasu Bando, an office

worker in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture,

wife, Misato, son, Naoya, and daughter,

Haruka, were brutally m*rder*d at home.

Six months later, police believed

someone held a grudge against Tomoyasu.

Kazuma Akiba, a former death row inmate,

was arrested at the age of 36.

Though he confessed under interrogation,

he claimed innocence at trial.

The court denied Kazuma Akiba's claims

and sentenced him to death.

Furthermore, while his family

was preparing for retrial,

he was ex*cuted just seven years

after his arrest, an unusually swift pace.

Come in.

It's been a long time.

Please take care of this.

PETITION FOR RETRIAL

I confirm receipt.

In Japan, no ex*cuted death-row case

has ever been granted a retrial.

Following Kazuma Akiba's death,

the first retrial request was denied.

All attention is on the court's decision

regarding this second retrial.

Kazuma Akiba is the perpetrator.

I'll never forgive your son.

You k*lled them, didn't you?

You admitted to it.

I'm the only one who can prove it.

Isn't it time for you to atone?

I want to know the truth.