I went back to the Suginami Police Station. Today I started at 14:55 and came back at 20:05. As we have no clock in the cell, we don’t know the exact time. I suppose dinner started around 17:00. When I came back, it was around 20:00, so, I ate dinner alone in the smoking room. However, any food didn’t slide down my throat.
After “eating” dinner, I went to my cell. The man who had 11 convictions asked me, “How was it?” I answered, “10 days.”
Though I lay down, I couldn’t sleep at all because the shock was too big.
Then I thought, “In 10 days I can go back to my family.” This idea encouraged me.
At that time I was not interested in the court or the trade union. Since it came to this, I didn’t know what to do.
I worried about my family. “If my wife wants to be divorced from me…, If my son is involved in a traffic accident…” My family could fall apart then. Negative assumption came to my mind. Restless night started.
23 March, 2008
Friday, August 7, 2009
No. 22 Why? What is this?
Though I couldn’t see what prompted the police to arrest me, I tried to respond to investigators honestly. Nevertheless, my detention period was extended for 10 days and decision of “Not permitting a meeting” was added. I couldn’t accept that. I could no longer get together.
When I refused the document, the man took it somewhere, writing “Refusal to accept” on a margin. I have thought, up until the day, I could come back home in a few days. My dream was broken, and I didn’t know how to recover from discouragement.
I wished the judge to look through the truth. But he imposed a new period of detention on me and prohibited me from meeting anyone except a lawyer. He deprived me of my normal life. Why has he made such a decision? Why does he take sides with the police and the prosecutors? No one listens to what I say. I had a feeling of faintness as if I were bound hand and foot with a sticky thread. I was hit by weariness, chagrin and irritation.
When I refused the document, the man took it somewhere, writing “Refusal to accept” on a margin. I have thought, up until the day, I could come back home in a few days. My dream was broken, and I didn’t know how to recover from discouragement.
I wished the judge to look through the truth. But he imposed a new period of detention on me and prohibited me from meeting anyone except a lawyer. He deprived me of my normal life. Why has he made such a decision? Why does he take sides with the police and the prosecutors? No one listens to what I say. I had a feeling of faintness as if I were bound hand and foot with a sticky thread. I was hit by weariness, chagrin and irritation.
On the way from the court, taking a back seat, I was chaotic. Why? What is this?
22 March,2008
Thursday, August 6, 2009
No. 21 Don’t be silly!
Listening to 10 days extension, I was thrown into the abyss of despair.
I had believed the judge. I had cooperated with the investigation. I had explained everything. I would be sent back to the cell and live there for 10 more days!
I was confused.
“That’s all,” said the judge.
What? What is that? My mind became a complete blank. I came back to the waiting room. A man came in with a document written as “Not permitting a meeting”. According to the man, that means forbidding me meeting anyone except a lawyer. I didn’t understand the reason why I couldn’t meet my loved ones or write letters to them.
“Why not?” I strained my voice.
The man replied coldly, “Obey what is written.”
Something broke down in my mind.
I have kept controlling myself so far. “I need nothing like this.”
I refused the document
21 March, 2008
I had believed the judge. I had cooperated with the investigation. I had explained everything. I would be sent back to the cell and live there for 10 more days!
I was confused.
“That’s all,” said the judge.
What? What is that? My mind became a complete blank. I came back to the waiting room. A man came in with a document written as “Not permitting a meeting”. According to the man, that means forbidding me meeting anyone except a lawyer. I didn’t understand the reason why I couldn’t meet my loved ones or write letters to them.
“Why not?” I strained my voice.
The man replied coldly, “Obey what is written.”
Something broke down in my mind.
I have kept controlling myself so far. “I need nothing like this.”
I refused the document
21 March, 2008
Thursday, July 30, 2009
No. 20 Why?
In a room of the Tokyo District Court I told my name, age, address and occupation as I was asked. “The prosecutor requested for further detention. I’ll read your suspicion,” said the judge. What he read was the same in content as the one the police officers said in their interrogation on the first day and the prosecutor said yesterday. Of course I knew nothing about what they said.
“Is there any mistake in terms of these facts?”
“Yes, all are mistake.”
I explained. I thought a judge could understand me. I was praying in my mind.
The judge rubber-stamped, saying, “Extension of detention period for 10 days more.”
“Why?” The strength drained out of me.
20 Mar. 2008
“Is there any mistake in terms of these facts?”
“Yes, all are mistake.”
I explained. I thought a judge could understand me. I was praying in my mind.
The judge rubber-stamped, saying, “Extension of detention period for 10 days more.”
“Why?” The strength drained out of me.
20 Mar. 2008
No. 19 I’ll be home today
“I have been here for 3 days. Today is the last day because the police officer said to me that I should stay for 2 or 3 days.” I really hoped my detention would be over today. I wanted to return to my normal life. “Today I’m going to see the judge. A judge must be a person of sound judgment. So, the judge will accept my claim that I did nothing criminal. Then I can get home.” This is what I thought then.
I was taken to the court. Like the previous day, I went there in a black-colored car. The officer in charge of the cell and a vice head officer went with me. Now I come to think of it, we were going to the Tokyo District Court. We waited for the judge in the stateroom. I saw a poster on the wall that read “We can assign a defense counsel for you.” However, at that time, I didn’t know what the “defense counsel” was and what they did. I asked the officer who came to the court with me, and he answered me in a polite way.
I was called out, and then I went into another room. It was a small room. There were two men sitting already. “Please take a seat,” said a man in a black coat.
19 Mar. 2008
I was taken to the court. Like the previous day, I went there in a black-colored car. The officer in charge of the cell and a vice head officer went with me. Now I come to think of it, we were going to the Tokyo District Court. We waited for the judge in the stateroom. I saw a poster on the wall that read “We can assign a defense counsel for you.” However, at that time, I didn’t know what the “defense counsel” was and what they did. I asked the officer who came to the court with me, and he answered me in a polite way.
I was called out, and then I went into another room. It was a small room. There were two men sitting already. “Please take a seat,” said a man in a black coat.
19 Mar. 2008
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
No. 18 The second night
I got back to the cell in the Suginami Police Station.
As there was no clock, I didn’t know the exact time. Later I heard that I went out of the cell at 13:19 and came back at 17:50.
I ate dinner for the first time at the cell. As dinner time was over, I ate it alone spreading a gray place mat on the table of the smoking room. It was a box dinner with a sheet of dried laver. The food was cold. Quick-cooking miso soup was also cold. They were not good. I couldn’t eat them.
After dinner what I should do was to brush my teeth and go to bed. Like kids, 21:00 was time to go to bed. Everyone seemed unable to sleep. They were fumbling around.
I heard I was able to go back home in two or three days. I was glad to have a hope that I would go out tomorrow! Suddenly I was worried about my job for the first time since arrested. I am a driver of the Keihin-tohoku line. My work schedule was completed for a month to come. “Yesterday was my paid day-off, today’s timetable is No.12 and tomorrow’s diagram is No.1. Who will drive on my behalf?” Worksite traveling was planned on Nov.4. On 15-16 November I was to join the basketball tournament sponsored by the JR East Company, which I had continued training for. I really wanted to join the games.
Of course I was worried about my wife and son. The sight of my arrest came back clearly before my eyes. “Why am I given such cruel treatment? Why am I here in the cell?”Tears kept filling my eyes again.
18 Mar. 2008
As there was no clock, I didn’t know the exact time. Later I heard that I went out of the cell at 13:19 and came back at 17:50.
I ate dinner for the first time at the cell. As dinner time was over, I ate it alone spreading a gray place mat on the table of the smoking room. It was a box dinner with a sheet of dried laver. The food was cold. Quick-cooking miso soup was also cold. They were not good. I couldn’t eat them.
After dinner what I should do was to brush my teeth and go to bed. Like kids, 21:00 was time to go to bed. Everyone seemed unable to sleep. They were fumbling around.
I heard I was able to go back home in two or three days. I was glad to have a hope that I would go out tomorrow! Suddenly I was worried about my job for the first time since arrested. I am a driver of the Keihin-tohoku line. My work schedule was completed for a month to come. “Yesterday was my paid day-off, today’s timetable is No.12 and tomorrow’s diagram is No.1. Who will drive on my behalf?” Worksite traveling was planned on Nov.4. On 15-16 November I was to join the basketball tournament sponsored by the JR East Company, which I had continued training for. I really wanted to join the games.
Of course I was worried about my wife and son. The sight of my arrest came back clearly before my eyes. “Why am I given such cruel treatment? Why am I here in the cell?”Tears kept filling my eyes again.
18 Mar. 2008
No. 17 “You are not a member of Kakumaru”
I answered the prosecutor as accurately as I could. Actually I didn’t understand what he said. At that time I thought my explanation could help him understand me. But I couldn’t understand my suspicion. Little did I think that I was arrested on suspicion of the criminal act. It was a complete surprise to me. I have never experienced such a thing.
After that I went back to the Suginami Police Station. On the way the police officer who accompanied me from the morning told me, “Listening to what you said in front of the prosecutor, I believe you. As you said, I think you can’t be a culprit.”
I was arrested without knowing the reason, and since then the police had said definitively that I was Kakumaru. So, I was glad to hear his words. “He knows I did nothing criminal.” I was deeply moved and felt a little relieved.He was around 40 years of age, wearing glasses and tall. He was kind enough to answer my question politely when I asked him what would happen to me in the future. He seemed warmhearted.
17 Mar. 2008
After that I went back to the Suginami Police Station. On the way the police officer who accompanied me from the morning told me, “Listening to what you said in front of the prosecutor, I believe you. As you said, I think you can’t be a culprit.”
I was arrested without knowing the reason, and since then the police had said definitively that I was Kakumaru. So, I was glad to hear his words. “He knows I did nothing criminal.” I was deeply moved and felt a little relieved.He was around 40 years of age, wearing glasses and tall. He was kind enough to answer my question politely when I asked him what would happen to me in the future. He seemed warmhearted.
17 Mar. 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
