“Get up!”
I was awakened by a loud voice. I was not aware whether I had slept or not. I felt the cold air. The upper window of the room was open.
“Good morning. Please give me guidance.”
I gave a salute in a small voice to my roommates who had been ahead of me. They began to fold up their futon. A man who looked beyond forty said to me, “Fold up yours!”
“Yes.”
“We do everything ourselves.”
“Yes.”
I quickly folded up my own futon. We carried our futon and got out of the room in turn to put it at the corner. Then I returned. Without thinking of what to do, I watched my roommates and followed them.
“Wash your face!”
We got out of the room and washed faces at the sink. I brought facial cleansing foam with me, but it was banned. So I borrowed soap. At the same time I brushed my teeth. After finishing all I returned to my cell again. Whenever we got out of the cell, some police officers watched us.
“Breakfast!”
From a little window of the cell, so-called Hinomaru-bento, rice and pickled Japanese apricot, and pickles, bean paste soup (miso soup, traditional Japanese soup) hot water were served on a rubber tray. We spread a sheet of straw mat on the floor, and put our trays on it. Our breakfast started. Maybe you know the scene in the recent film, “Still, I didn’t do it.”
However, I was not hungry. I felt no hunger as if my stomach was shrinking. Nevertheless, I ate miso soup, which was richly flavored against my expectations.After breakfast all were silent. I sat leaning against a wall and clasping my arms around my knees at a location nearest to the door.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
No. 11 I felt as if I was drifting
Night went on. I did nothing wrong, so it was hardly possible for me to have a shock like “Finally they’ve found me!” I had confidence about my honest life. I felt much concerned about my parents-in-law and my own mom who were sure to worry about me.
Ignoring my will, the police arrested me, took me to the police station, examined me, jumped to the conclusion that I was a Kakumaru member and detained me. While I thought there must be a mistake, the police didn’t. No one was likely to listen to me. I was held down by brute force, and couldn’t fight back at all. I was not motivated to present my counterarguments. I just didn’t have it in me to think of the reason why I was arrested.
All that I was asked in the interrogation room were about JREU. As I was little interested in union activities then, the questions were not particularly close to me. I wondered why I was asked so relentlessly. If I wanted to have someone to ask for advice or help, I was not allowed to see anyone. I couldn’t understand at all why I was arrested by the police who, I considered, were friends of just causes.
I felt as if I was drifting and passing around on a conveyor belt which I was forced to ride. If I didn’t feel so, I couldn’t have borne what happened to me. I didn’t know where I was going. My last hope was “I can go back in a few days.” When did I fall asleep?
Ignoring my will, the police arrested me, took me to the police station, examined me, jumped to the conclusion that I was a Kakumaru member and detained me. While I thought there must be a mistake, the police didn’t. No one was likely to listen to me. I was held down by brute force, and couldn’t fight back at all. I was not motivated to present my counterarguments. I just didn’t have it in me to think of the reason why I was arrested.
All that I was asked in the interrogation room were about JREU. As I was little interested in union activities then, the questions were not particularly close to me. I wondered why I was asked so relentlessly. If I wanted to have someone to ask for advice or help, I was not allowed to see anyone. I couldn’t understand at all why I was arrested by the police who, I considered, were friends of just causes.
I felt as if I was drifting and passing around on a conveyor belt which I was forced to ride. If I didn’t feel so, I couldn’t have borne what happened to me. I didn’t know where I was going. My last hope was “I can go back in a few days.” When did I fall asleep?
No. 10 Night at the lockup
I was put into the barred cell at the Suginami Police Station. It was nearly 
twelve midnight. Inside was not dark, as there was a light on. Other people seemed asleep, so I entered quietly.
Near the door a futon was set up for me. Maybe someone of my roommates did it. First I visited the toilet in the deepest of the cell quietly. I saw three other people there.
My futon was thin and hard. Though a large-sized air conditioner was working, it was too cold. I was terribly sleepy as I had had little sleep since the previous night. However, I was too highly strung to get to sleep. I stared at the ceiling. I had been sleeping in my own room half a day ago! What would happen to me? How did my wife and son feel when they saw me arrested. I worried about them. I wondered what they were doing. My parents-in-law might be anxious also. So might be my mom.
The police officer told me to see the prosecutor the next day.
“What is the difference between the police officer and the prosecutor?” “Why must I have such a bitter experience?” “I hope I’ll be home in a few days. I can go back soon!”
Vexation, fear or a mixture of emotions filled my heart. I felt as if I was troubled with a nightmare. Tears welled up in my eyes.
twelve midnight. Inside was not dark, as there was a light on. Other people seemed asleep, so I entered quietly.Near the door a futon was set up for me. Maybe someone of my roommates did it. First I visited the toilet in the deepest of the cell quietly. I saw three other people there.
My futon was thin and hard. Though a large-sized air conditioner was working, it was too cold. I was terribly sleepy as I had had little sleep since the previous night. However, I was too highly strung to get to sleep. I stared at the ceiling. I had been sleeping in my own room half a day ago! What would happen to me? How did my wife and son feel when they saw me arrested. I worried about them. I wondered what they were doing. My parents-in-law might be anxious also. So might be my mom.
The police officer told me to see the prosecutor the next day.
“What is the difference between the police officer and the prosecutor?” “Why must I have such a bitter experience?” “I hope I’ll be home in a few days. I can go back soon!”
Vexation, fear or a mixture of emotions filled my heart. I felt as if I was troubled with a nightmare. Tears welled up in my eyes.
No. 9 Suginami Detention Cell
The car got to the Suginami Police Station. We went up a stairway to the third floor. There was a lockup on the floor. I was extradited to the officer of the Station.
“I will call you No.7,” said the officer. We were numbered while detained and called by numbers instead of names. From that time on my name was “No.7.”
There were cells inside a thick iron door. I went through a physical checkup such as body height and weight, and then presence of damage was ascertained. I was released from my handcuffs, and was allowed to wear only underpants. I heard that the police checked my body in order to draw a distinction between the old damage and the new one created while detained. After their check I changed into sportswear which I brought with me.
All my belongings from my house were inspected. I couldn’t bring a long towel into the room. “Only a hand towel is allowed,” the officer said, adding, “The reason is to prevent suicide.”
I was so scared in the community cell, because I was surrounded by people under suspicion. For 29 years I had lived honestly. Why should I live with them? I was thrown into the abyss of despair with feelings of loneliness and fear.
“I will call you No.7,” said the officer. We were numbered while detained and called by numbers instead of names. From that time on my name was “No.7.”
There were cells inside a thick iron door. I went through a physical checkup such as body height and weight, and then presence of damage was ascertained. I was released from my handcuffs, and was allowed to wear only underpants. I heard that the police checked my body in order to draw a distinction between the old damage and the new one created while detained. After their check I changed into sportswear which I brought with me.
All my belongings from my house were inspected. I couldn’t bring a long towel into the room. “Only a hand towel is allowed,” the officer said, adding, “The reason is to prevent suicide.”
I was so scared in the community cell, because I was surrounded by people under suspicion. For 29 years I had lived honestly. Why should I live with them? I was thrown into the abyss of despair with feelings of loneliness and fear.
Monday, September 22, 2008
No. 8 I was worried about my family
As I wrote in No.6, after drawing up the “suspect’s statement”, the police took my pictures and detected my fingerprints in another room. It was the first time for me to be fingerprinted. I put my fingers on the machine like a copier. First, they printed every finger mark, next, open hands and then, fists (from my little finger to wrist). They worked carefully.
During the questioning, the examining officer told me “You have a visit from a lawyer, and took me to another room to meet him. He looked at a man and asked me, “Is he your private lawyer?” “Yes.” I made a guess at the answer, because I met him for the first time then.
The lawyer said, “JREU asked me to see you,” adding, “Don’t worry. Your wife is all right. JREU will take good care of her. Is there anything you have worried about?”
“About my family.”
Though he said my wife was all right, I couldn’t forget her pallid face when I was taken with handcuffs. I was really anxious about my wife. The question finished around eleven o’clock at night. The officer said, “You are going to Suginami Police Station.” I descended on the elevator with my hands cuffed and got in the car. I sat in the middle of the backseat with police officers on my both sides, and other two in the driving seat and the front seat. A car with five people started running into a nighttime street of Tokyo.
During the questioning, the examining officer told me “You have a visit from a lawyer, and took me to another room to meet him. He looked at a man and asked me, “Is he your private lawyer?” “Yes.” I made a guess at the answer, because I met him for the first time then.
The lawyer said, “JREU asked me to see you,” adding, “Don’t worry. Your wife is all right. JREU will take good care of her. Is there anything you have worried about?”
“About my family.”
Though he said my wife was all right, I couldn’t forget her pallid face when I was taken with handcuffs. I was really anxious about my wife. The question finished around eleven o’clock at night. The officer said, “You are going to Suginami Police Station.” I descended on the elevator with my hands cuffed and got in the car. I sat in the middle of the backseat with police officers on my both sides, and other two in the driving seat and the front seat. A car with five people started running into a nighttime street of Tokyo.
No. 7 What I was inquired in the interrogation room
When I saw my coworker through the door of the interrogation room, I was seized with an uneasy atmosphere like dark clouds spreading over the head for a moment.
At any rate, it was incredible painful to undergo an examination. The police came one after another to the room to ask the similar questions.
“Where is the head office of JREU?”
“I don’t know.”
“You liar!”
“No. I’ve never been there.”
“How many memberships are there in JREU?”
I wondered why he asked me such a question. I didn’t know if the number of union membership was connected to my arrest!
“Do you know Mr. Matsuzaki?” Mr. Matsuzaki is a founding president of JREU.
“I’ve never talked to him personally. I have only listened to his lecture at the meeting once.”
“What is the Youth Organization of JREU?”
In this way they repeated the same questions. As I thought I would be able to go back home in a few days at that time, I obediently responded to all that I was asked.
I was asked, “Golf is your favorite sport, isn’t it?” I guessed that the police saw my golf bag in my room while searching.
“How many swings?”
“About 90.”
“You are a good golfer!”
As I was a train driver, I was asked about the train. For example, I was asked, “Why do the cars go back?”
During interrogation, I was asked, “Do you want something to drink?” I said, “No.” I don’t remember what I ate as dinner. I was so tired because I answered the same questions by interrogators who came by turns. I thought I was promised to go back to my family in return for best cooperation with the interrogators.
At any rate, it was incredible painful to undergo an examination. The police came one after another to the room to ask the similar questions.
“Where is the head office of JREU?”
“I don’t know.”
“You liar!”
“No. I’ve never been there.”
“How many memberships are there in JREU?”
I wondered why he asked me such a question. I didn’t know if the number of union membership was connected to my arrest!
“Do you know Mr. Matsuzaki?” Mr. Matsuzaki is a founding president of JREU.
“I’ve never talked to him personally. I have only listened to his lecture at the meeting once.”
“What is the Youth Organization of JREU?”
In this way they repeated the same questions. As I thought I would be able to go back home in a few days at that time, I obediently responded to all that I was asked.
I was asked, “Golf is your favorite sport, isn’t it?” I guessed that the police saw my golf bag in my room while searching.
“How many swings?”
“About 90.”
“You are a good golfer!”
As I was a train driver, I was asked about the train. For example, I was asked, “Why do the cars go back?”
During interrogation, I was asked, “Do you want something to drink?” I said, “No.” I don’t remember what I ate as dinner. I was so tired because I answered the same questions by interrogators who came by turns. I thought I was promised to go back to my family in return for best cooperation with the interrogators.
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