Leaving behind...

One thing I must leave behind leaving my division is the coverage of typhoons attacking our nation.

One of the strongest typhoons in years is attacking the southwest!

when the satellite picture is "beautiful", it's a bad sign... the typhoon has a firm eye... that's when the menace is pulling itself together manufacturing the threatning strong winds from its center!

At night, I went out to have a drink with the members from the air pollution lawsuit. They held a small and casual farewell party for me near Korakuen. Well... I will be associating with them till I die, so in fact it's not a farewell party!

P.S.
Last night, we were drinking till 4AM and I was really sleepy! I don't even remember what I did the last hour except slumbering at a karaoke box without singing!

Fighting with the sandman, I covered the ex-Aum leading member's death penalty sentence given out at the High Court. The last one at the appellate court level concerning the Aum crimes...

(short article from Kyodo)
◆Death penalty on AUM's Nakagawa upheld at high court
TOKYO, July 13 KYODO
The Tokyo High Court upheld Friday a lower court's death sentence against former senior AUM Shinrikyo member Tomomasa Nakagawa who was convicted of his involvement in the killings of 25 people in various criminal cases from 1989 to 1995, including the cult's sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway and in Nagano Prefecture.
Presiding Judge Ritsuro Uemura turned down an appeal from Nakagawa, 44, a former physician, against the death sentence given in October 2003 at the Tokyo District Court.

Drinking all week!

Yes, there's still some work to do at the courthouse.
I had to attend a trial all day concerning the Fukushima bribery case.

But in the evening I went out with members of the press club, as they threw a farewell party for me.

drinking near the Kagurazaka Bishamonten... it's festival time at this part of town!

I only have limited time to spend my time with my acquaintances at my present workplace... I really will miss this crazily busy place!

Only thoughts of tomorrow...

It wasn't my day... Somehow it goes worse and worse as the day went by!

I received a phone call at 5:30AM and left home at 6:30AM. Only a little bit earlier than ordinary, right!?

At court, I had to lend a hand to some of the cases... including...

the Fukushima Governors' bribery case (photo by Jiji)! the former head of a prefecture pleaded not guilty as expected...

But all day, my mind was full with thoughts about tomorrow. It will be one of the most challenging days in my career. How the day will turn out can alter my life as a reporter... if I so choose to stick to the job!

Gladly accepting...

Last night I had too much beer at the send-off party of my doukis (colleagues entering the organizaion in the same year). While I was hoping for their success, I had fun myself drinking pleasantly with colleagues I can speak frankly.

This morning, with a headache undoubtedly having a hangover, I had to cover the conclusion of the hearing for the former feudal lord of the fund monarchy.

the sentence will be given out on July 19th... before I'll get transferred...

I went out to see the plaintiffs late at night like I'd done each weekday since last Tuesday. I was offered some Japanese sake and I gladly accepted it. Drinking together to get acquainted... that's how I've covered the news all my years and I'm not going to change that style!

(article from Kyodo News)
◆Lawyers call case against Murakami baseless
TOKYO, June 12 KYODO
Lawyers for Yoshiaki Murakami hit out at prosecutors Tuesday as they presented their closing argument at the Tokyo District Court, saying the investigators' case accusing the former investment fund manager of insider trading is baseless.
The defense team argued there are no records to support the charges that Murakami and his fund engaged in the illegal stock transactions, adding that the evidence relied on is a ''castle in the sand.''
The court held the last of a series of hearings that began last November. A ruling will be handed down July 19.
Murakami, founder of the Murakami Fund, has pleaded not guilty to prosecution charges that the fund made a profit of around 3 billion yen by buying and then selling shares in Nippon Broadcasting System Inc., a radio broadcaster, after Internet and financial services firm Livedoor Co. gave him insider information.
The prosecutors argued Murakami received insider information that Livedoor would purchase a large number of Nippon Broadcasting shares in a meeting with Livedoor's management on Nov. 8, 2004. But the defense countered that on that date Murakami did not believe Livedoor could accumulate the necessary funds to buy the stock.
''At the time of the meeting, there was no possibility that Livedoor could successfully collect Nippon Broadcasting shares,'' the lawyers' statement said.
'There are no internal documents to suggest Mr. Murakami knew of Livedoor's decision to buy a large amount of the shares,'' it added. ''The e-mail messages of Livedoor officials that the prosecutors rely on as evidence are just big talk.''
Last month, prosecutors asked the court to give Murakami, a former trade ministry bureaucrat, a three-year prison term and a fine of 3 million yen, and to order him to pay a record 1.15 billion yen surcharge -- the highest amount ever sought in an insider trading case in Japan.
Murakami, a merger and acquisitions expert once regarded as heralding the arrival of a more free-wheeling style of capitalism in Japan, is alleged to have personally earned at least 155 million yen in the transactions involving the radio broadcaster's shares. His individual assets are said to amount to over 20 billion yen.
Livedoor bought a large number of the broadcaster's shares in February 2005 in a failed attempt to acquire influence over the Fujisankei Communications Group, which encompasses the radio station and Fuji Television Network Inc., one of Japan's biggest private TV broadcasters.
Murakami's trial has focused on when Livedoor decided to buy shares in Nippon Broadcasting and whether it took any action that could be considered as providing insider information to Murakami in violation of the Securities and Exchange Law.
==Kyodo

Still can't accept it...

I was so sad today...
Well, I shouldn't have, as it was supposed to be a farewell party for my elder colleagues.
But many of my colleagues were already talking about my change of position set to be on July.
Even my close colleagues were saying to me that I'm lucky to be able to work my way out to another road.
And... I was so frustrated!
It's so sad that they were looking at me that way.
Yeah, maybe I'd been doing this job the wrong way.
I still can't stand it, but maybe working at a cliquish organization, it's natural they see things that way...
Yes... I'm so sad...


A new experiment and a step forward today at court...

playing a DVD for the first time ever at court about a deposition by a witness at the investigation level...

(a short article by Kyodo)
◆Court plays DVD of man's interrogation over alleged murder
TOKYO, May 25 KYODO
The interrogation of a man recorded on a DVD was played Friday at the Tokyo District Court as prosecutors aimed to demonstrate the credibility of his remarks during questioning.
It was the first time in Japan that a video recording of an interrogation has been admitted as evidence and played in court.

Another day with a major character...

タイトル：また重要なキャラとの１日…

It was his third to last day at the district court.

Murakami-san coming to court... (photo by Jiji)

We'll find out in the summer whether he'll be safe or out!

地裁であと２日。
写真：裁判所に来る村上さん…（写真は時事）
セーフかアウトか夏には分かるね！
（以下、共同の短い記事。検察が懲役３年を求刑したという内容。和訳は略）

(a brief one by Kyodo)
◆3-yr term, record surcharge eyed in Murakami insider trading case
TOKYO, May 11 KYODO
Prosecutors at the Tokyo District Court on Friday demanded a three-year prison term and a record high surcharge of 1.15 billion yen ($9.6 million) for financier Yoshiaki Murakami for ''highly vicious'' insider stock trading in 2004 and 2005.
Murakami, founder of the so-called Murakami Fund, has pleaded not guilty to prosecution charges that the fund made a profit of around 3 billion yen by buying and then selling shares in Nippon Broadcasting System Inc., a radio broadcaster, after Internet and financial services firm Livedoor Co. gave him insider information.

All star cast!?

タイトル：オールスターキャスト！？

Two of a kind? Or Humpty Dumpty with Mickey Mouse?
Horiemon backs up Murakami-san at his trail testifying contrary to the prosecutors' way of looking at the story. It was funny seeing the lost adventurer of the troubled times sitting like a tame lion in front of a one time financial warlord cooperating to their programmed journey to acquittal.
Murakami-san did look like he'd be judged "not guilty" today, but will the judge buy Horiemon's cheap stories!? Nah, I doubt it...

the camera crew going after Horiemon's car entering the courthouse at around 9:20AM.

似たもの同士？それとも落選候補と当選候補？
ホリエモンが村上さんを助けた。検察側が描いた構図とは逆の証言をした。墜ちた乱世の冒険家が、時の経済界の支配者を前に、飼い慣らされたライオンのように座って無罪放免に向けた計画的な筋書きに協力しているのを見てて面白かった。
村上さんはきょう「無罪」と判断されてもおかしくないように見えたけど、裁判官たちがホリエモンの安い話を買うだろうか！？うーん、どうかな…。
写真：午前９時２０分頃に裁判所に入るホリエモンの車を追い掛けるカメラ陣