Free Tokyo Year Zero by David Peace Page B

committed suicide at his home in Yokosuka at about 5 a.m. yesterday morning after having first murdered his forty-two-year-old wife, his eleven-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter as they were sleeping. The former officer who returned home from New Guinea in January this year had been suffering from a nervous condition and is believed to have been contemplating killing himself and his entire family since the latter part of July
…
    ‘Too many good men,’ say my own men. ‘How many more good men are needlessly going to give their lives in apology…?’
    ‘While bad men are still lining their pockets…’
    ‘Too many ceremonies for the dead…’
    Turning the page of the paper, talking of the latest fugitive –
    Yet another Kempei man on the run –
    ‘They’ll catch him, you see…’
    ‘You can’t run forever…’
    ‘Too many snitches…’
    The next two pages of the newspaper, talking of the latest convictions and sentences –
    Five men found guilty of mistreating Allied prisoners of war. Evidence showed that as guards at Hakodate Prisoner of War Camp Number One, they had mistreated prisoners and stolen food and clothing from them. The Commission found all five men guilty of crimes against war prisoners and meted out prison sentences ranging from thirty to five years. In the closing hours of the trial, one of the accused, Takeshita Toshio, told the court that former Prime Minister Tojo was responsible for everything and that he and his co-accused were merely conscripted soldiers given orders that they had to obey on pain of death
…
    ‘It’s never-ending; it just goes on and on and on…’
    ‘They’re not criminals, just soldiers…’
    ‘Too many trials…’
    The bottom corner of the last page of the last newspaper and there is our story;
the bodies of two women found in Shiba
…
    I look at my watch again.
Chiku-taku
…
    I stand up now. They all stand up –
    I bow. They all bow –
    I say, ‘Let’s go.’
    *
    Through the doors of Atago police station, Nishi and Shimoda carry the first trunk, Kimura and Ishida carry the second trunk; up the stairs of Atago police station, Nishi and Shimoda carry the first trunk, Kimura and Ishida carry the second trunk; Sanada, Hattori, Takeda, Fujita and I marching behind, through the doors and up the stairs –
    Nishi and Shimoda put the first trunk down. Kimura and Ishida put the second trunk down in a corner, to stay locked until tonight. Now Nishi and Shimoda open the first trunk. Nishi and Shimoda take out the white banner and the bamboo poles. Nishi and Shimoda raise the banner on the poles beside the door –
    Two metres tall and fifty centimetres wide –
    In beautiful, bold, bright-red stitching:
    Special Investigation Headquarters
.
    The men of the Second Team assemble before the banner. The men stand to attention as I tell them –
    ‘This banner remains here until this case is closed with honour or until we are forced to retreat back to HQ in disgrace –
    ‘Which is it to be, honour or disgrace?’
    ‘Honour!’ they shout. ‘Honour!’
    ‘Then every single one of us must give his very utmost, must give his very best,’ I tell them. ‘Only then can this case be solved and our team return with honour to HQ –
    ‘So give your utmost!’
    ‘We will give our very utmost,’ they reply. ‘Our very best!’
    Across the hallway, Inspector Kai and his First Team have already raised their banner, already made their pledges and their exhortations; now they are waiting for us –
    ‘Meeting time!’
    The First Team, the Second Team and all the uniforms from the Atago, Meguro and Mita police stations are gathered in the hot, dark second-floor room which the First Team is using at Atago –
    I stand up at the front of the room beside Chief Inspectors Adachi and Kanehara and Inspector Kai, the four of us facing the First Team, the Second Team and the uniformed men –
    ‘Attention!’ shouts one of the uniformed sergeants and everyone in the room