Former Chief Analyst of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masaru Sato, and Former Chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department, Hisayoshi Nishimura. A Dialogue Between Two Who Once Faced Each Other as 'Respectable Enemies' in the Interrogation Room Has Been Realized! 'Special Investigation Interrogation Room - 'National Trap' 20th Anniversary Rematch' Released Today!

Shinchosha Co., Ltd. today, May 13th (Wednesday), released 'Special Investigation Interrogation Room - 'National Trap' 20th Anniversary Rematch' by Masaru Sato and Hisayoshi Nishimura from Shinchosha Shinsho.

On May 14, 2002, Masaru Sato was arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department on charges of breach of trust and fraudulent obstruction of business, in connection with the so-called 'Muneo Suzuki Incident.' The prosecutor in charge of his interrogation was Hisayoshi Nishimura. The tense exchanges between the two in the interrogation room were later compiled into Sato's book 'Kokka no Wana - Called Rasputin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,' and became a major topic of discussion along with the phrase 'politically motivated investigation' uttered by Nishimura.

After that, the two had no contact for a long time, but they reunited due to Sato's illness. The two, who once faced each other as 'respectable enemies,' now speak frankly and reveal their strategies, thoroughly discussing the problems faced by the public prosecutor's office.

■ Table of Contents

Chapter 0: Reunion
First meeting in 20 years / Arrest and interrogation

Chapter 1: What was prosecutorial reform?
'Don't underestimate prosecutors' / Pressance incident and postal fraud incident / Storytelling and noise / The rich are scary / The peculiarity of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department / The tragedy of the 'wari-ya' (confession specialist) / Quasi-forcible sexual intercourse charges against the Chief Prosecutor of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office / A culture that respects people as human beings

Chapter 2: How to view criticism of prosecutors
(1) Right to remain silent
Pros and cons of silence / Special investigation cases cannot be acquitted by silence / Professional conscience of lawyers / When prosecutors can get angry / Disadvantageous in terms of circumstances / Reasons why extremists remain silent
(2) Hostage justice
Why was Chairman Kadokawa arrested after a press conference? / Another reason for detention / Ghosn incident trauma / Bail bond is lawyer's fee
(3) Visualization of interrogation
Prosecutor's abusive language revealed / Motive is 'grudge' / When prosecutors shout

Chapter 3: The path of a prosecutor
Why I became a prosecutor / Passed the bar exam on the 7th try / The vanished 600 million yen incident / The Aum incident where I dared to 'enter the opponent's turf' / Jichiro tax evasion incident / Work of a financial prosecutor / When black and gray become indistinguishable / Intrinsic logic of tax evaders / 7000 trillion yen fraud, ground swindlers, and Apa Group / Shock of the dismembered beautician case / Where did the neck go? / Nissan Motor unfair competition prevention law violation case / Prosecutors act on 'principle'

Chapter 4: 'National Trap' again - When national interest and public interest clash
Suddenly the lid opened / Organizational defense of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Denial of 'right to authoritative interpretation' that shook the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Inside story of fraudulent obstruction of business investigation / Circumstances of ordering diesel generator construction from Mitsui & Co. / The danger of a world where 'the extraordinary is ordinary' / If it was secret funds from the Prime Minister's Office / The reality of Northern Territories return diplomacy / Interrogation was fair / Difference in defense strategy from the Muneo Suzuki incident / Jealousy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs career officials / Detention life was 'interesting' / The incident also had positives / What was a politically motivated investigation? / Aftermath of politically motivated investigations

Chapter 5: The necessity of special investigation departments
Why did the Okawara Chemical Machine incident happen? / Hagizaki Bogachonkov incident / How to deal with public security police / Where do special investigation departments get their information? / Distance between politics and prosecutors / The necessity of special investigation departments / Measures to rebuild special investigation departments / Proposals for future special investigation departments

■ Author Profiles

Masaru Sato
Born in Tokyo in 1960. After graduating from Doshisha University Graduate School of Theology in 1985, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After serving at the Embassy in the UK and the Embassy in Russia, he worked as chief analyst in the First Analysis Division of the International Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1995, playing an active role on the front lines of diplomacy with Russia. In 2002, he was arrested and indicted on charges of breach of trust and fraudulent obstruction of business, and in June 2009, his suspended sentence became final. In June 2013, his probation period expired, and the sentence lost its effect. In 2005, he received the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award Special Prize for 'Kokka no Wana - Called Rasputin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.' His major works include 'Jikai suru Teikoku' (Self-Destructing Empire) (winner of the Shinchosha Document Award and the Oya Soichi Non-fiction Award), 'Gokuchuki' (Prison Diary), and many co-authored works. In 2020, he received the Kikuchi Kan Prize.

Hisayoshi Nishimura
Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1960. After graduating from Kanazawa University Faculty of Law and Letters in 1986, he worked at the Hokuriku Local Finance Bureau of the Ministry of Finance. In 1990, he was appointed prosecutor. After serving at the Miyazaki District Public Prosecutors Office, Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office, and Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office, he demonstrated his strength in financial economics and pursued a career as a special investigation prosecutor. In 2002, during his time at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department, he was in charge of interrogating Masaru Sato. He served as Deputy Chief of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department in 2012, Chief of the Criminal Department of the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office in 2013, Chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department in 2014, Prosecutor of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office and Special Investigation Section Prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office in 2015, Chief of the Special Public Trial Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office in 2016, Chief of the Criminal Department in 2017, Chief Prosecutor of the Aomori District Public Prosecutors Office in 2018, and Chief Prosecutor of the Takamatsu District Public Prosecutors Office in 2019, retiring in 2020. After that, he served as a notary at the Kasumigaseki Notary Office, and became a lawyer from July 2025.

■ Book Data

[Title] Special Investigation Interrogation Room - 'National Trap' 20th Anniversary Rematch

[Authors] Masaru Sato, Hisayoshi Nishimura

[Release Date] May 13th

[Binding] Softcover

[Price] 2,200 yen (tax included)

[ISBN] 978-4-10-356941-1

[URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/356941/