5. Wake up, Detective N., says Detective Inspector H., shaking my shoulders, kicking my chair bones aching, chest hurting IN THE OCCUPIED CITY I sit up, I cough twice eyes smarting, ears ringing WHERE IS THE RESISTANCE We’ve just received a report of a body, sounds like a suicide, at an inn in Shiinamachi, near to the Teikoku Bank from the smoke, from the tune THERE IS NO RESISTANCE Take Detective K. and go check it out, says Detective Inspector H., handing me an address on a scrap of paper from the music-box, the American ovens THERE IS NO UNDERGROUND We walk down Mejiro-dōri, we cross over Yamate-dōri, then we turn left into the Nagasaki neighbourhood, looking for the Kiraku Inn in Shiinamachi 5-chōme the smell of burning, the sound of scratching IN THIS CITY OF COLLABORATORS There is an ambulance outside the inn and a doctor stood with the owner of the inn and his wife outside the rooms, inside the rooms IN THIS CITY OF TRAITORS They lead us up a narrow, steep staircase, then down a long, dark corridor to a closed door at the back of the inn biting, chewing, devouring EVERY WIDOW IS NOW FOR SALE He’s in here, says the owner as he slides opens the thin stained door to a small dim room and a body on a futon, the quilt pulled back, the body clothed you can always hear their teeth EVERY WIDOW, EVERY WIFE, EVERY WOMAN It looks to me like a suicide by potassium cyanide, says the doctor, and I read in the newspaper that you believe the killer at the Teikoku Bank may have used potassium cyanide, so I stressed this when I reported the death for everything decays, decomposes and dies IN THE MARKET PLACE, IN THE SHOP WINDOW I walk over to the window, I slide back the screen how many bodies, how many rooms OLD BODIES, FRESH MEAT The body is dressed in a grey sweater, a khaki coat, and black serge trousers in rooms that are not yours TWO-FACES, TURN-COATS A black overcoat hangs by the door, a wallet lies on the floor beside the futon you open doors, you enter rooms ON THEIR KNEES, ON THEIR BACKS I pick up the wallet, I open up the wallet, ¥100 inside the wallet how many rooms that were not yours, how many bodies that were not yours MY WIFE, MY MOTHER He gave his name as Yokobe Kunio, says the owner, and his profession as a company official from Komagawa-mura, Iruma-gun, Saitama Prefecture from room to room, from body to body IN THE SHOP WINDOW, IN THE MARKET PLACE And he arrived here when, I ask in the black fog, in the black mist FOR A NEW MAN, FOR A NEW LIFE About 9:30 p.m. last night, says the owner in your eyes, in your ears IN A NEW COUNTRY, IN A NEW CITY How long do you think he’s been dead, Detective K. asks the doctor the sound of whispering, the sound of scratching THEIR RINGS LOOSE, THEIR LEGS OPEN Not very long, replies the doctor, he’s still warm from the American ovens, from the music-boxes IN THIS COUNTRY OF NO RESISTANCE He’s better off than me then, laughs Detective K. among the smoke, among the tunes IN THIS CITY OF NO RESISTANCE How did you discover him so quickly, I ask the owner you are always so suspicious, you are always so jealous I HATE THE LOSERS, I HATE THE VICTORS The owner shakes his head, then looks at his wife, and he says, She did her eyes will wander, her legs will wander I HATE ALL AMERICANS, I HATE ALL CAUCASIANS I couldn’t sleep last night, says the wife, I had such terrible dreams, dreams about the Teikoku Bank, I had a bad feeling, a bad feeling about him no father for her child, no provider for her needs THE WHITE STARS ON THEIR JEEPS, THE WHITE TEETH IN THEIR MOUTHS I point at the body, and I ask the wife, A bad feeling about him you are never here, you are always gone WHITE SKIN ON YELLOW SKIN, WHITE FLESH IN YELLOW FLESH She nods, About him what does she see in him WHERE IS THE RESISTANCE I stare at her, in her monpe trousers, in her heavy sweater, and I ask, Why this woman is much younger than her husband IN THIS CITY OF COLLABORATORS The wife shakes her head, the wife closes her eyes, then the wife slowly says, Last night, I passed him in the corridor, and he suddenly squeezed my arm, and said he had come to see his friend, but his friend was not here she could have any man she wants IN THIS CITY OF TRAITORS He had tears in his eyes, tears on his cheek, she says a better man than you I AM THE DETECTIVE, I AM THE RESISTANCE I cough once, I cough again an exorcism, an exit THE ONLY RESISTANCE, IN THIS CITY Is it him, asks the wife, the Teikoku killer not you, never you NO RESISTANCE CITY I shake my head, I say, His hair is too long, it can’t be him, the Teikoku killer, not him, no you are no exorcism, you are no exit NO RESISTANCE
6. I am early, he is late, it doesn’t matter wa-oh-wa-oh IN THIS FOREIGN CITY, IN THIS ALIEN CITY I enter the dancehall beat me mama, with that boogie-woogie beat, that Tokyo boogie-woogie, beat me, beat me ALL THINGS ARE FOREIGN TO ME, ALL PEOPLE ARE ALIEN Jungle music and tom-toms, yellow skin and Negroid hair the shadows lengthen, in time, the shades advance, in rhythm NEW DANCES, OLD TUNES The dance among the ruins, the dance of the living dead on the ashes of the really dead sakura boogie-woogie, jungle boogie-woogie NO LONGER HUMAN, NO LONGER LIVING Bones on skin, sticks on drums in borrowed dresses, to stolen songs DANCING NEW DANCES, HUMMING OLD TUNES In the lights, in the mirrors, everything is reflected we are always reflected REFLECTED, FRACTURED, DISFIGURED AND OTHER I see my wife, but is it her bows and ribbons in her hair YESTERDAY’S ENEMY IS TODAY’S FRIEND Every woman looks like her, every woman moves like her in the redness, in the heat THE BATTLE IS OVER NOW, THE WAR AT AN END I see my Japanese wife dancing with an American soldier in the smoke, in the fog WE PRAISE THEIR MARTIAL SKILLS I see them spin upon the floor, fall then roll around on and on, dancing and dancing, on and on, turning and turning THEY PRAISE OUR COURAGEOUS HEARTS Why don’t the gods blow out the sun, then everyone can roll around fucking and fucking him, her, hell, hell WITH FOND FAREWELLS AND SALUTES WE PART No, do it in bright daylight flesh, filth, man, woman, human, animal WHEELING TO THE LEFT, THEN TO THE RIGHT Do it like the flies on my hand in fields and in lewdness, in debauchery and in democracies IN NEW DANCES TO OLD TUNES The bastard, how he touches her up, how he feels her up, the slut she curtsies, he bows NO LONGER LIVING, NO LONGER HUMAN I get up from my chair, I cannot wait in this dancehall they clap their hands, their hands are hammers EVERYTHING FOREIGN HERE, EVERYONE ALIEN NOW I leave all the things of this world, they are evil things NOTHING IS SPARED, NO ONE IS SPARED
7. Detective Inspector H. gives me a new file, the Matsui File, and I read the Matsui File, cover to cover all men have secrets, all men tell lies BAD MEN, GOOD MEN His was the name-card presented at the Ebara branch of the Yasuda Bank, the name used in the rehearsal for the Shiinamachi branch of the Teikoku Bank somewhere to someone IN WARTIME, IN PEACETIME We have already questioned Dr Matsui Shigeru, we have already eliminated Dr Matsui Shigeru; his alibi checks out, his appearance doesn’t match all men are guilty, are guilty of something WAR CRIMES, PEACE CRIMES But there are things about Dr Matsui that don’t check out, there are things in his background that do match somehow, somewhere THE CLUES LIE IN THEIR WORDS Dr Matsui works for the Health and Welfare Ministry in Sendai, Dr Matsui served in the Imperial Army as chief of the Public Sanitation and Health Administration Department in Java, Indonesia crimes never stay secret, secrets never stay secret IN THEIR WORDS LIES THE EVIDENCE The newspapers printed the story of the rehearsal at the Ebara branch of the Yasuda Bank, the newspapers printed the details of Dr Matsui Shigeru and his name-card, the newspapers printed that Dr Matsui Shigeru was being interviewed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Board, the newspapers printed that Dr Matsui Shigeru was employed by the Health and Welfare Ministry, that he had served in the Imperial Army in Indonesia men always talk, talk to someone THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR LIES, THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR GUILT Two days after the newspapers printed their stories about Dr Matsui Shigeru, a letter arrived at the Special Team investigating the Teikoku Bank robbery, an anonymous letter, an anonymous letter about Dr Matsui Shigeru, about the things Dr Matsui Shigeru had done in Indonesia, the crimes Dr Matsui Shigeru had committed in Indonesia in confidence, in betrayal ALL MEN ARE GUILTY, ALL MEN ARE CULPABLE I keep reading the anonymous letter and I keep remembering this one fact: Dr Matsui’s card was the card used, Dr Matsui’s name was the name used; so the suspect had his card, so the suspect knew his name; so the suspect knows Dr Matsui Shigeru, so Dr Matsui Shigeru knows the suspect all men have secrets, all men are guilty IN WARTIME, IN PEACETIME I put down the letter, I close the Matsui File, I pick up the phone all men, always BAD MEN, BAD MEN