The Number Three in the City Hall… Why the Former Chiba City Bureau Chief “Turned to Methamphetamines

Seven investigators in two cars entered City Hall from the entrance to the guard room on the first basement floor. They headed for the Audit Commissioners’ Office on the 5th floor. For 30 minutes, the investigators searched the suspects’ desks, lockers, and even trash cans.

The police have asked me what happened. I am truly sorry. Please proceed with your resignation.

According to Chiba City Mayor Shunichi Kamiya, it was around 9:00 a.m. on September 27 when the city received a phone call from a man serving as a representative audit committee member. The police questioned the suspect, Keishi Yamada, 61, a former director of the General Affairs Bureau. The director of the General Affairs Bureau is the number three position in the city, following the mayor and deputy mayor. On the same day, this senior official was arrested by the Tsukui Police Station of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department for violating the Methamphetamine Control Law (possession and use).

Yamada joined the government in April 1986 and served as the director of the Children’s Future Bureau and the director of the General Affairs Bureau. After retiring in March of last year, he became a member of the Representative Audit Committee, a special position that checks for violations of laws and regulations, in April of this year. He is a serious person and has had no major problems at work.

There is a reason why he was arrested by Kanagawa Prefectural Police. On September 26, during a raid on Yamada’s home in Chuo-ku, Chiba City, a bag containing methamphetamine was found in the pocket of a jacket he was wearing. Upon investigation, Yamada admitted to the crime, saying, “I have no doubt that I possessed and used methamphetamine.

Sometimes the devil just gets in the way.

Kanagawa Prefectural Police also searched Yamada’s office in Chiba City Hall. No items were seized, but it is known that he had been using methamphetamine in Chiba Prefecture.

As long as you are a human being, you are bound to make mistakes. There will be times when the devil gets in the way. However, would citizens entrust their lives to an untrustworthy official?

Yamada wrote on the city hall website in his New Year’s greeting in January 2007. Why would a city official of such rank and honor turn to drugs? Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explains.

He says, “It doesn’t matter what occupation, gender, age, or status a person has, people who use drugs do so. No matter how famous or wealthy a person is, there are many cases in which he or she has turned to drugs. The celebrity methamphetamine case is a prime example.

The suspect in this case was in a position to check for violations of the law. In the course of his work, he may have come into contact with criminal groups in some way and developed an interest in drugs. Even sensible people have a hard time getting off methamphetamine once they start using it.

Chiba City Mayor Kamiya apologized to the press on September 28, saying, “I sincerely apologize for seriously undermining the trust of the citizens.