Shinichi Mitate is in Cebu,” former Kanto Rengou ex-leader says before his death

＜In late November of this year, Daisuke Shibata, a former executive of the Kanto Rengo who also wrote under the name Akio Kudo, passed away. Mr. Shibata had a wide range of friendships before his death, but nonfiction writer Takehide Mizutani received “a message” and advice from him. What was the message that came to Mr. Mizutani? ＞What was the message to Mr. Mizutani?

“I’d like to have a meeting with you.

Daisuke Shibata, a former official of the Kanto Union, passed away in late November at the age of 42. When I heard the news, the first thing that popped into my head was the following exchange we had via direct message on Twitter just before his death.

If the timing is right, I’d like to have a meeting with you in person at …… ” (original text, same as below)

The sender of the message I received was “Akio Kudo,” the aforementioned Daisuke Shibata, who made headlines in 2013 when he published a book titled “Initsukana Kizuna Kanto Rengo no Shinjitsu” (The Truth About the Intractable Kizuna: Kanto Rengo). He was born in Tokyo and has been a member of a biker gang since he was a teenager. As a member of the Kanto Rengou, he and his childhood friend Shinichi Mitate (42) were influential in Roppongi and other nightlife districts, and worked behind the scenes to reach settlements in the Asashoryu and Ichikawa Ebizo cases in 2010.

I have never had anything to do with the Kanto Union. What on earth could this “meeting” be about? Mr. Kudo answered.

It is said that Shinichi Mitate, the main suspect in the so-called “Roppongi Club Attack,” the case that became the subject of my book, and who is still on the international wanted list, is fleeing to Cebu Island in the Philippines.

The attack on the Roppongi club took place in September 2012, when Ryosuke Fujimoto (31 at the time), a restaurant owner who was drinking with his friends at the club, was attacked by a dozen men who came to the club in two cars and beat him to death with a metal bat. Moreover, they killed Mr. Fujimoto by mistake.

According to Mr. Kudo’s book, “Ijitsu na Kizuna,” he was not involved in this incident, but he met with the suspect on the night of the incident and confided in him that he was involved in the incident, saying, “I beat him up anyway. After that, the suspect fled to the Philippines, but according to Mr. Kudo, he may be hiding out in Cebu.

Cebu Island is located in the central part of the Philippines and is a world-famous tourist spot for diving, with about 3,000 Japanese residents. In a message from Mr. Kudo, he wrote: “The truth is unknown.

In a message from Mr. Kudo, he wrote: “The truth is unknown, but the police and others seem to be aware that he has not moved from Cebu.

For some time immediately after the incident, Mr. Kudo was in contact with the fugitive suspect, Mr. Mitate. However, the disagreement over how to handle the incident led to an internal split in the Kanto Rengou, and Mr. Kudo grew to distrust Mr. Mitate. In his book, he describes the situation as follows

In his book, he explains, “If I myself had supported the two men who turned myself in first, I would have been confronted by Mr. Mitate-kun, who would have said, ‘Anyone who supports a traitor is also a traitor.

He explained. However, in his reply to me, he revealed his feelings as follows.

In my reply to him, however, I revealed my feelings as follows: “Since the publication of my book, I have never wanted to have anything to do with the members of the Kanto Rengou or Shinichi Mitate again, so I thought I would never have to go to the Philippines. However, I have recently had a slight change of heart, and I have come to believe that the Shinichi Mitate story is inevitable when writing fiction.

And if the new coronavirus hadn’t affected him, he said he was considering reporting in the Philippines.

I used to live in the Philippines, and as a writer I continued to cover the Japanese community, including international fugitives, so I was curious about the suspect’s movements. It was for this reason that Mr. Kudo contacted me.

Before fleeing the country, Mr. Mitate had assured his accomplice, “I will run away for the rest of my life.

I’m going to run away for the rest of my life, and I’m confident I can do it. I have no desire to stay in Japan anymore.

After he fled the country, he said he would collect 100 million yen, and requests for money were reportedly circulated among Kanto Rengou members and their associates. In his reply to me, Mr. Kudo also revealed the following situation.

In his reply to me, Mr. Kudo revealed the following situation: “I’m sure he had about 200 million yen in his pocket when he first escaped, so I’m sure he has no shortage of money, but will he be able to escape with it for the rest of his life?　Couldn’t he be smuggled into another country, such as Peru, his wife’s homeland?　Is it possible to smuggle myself into countries such as Thailand and Cambodia?　There are many questions I would like to ask you.

According to a report in the Philippine local media, the Daily Manila News, the suspect arrived at Manila Airport from the Chinese capital Beijing on September 9, 2012, one week after the incident. Five days later, he headed for Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and about two months later, in early November, he arrived at Manila Airport from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an order to return his passport, and it expired in late January 2001, leaving him in an illegal status.

If he wanted to smuggle himself into a third country by air, he would have to go to the Japanese embassy in the Philippines and have a passport issued in someone else’s name. Is that even possible? A Japanese investigator said.

A Japanese investigator said, “When passports are issued, various checks are made to detect impersonators. That’s why it’s impossible to issue a completely new passport when you’re in Manila. Especially if you are as famous as the suspect.

However, it is possible that the suspect could obtain a passport in the name of a Filipino national with his picture printed on it and travel to a third country. However, this would require the birth certificate of the holder of the passport, and it is not clear if the suspect is that far into the country.

If the 200 million yen is really in the hands of Mr. Mitate, as Mr. Kudo says, it may be possible to have someone familiar with the local situation arrange a travel document in the name of a Filipino. Even if he did not move to a third country, with that much money, he could probably survive in the Philippines where the cost of living is lower than in Japan.

I summarized these views and replied to Mr. Kudo.

Based on the information and opinions you gave me, I will reconsider and if it’s not too much trouble, I will contact you again.

Again, I received a polite reply. I was expecting to hear from him again someday, but I had no idea that he had passed away…

I wondered what kind of mind would kill an innocent person, flee abroad, and still cling to life, saying, “I’ll run away for the rest of my life until I’m caught. Is it that he hates life in prison so much more than the unfamiliar life abroad? What kind of purpose can he find in life abroad, living in fear, not knowing when he might be caught? (From “The Irregular Bond”)

I wonder if the death of Mr. Kudo, who asks these questions, has reached the ears of the suspect in a foreign land.