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(A NIKKATSU PRODUCTION)

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Missing Persons Report.

Date: May 31, 1965.

Prepared by Honjo Police Station.

Number: 66 for 1965.

Missing: Tadashi Oshima.

Born January 2, 1935. Age: 32.

Sex: male. Nationality: Japanese.

Date reported missing: April 20, 1965.

Occupation: salesman.

Address: Ebisuhama, Naoetsu, Niigata.

Height: 160 cm, medium build.

Squareish face with heavy eyebrows.

Short, slightly curly hair.

No glasses, irregular teeth.

On April 12, 1963, he went on a business trip.

He was due back on April 18.

But leaving his things in the company dormitory,

he disappeared, motive and cause unknown.

Japan has so many people.

Where can anyone missing be

in such a small country?

Could there be invisible holes

in which they're hiding?

The thought puzzles me.

As his boss, can you imagine why he vanished?

Not at all.

But it may be because

he embezzled money from us.

When?

2 years before he ran away.

That's 4 years ago?

How much? -Altogether about 400,000 yen.

What did you do? -We recouped it.

From his wages and bonuses.

Is money involved this time?

He might've stolen 60 or 70 thousand yen

before he disappeared.

We'd dated only a few times.

So I may have known only his good side.

You were his boss for 15 years.

What's your opinion of him?

We'd been friends since our student days.

He wasn't smart enough to show only his good side.

He was timid and gentle.

He may have changed when drunk.

I'm not sure about it, though.

Why didn't he tell you either?

Indeed.

I was like a mother to him.

He stayed with my family since my son was born.

In short, he grew up at my home.

I thought I knew him well.

It seems I was wrong.

As his go-between,

what do you think?

He withdrew his savings without telling Yoshie.

He did something and ran out of money.

He knew Yoshie would scold him.

And because he was timid,

he got scared and disappeared.

How did you arrange their engagement?

When I was hospitalized,

my daughter Sumiko happened to meet

Yoshie and her sister

in my room.

While talking with her,

I saw she was a good and proper woman.

So I introduced her to Oshima soon after.

Yoshie was working in Kawasaki then, right?

Yes. She was there.

When did your brother work with Yoshie?

Until 1955.

When did she resign?

In October, 1955.

About his disappearance,

I guess embezzling gave him a strong sense of guilt.

Did he mention anything about it?

No. He never said a word.

But evidently he hadn't forgotten about it.

He paid back the money.

But the fact he stole from his company

was a great burden for him, I guess.

What about your sister's film appearance?

Yoshie has lots of problems.

But if appearing in a film helps her

to take a definite position concerning Oshima, then good.

So I agreed.

The film may help her? -Yes.

(NAOETSU, NIIGATA PREFECTURE)

He's been missing for a year and a half.

I guess you have complicated feelings

while looking for him. How do you feel?

You quit the hospital?

When I got the job there, I didn't tell them he was missing.

So questions about him really annoyed me.

So, when you came, I was...

Embarrassed?

I've been trying to forget about him.

I asked the police for help.

But it didn't work,

no matter how hard I tried.

I felt like I was struggling

in a deep hole.

If I knew why he disappeared,

I might feel better.

That's what I think.

If you knew the cause?

Do you still love him?

I do.

The fact I can't forget him

means I still love him, I suppose.

A Man Vanishes

Oshima ancestors,

please tell me where Tadashi is.

I implore you.

(A film) (by Japan Art Theater Guild Nihon Eiga Shinsha)

(Imamura Production)

(Photographed) (by Kenji Ishiguro Music by Toshiro Mayuzumi)

(Directed by Shohei Imamura) (with the cooperation of Kirio Urayama)

(With: SHIGERU TSUYUGUCHI)

(YOSHIE HAYAKAWA)

I told him to go home.

He said, "Not under the circumstances."

I said we're all worried about you.

But it didn't work.

Repeating it didn't help.

One of your relatives, a woman who suffered and died...

Her soul isn't saved yet.

You're possessed by her.

Don't you remember such a relative?

Where is he? Can you tell?

Let me see...

To the south...

No, the west.

Maybe Yamaguchi Prefecture.

He's around there.

Is he doing all right?

Yes, he's working.

He's a driver.

He can't come home unless the mystery's solved.

Why not think about the woman more seriously?

Tragic story, isn't it?

The woman's spirit is haunting your family.

That's why he goes for other women.

It's the spirit's doing.

Which medium? -A Sanjo one.

I remember we had such a relative.

She killed herself.

If you pray for her,

at a temple,

will her spirit go away, thus bringing him back?

Maybe.

There were other women like that

and their spirits are still wandering.

So Tadashi is fickle. -Really?

Tadashi? -Yes.

Do you believe what the medium said?

Not really. But it might be true.

Do you believe her?

Well...

I don't really know.

My son went missing,

and when I got the news, I went running to the medium.

His boss wrote to me.

So I asked the medium to have Tadashi come home.

The medium said not to worry.

In Naoetsu? -Yes, the same medium.

She told me not to make a fuss about this.

She said to keep calm and wait for the right moment.

Is she often right?

Very often. About illness, everything.

Really?

At least we know he's well.

But we won't hear from him for a while.

I know how you feel.

But no matter how hard you try,

even if reporters write about it,

and even if you make a movie,

I doubt he'll know that we're worried

and will think that he should contact us.

I hope he will.

But if he decides not to contact us,

then no matter how hard you try,

it won't do any good.

That's what I think.

Do you trust the medium?

You'd rather believe the medium than try to find him?

Yoshie Hayakawa remains single.

She can't accept other marriage offers,

because he might return.

She's either looking for him or waiting for him.

What's your opinion?

About Yoshie...

about her...

I feel sorry for her.

She's the victim.

I pity her. -I'm truly sorry for her.

She takes care of me.

Since my son went missing, I've been worried.

But I've never had dreams about him.

I think about him, but no dreams.

No dreams?

None.

Maybe he doesn't think about me.

Sure he does!

Do you know the story about Saiichiro Oshima?

Back when he won a TV set in a lottery?

Around 1958.

Just before the Crown Prince's marriage.

I see. What about the TV?

He thought he'd enjoy TV shows.

But back then even people with money didn't have TV sets.

He could've watched at home.

Sure. But even the richest here had no TV sets.

Poor people have a lot to consider.

So I don't watch TV now.

But they know you won a TV. -They do.

So what's wrong with watching it? Maybe a sense of guilt.

Guilt?

You're the eldest son, right?

Yes. So what?

Don't you think it's hard, or unfair?

Ever felt like leaving home? -Sure.

Once I did leave home, when I was 16.

Or 18. I went to Hokkaido.

Stay long?

Half a year. I got fired.

What did you do in Hokkaido? -Day labor.

You left home? -Yes.

When your brother...

embezzled 400,000 yen from his company,

didn't he come to see you and talk about it?

It was 1961, wasn't it? -Yes, 1961.

You gave him some money?

Mom said you helped him out with some money.

How much? -I have him 100,000 yen.

Is that so?

Your salary was 15,000 yen?

You earned only 15,000 a month,

and yet you gave him 100,000 yen, right?

That's correct.

It's a lot of money.

It must have been hard on you.

I planned to marry the following year.

I didn't want to use the money.

But I thought...

it would help to appease his boss's anger.

And that it would make it easier for him to keep working there.

I thought Oshima was the type

who would write to his family.

He didn't look it.

He isn't hiding it.

When I was 6,

my father died.

Well, I heard he was dead.

Then my mother,

the one in the photo on the altar,

took me on a train and we came here.

In short, your real father left you...

and never returned?

That's right.

I hate the term, but he was a bastard, huh?

Yes.

But actually the one who turned him down was my mother.

Really?

Saiichiro's a gentle person.

Yes. I like him.

Oshima is the fourth son? -Yes.

His family owned

only small rice paddies and he couldn't share them.

That's one reason

why he moved to Tokyo.

It's like he moved away

because he was kicked out. He was unlucky.

Sounds like it.

And country people are gossipy

and nosey.

Very nosey.

I wonder why they hide

the fact Oshima's missing.

To keep up appearances?

They want us to find him, but can't say so.

Their pride comes first.

With Oshima gone to Tokyo, why should they care?

But he's still a burden to his family.

They think only of their reputation.

Boys who move to big cities often work

in minor enterprises, just like here.

What supports minor enterprises is paternalism.

Katakura... Takeuchi...

Terai... Taniuchi... Hanada...

Tanaka...

Good morning.

What Miyagawa's superior once said...

I believe it's good advice.

I'll read it in Miyagawa's place today.

"Your life begins when you can appreciate

"that which is ordinary."

"Don't waste even one grain of rice."

You don't grow rice,

but farmers slave the year round to grow it.

When I was a child and left a grain of rice uneaten,

my mother would get angry and hit me.

"You have no right to waste rice, because you didn't grow it!"

She died when I was 8.

But I still remember what she said.

What my mother meant was,

whenever you're eating,

you should always be thankful.

Some of your parents

may not tell you about it.

So I'm telling you in their place:

Never waste even a single grain of rice.

Their first year here

they get to feeling very lonely.

They want sympathy.

They need a sense of security, of warmth.

They get homesick.

If you tell them you're like their parents,

they rely on you.

The food on the table was covered by paper.

But flies got to it.

And it got stained with sauce and mayonnaise.

A better way was necessary.

So transparent food covering was developed.

He was different from most people nowadays.

He was old-fashioned.

He could endure hardship.

Modern people are businesslike. He wasn't.

He was a nice, obedient young man.

Whenever asked to do anything,

he did it at latest by the next morning.

When Oka was at Kanda, he worked until 11 PM.

He knew how to take orders.

Do you think his embezzlement

delayed his promotion?

I think it did. Definitely.

Did it bother him?

Well, as for us, what he'd done

didn't prejudice us against him. I'm sure about that.

What about him? -Was he in trouble?

Maybe his conscience bothered him.

Whenever we catch employees embezzling our money,

we rarely fire them. We make them pay it back.

That's our policy.

The boss took care of him in every respect.

Mr. Oka?

Yes.

He treated him like a child when he was already 30.

It was down to Oshima's personality, too.

The boss liked him?

Most probably.

It lauds Oshima's personality.

What did you think of him when he was at work?

Let me see...

I'm afraid he wasn't very capable.

He drank a lot, too.

A real soak, huh?

He wasn't methodical.

I daresay he was incapable.

He spent every yen he had on him.

He spent money like water.

It wasn't good for his business.

Concerning women,

he once went with a woman who worked near here.

He almost married her,

but he didn't love her.

She loved him? -Yes.

Do you know Tadashi Oshima? -I do.

What was he like?

He was timid but kind.

You worked near his company. For what firm?

Hello.

May I ask you something personal?

What were you to Tadashi Oshima?

She was older than him.

Yes, she was.

Several years older? -That's right.

We discussed it.

I told her she was older, and that he had no future.

But my sister couldn't give him up.

First actions influence what a man does later.

Did he really get her pregnant?

Indeed he did.

Yet he refused to marry her, right?

What would he have said if you'd accused him?

That day, too, I asked for his definite answer.

But all he did was hedge.

So I told my sister

that he was insincere and hopeless.

So I asked him to at least pay for her abortion,

if he didn't want to marry her.

The madame liked Oshima.

But he preferred another girl.

It was a love triangle.

I think it was true, judging from the love letters he got.

Who wrote them?

Two women.

Two?

I was amazed.

He got many love letters.

We never got any.

He was really somebody! -He was attractive.

What did they say?

In short, "I can't live a day without you."

"You're my everything." Drivel like that.

They were all alike.

Oshima was a good man.

You two often drank together?

Yes. He was a customer and a nice person.

Was Oshima especially honest

or familiar with you?

I wonder...

Did he tell you everything?

He may have wanted to, but he didn't talk much.

Did he bring a woman?

Yes.

Who was she?

I wonder who.

The one you mentioned, named Kimiko.

He said he'd marry her and introduced her to me.

But he got jilted after all. It was something like that.

Did you know about Kimiko?

Pretty much.

Tell me about her.

She was a showy type.

What about Oshima?

Did they love one another, or did he love her?

If anything, he loved her.

Now, this Kimiko...

She resigned on July 15, 1960, right?

How did she act?

To whom?

Oshima.

I think she sometimes acted coldly to him.

Kimiko treated him coldly.

I sensed that she did.

Do you know why?

Because she got another man?

What man?

Ozawa, one of my customers.

Where does he work?

At Sumida Trading.

Actually, I didn't know anything about Oshima.

Nothing at all.

Eventually I ended up hurting him.

If I'd known about him, it wouldn't have happened.

Of course we discussed it.

Matsumoto acted as mediator.

I guess that Oshima really complained about me.

Whatever, I finally left her.

About Kimiko...

She left Oshima and went home to Iwate.

What was he like after that?

It was after my husband and I told him to give up.

He ran down the stairs.

He went from the workshop to the kitchen.

Was he excited?

Excited?

Upset.

Did he seem upset?

While upstairs he didn't seem so.

He mentioned beer bottles?

He said he wanted to break a few.

He broke them and cried.

Was he wild then?

He broke them, that's all.

And cried?

Yes, but not loudly.

He wept like a girl.

Didn't he gripe about Kimiko?

I don't think so.

They were both at her mercy.

Think so?

Yes. Oshima and Ozawa were both at Kimiko's mercy.

I heard that Oshima spent all his savings on her.

She betrayed him. He was born straightforward.

He was a quiet, timid man.

An easily manipulated type.

That's how he was: very passive.

You loved Oshima once?

Yes.

How could you change so quickly?

Do you think I could change?

Why didn't you tell them?

Could you love two men at once?

You told Ozawa about Oshima, didn't you?

Afterward.

Afterward?

I didn't say it orally. I wrote to him.

You grew to like Ozawa more than Oshima. Why?

Ozawa worked for a bigger company.

He was a college graduate. He had a future.

His having a bright future attracted you to him?

But you wanted to marry Oshima, right?

He gave you a ring.

Yet you ignored it?

Is that how you live?

How I live?

Take me, for example.

I was engaged to Oshima.

Suppose another man appeared. Tsuyuguchi, for example.

Do you think I could switch to him so easily?

Oshima's future looked bad, he embezzled,

and your parents objected to him.

You left him only for that?

No. I always worked with young guys, so...

He looked old for his age.

And the fact he was so introverted

made it very hard for me.

I hate to say it, but I hear you were pregnant.

Meet Oshima and you'll know.

I'll tell you one thing for certain:

I'd never put out before getting married.

Gossip usually stems from fact.

I once wondered if you'd had a child by Oshima.

When I heard the rumor,

I thought he had every reason to pick you over me.

If you loved him, why didn't you trust him?

It happened before I met him. It doesn't relate to me.

If you love him and I deny the rumor,

will you believe what I said?

I don't understand men.

Neither do I.

I wish I could meet him myself to clarify the whole thing.

I wish I could do that, too.

About your pregnancy...

Like they say, "There's no smoke without fire".

I don't want to discuss it.

I guess Oshima rated you more idealistic.

What do you think, Kimiko?

I may not have been the ideal woman for him.

I never thought about it.

What do you think about my looking for him?

It's because you love him and want to marry him.

To be honest with you,

I doubt Oshima would be happy about it.

Are you saying I might be annoying him?

I don't think it's totally impossible.

He may have started a new life. Is that it?

Yes.

Do you think he can be happy, regretting something?

He did wrong and is hiding.

Happiness built on that will soon collapse.

He should show up and say,

"I didn't want to marry you.

"I found a better woman and married her."

That would be more manly.

If he ran away because of you,

it'd be hard on you.

Maybe he couldn't forget Kimiko completely.

Wasn't I attractive enough?

You shouldn't think too much.

It's not that he was with Kimiko, or she knew where he went.

He might have another woman.

His embezzlement may have shamed him.

Did you know we were using a camera?

I think I did,

but when I got excited,

I forgot about it.

Do you think Kimiko minded the camera?

She didn't like being filmed.

Do you think she's hiding him somewhere?

It was like...

she was saying she knows something that I don't.

Rather than waste time speculating.

we should find out where Oshima last went

before he disappeared.

Fukushima Prefecture, Tohoku.

He hit Kori, Kunimi and turned back before reaching Miyagi Prefecture.

The last was Aizu-Wakamatsu.

Anything happen there?

We'll check these places then.

We may get something on Kimiko too.

On April 15 1965...

Did you pay in cash or by check?

We always pay by check.

What was the time?

Well, I think around noon.

About Oshima...

did you rate him high as a salesman?

I was only with him a short while.

I don't remember too well.

In my opinion, he wasn't fit as a salesman.

He didn't come in April.

He came every month?

Yes. Every month until then.

Is that so? But he didn't come in April?

Correct.

Whenever he came, it was...

in the evening.

He'd come, we'd work,

and then we'd go for a few drinks.

We'd go to town in Fukushima

and drink there. It happened often.

You drink a lot? -Yes.

I hear Oshima drank a lot.

Was he a sot?

Yes, I'd say he was.

It seems Oshima drank with him often.

I went from bar to bar.

I never drink at one place long.

He came with me. But we always went to decent places.

He didn't do it often.

He danced.

The gals liked him.

You paid the tabs, but he was more popular?

I once griped. Being quiet made him popular.

Is being quiet so good?

I don't know. Maybe.

He was fussy about his hair.

I'm bald here, but he had plenty.

He liked it cut short.

A dude? -Right.

Pomade too? -Yes. He kept his hair neat.

It was always combed and trimmed.

Was he amorous?

He never looked it.

But his type often is.

Did he come here? To drink?

Yes, once in a while.

How many times did he come?

I don't know. A few.

This Ito is probably from Tokyo.

He said Tokyo?

He often came and talked with me.

But I don't know about his friends.

Did they talk about Tokyo?

I don't remember.

Both their companies are in Tokyo.

They said something like that.

But I wasn't listening to them carefully.

I'm sure Oshima was his friend.

That's why I bought him sake.

He said that.

He said he'd drunk with him. That's all I know.

Thank you very much.

He went to Kimura's every month, but not in April. Why's that?

On the 15th he went to three places.

He was still in Fukushima.

But we don't know what happened on the 16th.

He was in Kunimi after the 17th.

Can we learn something there?

April 17, 1965?

Yes. April 17, 1965.

You paid him... How did you pay?

By check, on the Kangyo Bank, Fukushima Branch.

A check? -Yes.

And this check...

did Oshima cash it at the same bank?

I don't know.

He usually stopped at Fukushima.

I think he had the time.

About the check drawn on April 17...

No. F-008475.

I'm amazed to hear that he's missing.

When he came, there was nothing odd about him.

He showed me some samples.

On the 16th he sent 150,000 yen he'd collected.

The 16th was the draft settlement date.

Him knowing it means he was normal.

About the check he got in Kunimi, did he cash it?

We found that this check

was sent here by our Honjo Branch.

Honjo in Tokyo.

It was endorsed by Oka Industries.

It means he didn't cash it here.

He could have cashed it if he'd wanted to.

Was he broke?

Yes. But he didn't cash it.

Strange, huh?

What happened to the money he collected on the 18th?

Now I've seen his photo...

I think he came here.

But I'm not too sure.

Actually, salesmen are often listed as missing.

It happens every few years.

To us, it's not unusual.

We have no interest.

He didn't drop in at that place.

Which means...

He intended to run away.

You could be right.

What time was it?

About noon.

How did Oshima act?

We saw nothing unusual.

When he left, he looked at his watch and asked us

to call him a cab as he had to catch express train.

Which cab company?

Wakamatsu Taxi.

I thought it odd, because he usually went on foot.

I just wondered why he splurged.

The cab came soon? -Yes.

To go to the train station? -So he said.

He drove toward the station? -Yes.

He said it was around 2 or 3 PM

that the express train left.

He didn't seem at all upset.

But thinking about it, he did look a bit lonely.

He stood here,

gazing in that way...

glancing at his watch...

Thinking about it, he looked lonely.

Did you think he'd take a train for Tokyo?

Nobody says he'll go home at that hour.

And no one takes a taxi, either?

He had thick eyebrows and a suntan.

Can you try to remember what happened then?

It's not easy to recall his face.

So many people...

Try hard.

It's your cab, right? -Yes.

You went to Suehirocho Station?

You picked him up on the way back?

It was 2 years ago.

You were the one who picked him up on 18th,

at 3 PM? -Yes.

So... tell me...

Where did he go after he got out?

He said to wait for a while.

He went to an eatery. -Then what?

He came back and paid me,

then returned to the eatery.

Young people rarely come here.

Why don't you try at the Higashiyama Spa?

We traced him as far as Fukushima, but...

One thing remains unknown.

About the 16th?

The police could do it.

This is like a mystery film.

It's a bit too dramatic.

Maybe he was under orders.

What counts is how he felt.

I know what you mean.

He was in a frustrating position then.

So I suppose he was very thirsty.

I wonder if Yoshie quenched his thirst.

I'm not sure.

I take it that way.

And then he met a kinder woman.

A woman who was more warm-hearted.

Was the 16th linked to her?

A Tokyo woman.

He couldn't have met her elsewhere.

He sent her money,

then went for his bag on purpose.

He should've gone sooner.

He wasn't methodical.

He didn't plan it.

So we must find out

what he was thinking then.

We should focus

on what lay deep in his heart.

Then we'll arrive at a theory.

We must take more drastic steps to find him.

We need more courage.

We'll check out his Tokyo woman.

When did you search Oshima's room?

On the 26th.

The 26th, you say?

You and Oshima shared this room? -Yes.

May we look round? -Go ahead.

I found checks and reports in this closet.

Where was the sample case?

On this shelf, about here.

This shelf?

Mr. Umetani, can I borrow your sample case?

Not that way.

Yes, like that.

Easy to find.

He was gone 4 days.

The 23rd to the 26th? About the 26th...

I came here on the 26th.

We were all here on the 25th.

Then it was the 23rd or 24th.

Why did he come back?

For his Tokyo woman?

He came to get something for her?

That's possible.

Any ideas?

None at all.

I think he had a definite reason to run away.

Probably as an employee,

he couldn't forget his sense of responsibility.

What matters is his character, isn't it?

We need to work that out first.

Shall we make inquiries?

It looks like him.

He's listed as missing.

You found this?

Their noses are alike.

Same high cheekbones, too.

And big ears.

What day in June?

The 13th.

They often drown here,

If someone drowns

in the main stream, they'll get here in a week.

This one looks like him.

Same face and build.

His pants were down at his feet.

He was naked.

He had a gray belly-band, too.

He was 17 or 18. -I'm afraid he died in vain.

Before Oshima went missing, you met him, right?

On April 3, 1965, right?

Yes. The day before I played golf. So a Saturday.

You arranged to meet him at Kinshicho on that day?

That's right.

We drank together.

At this eatery? -That's right.

This is Miss Yoshie Hayakawa, his fiancée.

What did Oshima tell you about her on that day?

Anything at all?

He said he didn't want to marry for a while.

He wanted to stay single for the present.

He was already engaged then.

He said he went to see his family.

Yet he didn't want to marry?

He said he wouldn't marry.

Did you know he was engaged?

No, I didn't.

About his fiancée...

He mentioned her.

Yet he didn't want to marry? -Right.

Did you hear about it?

He got engaged

before he knew her very well.

He said she was a nice person.

But he didn't know her sister was a mistress.

He felt she had deceived him.

He didn't want to marry her. He said so.

I think I heard about it.

About what?

I hate to say this:

but his fiancée's sister was a kept woman.

When Oshima went to see his fiancée,

he often met her sister's patron.

So he didn't like to go. That's what he told me.

Is that so? -That's what he said.

I told him his fiancée and her sister were different.

One had nothing to do with the other.

I remember telling him exactly that.

When was it?

As I recall, it was in 1965,

a month before he went missing.

The month before he vanished?

It was February or March.

His fiancée's sister was a kept woman.

When Oshima went to see his fiancée,

he often met her sister's patron.

He said he wouldn't marry for a while.

Was it quenched by Yoshie?

No, it wasn't. -Evidently.

I didn't want...

to hear anything negative.

I didn't try to learn about it, either.

Who wants to hear a lot of negatives?

A man is taking care of you.

To put it bluntly, he's paying you, right?

Regularly?

If you mean money, it's nothing great.

I get a monthly sum.

It bothered Oshima a lot.

Was what he suspected true?

I can't very well say it wasn't true.

What do you mean by that?

I wonder why Oshima didn't like it.

Was it really that bad?

Maybe it was due to your man.

Who is he?

Stop it...

If Oshima disappeared because of me,

I'd feel very bad about it.

Didn't you know about your sister?

I'm short-tempered.

She often came home drunk.

I guessed she had a couple of men.

But I didn't know she took money.

She said so clearly.

Yes, I just heard her.

But I never asked if she had a man or got money.

Maybe you didn't,

but the fact Oshima knew means you knew, too.

We assume that.

So how come you didn't know?

Did Yoshie know about it?

Once when Oshima came,

One time my man and I were going out to eat

and we ran into Oshima in the entrance.

Yoshie hadn't come home yet.

You two were going out? -Yes.

Then what?

I don't remember what he did.

We met him only once.

Did you talk?

Not really. We just exchanged greetings.

Do you think Yoshie would've been happy marrying Oshima?

I think any married couple must be together

for ten years, maybe even more,

before they know one another.

At first they may have fights.

But it's true with any couple.

In a marriage, both people have defects.

They must overcome them.

Weren't you jealous because they were so close?

I don't think so.

If anything, I was glad to be with them.

You always stuck with us.

"Stuck" sounds dirty.

But I liked that sort of atmosphere.

Peaceful?

Sorry? Yes, peaceful.

I like a peaceful mood.

Were you morose then?

Well, I never poured sake for him.

It was your job, wasn't it?

You offered him sake before I could.

It's true, strictly speaking.

So all I could do was watch television.

After he left you accused me of being cold.

But we couldn't have him at the same time.

There was no choice. I had to watch TV.

I should've been more thoughtful.

I often wanted to say, "He isn't your man."

I always felt that way.

When I said to go to the public bath, she refused.

I'm often here alone, so when visitors come...

You feel like staying with them?

Yes, that's right.

I wasn't jealous of them because they were close.

If he didn't want to marry my sister,

he should've written to us about it.

He may be hiding from society.

How shall I put it?

Maybe he's happy living with someone else now.

If so, he may have done something bad.

Meaning what?

He was too involved with business.

He felt trapped.

Even if he thinks he's happy now,

he still can't face us.

What I fear is, he may have committed a crime,

and that's why he's hiding.

Maybe I'm coldhearted toward Yoshie,

but I'm worried about Oshima.

If he killed himself, we're responsible for it.

If you kill yourself, I'll feel for you too.

I hope it never happens.

I've come this far. I won't die.

Not after you missed your chance.

I can't die so easily.

I'll live on regardless. -And find happiness.

Happiness based on a shaky foundation soon collapses.

Even in extreme poverty...

you may find happiness that no one else knows.

I feel that way.

My face is becoming harder.

I can tell how I look now.

I wish I'd hit her.

You wish you'd hit your sister?

Hit your sister?

I know it's senseless, but still...

What makes you feel that way?

She's filthy!

Your sister's filthy? -She is.

Your sister's filthy?

Everyone is.

Even you.

Do you mean...

the fact she was with another man?

That's enough. Leave.

I want to be alone.

Do you hate Sayoko that much?

Yes.

I wonder why.

Did something happen in your childhood?

I don't know. -You don't know?

You seem very upset up now.

I can't understand why you hate her so much.

I really don't get it.

I wonder why.

I don't know what's on Sayoko's mind, either.

She's a strange type.

What were the sisters like?

They haven't been good sisters all their lives.

There's this place near Yokohama

called Hoshikawa.

Since they were evacuated there,

Yoshie hasn't respected her sister.

Sayoko didn't complain.

They grew up, being like that.

Sayoko's at Yoshie's mercy.

That's how it is, even though Sayoko's older.

Yoshie has a fierce temper.

Still, she had to live with Sayoko in her apartment.

I guess it was hard on her.

They lived together once.

Yoshie got engaged when they lived together.

That's right.

She has a mean character.

Don't tell anyone, but when we were kids we'd fight.

She'd bite me. She wouldn't let go until I bled.

That's how she is.

About your hate for Sayoko...

If "hate" is the right word.

Do you hate her physically?

I find her kind of filthy.

I could never share a bed with her.

I felt sick when I touched her chest.

It was oddly soft. I remember how I hated it.

I hear the Hayakawa ancestors were samurai.

Yes, they were samurai in Shibata.

What about your father?

He's 10th generation.

What did his father do?

He was the first judge of the court at Shibata.

Did your father write this family history book?

Yes. But it was originally by his great-great-grandfather.

Dad reproduced it after the original burned.

I can see he had deep respect for his family name.

Yoshie said he was strict.

He was very strict.

That means he was particular.

Were there any episodes that showed his character?

Let me see...

As I recall, it was a year before he passed away.

He brought me a very old sword, a family heirloom.

He asked us to lend him some money on it.

A sword?

We made the loan, but didn't take the sword.

"Please, you should keep your family treasure at home,"

my husband told him.

Shortly before he died, he brought it to us again.

He told us to take the sword because he couldn't pay his debt.

Do you think Yoshie is like her father?

Yes, as for her strong will and fastidiousness.

What was her mother like?

She was somewhat sloppy.

They say I got my sloppiness from my mom.

My late sister said I was exactly like my mom.

She said I was sloppy.

Sayoko is the kindest of the sisters.

We can tell by the way she acts toward us.

In my opinion...

The way I see it...

Sayoko is the kindest.

Tadashi helped with Sayoko and Yoshie's living.

Yoshie spoke harshly to Sayoko.

He wished that Yoshie were as kind as her sister.

I'm ashamed to say this,

but Sayoko was adopted by a geisha house owner,

and learned singing and dancing to be a geisha.

Yoshie hated that.

She didn't tell anyone about it.

She practically hid her.

She was ashamed to have such a sister.

She didn't like my place

when she came to work here.

I was short of hands,

so I hired her as a maid.

She was 21 or 22?

Yes.

And?

She said she wanted to be a geisha.

Did she say so on her own?

Yes.

I myself don't know why.

I only wanted to live without being a burden to anyone.

My singing and dancing didn't improve.

I became a geisha out of habit.

She's a quiet person.

Any rumors? -No.

No love affairs at all. -Totally decent?

No geisha can be totally decent!

But she was decent compared to some others.

It was like she'd been forced. to be a geisha.

She was pretty, wasn't she?

That's not enough.

We all said she'd never make it as a geisha.

How have you and Sayoko been linked until now?

It was only a month or so

after I opened the place.

I was short of help.

So I asked her to work for me.

Was it a bar? -Yes.

Was it here? -Yes.

You ran the bar yourself?

No, I didn't.

And then?

I closed it down and sold it.

Sayoko decided to earn her keep by driving a car.

She thought she'd be able to work

until she was into her fifties.

It took her about 3 months to get a driver's license.

She's been driving now for almost three years.

Everyone says she's a very good driver.

Miss Hayakawa,

if you find Oshima, who's still missing now,

will you still marry him?

That's a difficult question.

He may have changed, I don't know.

It's not that I merely want him to return to me.

I want him to return to his old parents too.

That's a humane sounding story.

But I think she's trying to show off.

I don't judge it wrong

if she thinks almost entirely about herself.

After 3 months of investigating,

did you find out why he ran away?

Has no one objected to appearing in this film?

Did you accept the director's offer

merely because you wanted to look for Oshima?

Yoshie and her sister lived in that apartment over there.

Yes. And Oshima visited them often.

So it's a very important place.

Is that the railway bridge?

Yes. So Asakusabashi is to the right.

Yoshie got a lot smarter.

She's an actress. She's trying to show off.

Shortly after Oshima went missing,

she began to suspect her sister. She said so.

She's using our camera and recorder

to invent a drama.

Or am I imagining too much?

But eventually...

She's got us where she wants us, that woman.

Is this fiction?

Non-fiction.

Whatever, she's playing a role.

For example, her hatred for Kimiko,

and her hatred for her sister.

They're similar.

A sexual complex, perhaps?

Perhaps. -Or something more complicated.

You once talked about identification with Oshima.

Checking the sisters seems more important than the plot.

We might be able to learn the truth.

I'm not so sure about it, but I think we're getting somewhere.

I agree.

I think man is always observing himself.

Still, he sometimes fails to do so.

Do actors have nothing of their own?

Actors always play someone else.

This is non-fiction.

We're the same as Yoshie.

This is a non-fiction.

Bur Oshima knows its plot.

Right. I wish he could tell us the story.

He kept her here?

Apparently.

He said he'd use it as a dormitory.

If the employees stayed at hotels, it'd be too costly.

A room here would save him money.

He wanted it for his employees.

So he rented it.

He said that?

Then a woman, a geisha, started to live here.

Don't you think that Yoshie Hayakawa

has started to change?

She got to like you.

Right.

I think I can feel it... somehow.

After we switched to a public investigation,

and she appeared on TV,

that's when it started.

I guess being on TV got her excited.

But that's not all. I'm not sure how to put it...

I think... she lost her sincerity.

She's no longer earnest in looking for Oshima.

I feel that, too.

She liked Oshima at first.

But if she got to like you,

there'd be no need to look for Oshima.

That's why she's changed.

I'm only her guardian.

If she really got to like me better...

How can I put it? -it'd be highly embarrassing.

It's a new but simple fact, isn't it?

I want to capture this new reality.

I feel as if he's someone very far from me.

Since when?

I'm not sure when exactly.

It's happened over the past half-year.

Just gradually.

I thought I'd never be able to forget Oshima.

But now I'm beginning to think I can.

How do you feel now?

If I met him, I could talk with him casually.

I feel like he's in the past.

Crows!

Do you hate crows? -Yes.

You hate them...

because...

they bring bad luck?

Because they're grotesque.

I wish I could forget this film!

I feel wonderful here!

Why did you get to like me?

I don't know.

Since when?

I don't know. Maybe I was lonely at first.

Somehow I felt empty.

I guess I'm feeling empty even now.

Do you like Oshima or me?

Right now I don't like anyone but you.

I might meet someone else before I die.

What you said...

Judging from what you just said,

you're becoming different from what you were.

I don't want to think too much about it, though.

Man more or less directs himself, after all.

That's what I think.

He's playing out a drama.

Actually, I take it that way.

You know...

I'm certain you're the only one I love.

But that might be a very selfish idea.

So I said what you heard.

What did you think before?

I thought you were my all then, too.

Maybe I just tried to think so.

This may sound too dramatic:

I don't want to leave you.

But if I must leave you,

I'll go somewhere and work.

I'll go somewhere else,

where I won't need anyone.

From now on,

I'm not my usual self.

I'm only a unit in a group.

That's how it should be.

I've decided.

Still, I guess it'll be a pity to be so.

So I'd best care only about myself.

You shocked me.

You sounded like we had some special relationship,

Oshima and I.

I didn't know why you looked at me that way.

Yoshie acted odd those days.

She's odd now too, but it was different.

I was really shocked.

I asked the boss why.

I told him they regarded me that way.

He said if they regarded me that way, that's how I'd look.

I was shocked.

How's Oshima?

She's Oshima.

Don't ask me anything!

We worry about you.

Return to your father. -I can't.

Why not? We're all waiting for you.

Is he dead?

Is he alive?

Is he dead?

He passed away?

Yes.

When was it?

About 3 months ago.

Where did he die?

No point in asking me!

Stop asking!

No more questions.

Was it suicide or murder?

You still don't understand?

I had a bad dream last night.

I chased two white cats.

I slashed them with a knife.

They were still alive, and I put them in a crate.

When they tried to escape,

I hit them, covered them with a board,

and nailed the crate shut.

The nails were so long they pierced the cat's heads.

When I woke up, I was amazed

at how brutal I could be.

She used to come once a week.

She was taking a driving lesson and came in for a haircut.

She hasn't come since.

What do you think she did?

She looked like a kept woman.

I don't think she had a job.

What else do you remember?

She phoned each time she came.

She phoned? -Yes.

Where's your phone? -In the back room.

She said her sister often came on Sundays.

Her sister came Sundays?

Sounds like we lived separately.

Yes, that's it.

She hid the fact she lived with you.

Evidently.

When that door opened, I saw her.

I saw a man too.

I asked who he was. She said he was her brother.

He looked like a student, I remember that.

Did you see his face?

Yes, when he turned around.

I saw his face. -But I didn't.

I remember well.

I recall he had thick eyebrows.

Was he short? -Yes.

Where was it?

I was near the railway bridge over there.

There's a car shop close by.

I passed it on a bicycle.

There weren't many people about.

He glanced at me and looked away.

I kind of recognized him.

What else?

You showed me a woman's photo, right?

This one.

I saw him walking with her.

I remember seeing them together 3 or 4 times.

Together...

When was this?

Let's see...

He was wearing a polo shirt.

That means it was summer, huh?

That's right.

This is big.

It was the summer of 1964.

She moved in to the apartment in the summer of 1964.

She lived there until November 1966.

She dressed conservatively.

You last saw him in a polo shirt?

This sure is something. -1965...

They're sisters.

Was this her? -I don't think so.

Never seen her? -No.

It wasn't her? -No. The other one.

It's unthinkable...

Oshima walking with my sister?

You're not mistaken? -No.

How did they look?

While walking, they looked like brother and sister.

I couldn't hear them, but they looked like that.

For example, the space between them.

Normal.

They weren't arm in arm.

Were they avoiding public attention?

Rather than that, they seemed serious.

Serious? -Yes.

Were they talking?

Yes, they were.

As we passed, they didn't even look at me.

Even on a narrow path!

He was murdered. He's dead.

He was poisoned.

Poisoned? -Yes.

He was poisoned to death. I know about it.

I saw it.

Why did her sister kill him?

I don't know exactly.

He was engaged to the younger sister, wasn't he?

But it was the older one

with whom he fell in love.

That's a fact.

Why would she kill him then?

Because she couldn't own him.

If he'd become hers,

she wouldn't have killed him.

Because he didn't become hers.

she killed him.

It's plain fact.

He's already dead.

You can't alter that fact no matter how hard you complain.

Where was it?

Where? You people already know!

We do? -Like I said.

Why? -Why, she asks!

Your sister knows well.

Ask her.

My sister?

She knows?

Ask her. She'll tell you.

I came to ask you to tell the truth.

About what?

Tell me...

Did you often call Oshima at Oka's company?

Never.

Not even once? -Never.

Why do you ask?

Did he ever phone you? -Never.

Where could he have phoned me from?

Regarding his office in Kanda...

Did you go there often, Sayoko?

His office? -Yes.

Once in a while, because my shop was nearby.

After it was closed?

I didn't go to his office

until after I got a new job.

At the office on the mezzanine?

At the office in the mezzanine? No.

Oh, you mean my office?

Did you phone him from your office there?

Never. I didn't even know his number.

In those days I didn't know his phone number.

But the operator said you did.

I never phoned him. Let me see the operator.

I never phoned.

I didn't know his number.

Plus I had no reason to call him.

How long have you worked as an operator?

Since October 1964.

You were there when Oshima resigned, too?

Yes, I was.

Did a woman ever phone him?

Yes, several times.

Was her voice like Yoshie's?

I don't think so.

Where did she call from?

She said she was at Fuji Engineering in Kanda.

Fuji Engineering?

Do you remember her name?

Yes. Miss Hayakawa.

Hayakawa? You were at Kawasaki then.

Wasn't it from Kawasaki?

It's hard to tell. I thought it was from Kanda.

About my voice, is it like the woman's?

Quite different. -I see.

Let's listen to the voice again.

I'll be out tomorrow afternoon.

And the day after tomorrow?

I'll be out.

That day too?

Yes. I'll be back on Monday.

Going on a trip?

How about her?

Have you heard that voice?

Yes.

Whose was it?

The Miss Hayakawa who phoned here.

Do I sound different when I say "Hayakawa"?

Yes. Completely.

That's how it was. -She's wrong.

I never phoned him.

I had no reason to.

I wanted to make sure.

She couldn't have remembered the voice so easily.

Not unless she heard it often.

She remembered it because she'd heard it often.

Was I the only Hayakawa in Kanda?

Who knows?

I never called once.

Let's change the subject.

Why must you suspect me like this?

Did Oshima come to our apartment during the day,

while I was out?

Not during the day.

But he did come once while you were out.

At night. -That was the only time.

And he invited us out to dinner.

It so happened the boss said to bring Yoshie.

And Oshima offered to invite me.

By coincidence on the same day. That's all.

That was at night, too. -Exactly.

But someone saw him

leave our apartment during the day two or three times.

How do you explain that?

I never saw him. I was never home daytimes.

Someone may have seen him come, but I never saw him.

Why would he go there...

knowing that I wasn't home?

Don't ask me. How should I know?

I never saw him.

I don't understand this.

Why are you talking to me this way?

Have you seen this man?

Yes. A few times.

Did he come here?

I don't think so.

Where did you see him? -In the street.

Near the railway bridge.

I saw him when I was making a delivery.

I thought: I've seen him before!

Then when I went to the Kanayamas' house,

I saw him come out of that apartment building.

It looked like he wanted to avoid attention.

That's why I thought we'd met before.

What about this woman?

She often passed by my shop or popped in.

On her way to the beauty parlor.

I saw this guy walking with her.

The two together? -Yes.

When was it?

Some time ago. A few years maybe.

You know the road leading to the apartment building?

I was going along that road,

and about 20 or 30 meters after I turned,

I ran into them, walking together.

That was in winter, right?

What do you think?

I never did such things.

But you know that fishmonger, don't you?

That shop? Yes.

You often bought fish there.

He couldn't have been mistaken then.

I cant' remember...

Were you walking with a young man? -Never.

You were with a man who looked just like him.

I told you, I don't remember.

If you deny it, it can't be helped.

But I wonder why

they all referred to you.

Why's that?

Ask the workers there.

They see everyone who comes.

As for me, I never saw anyone there.

Listen, during warm weather,

the doors are open, so they see everyone.

They're like gatekeepers.

While I lived there, I never met them.

Were you in during the day?

Once in a while, when I skipped work.

You wouldn't go out those times.

Of course I went out.

When I went to see Oshima's sister with him.

I never saw him,

and no young men came to our place.

Anything could have happened during the day.

In the daytime my boss would come.

I never saw Oshima in a polo shirt.

Me neither.

Why was he seen leaving our apartment in the afternoon?

I don't know. Really.

They might have made a mistake once.

But not more than once.

How does it concern me?

You're lying.

I never met him there.

I'll make it clear.

That's why I'm here to see you.

I wanted to make it clear, too.

I never saw him. Let me see the witnesses.

Please do. -I will.

I wondered if you knew why he disappeared.

He might've spoken to you.

He didn't.

But I wish he had.

Then I might actually know something.

Don't suspect people so easily.

I didn't want to suspect you, but...

I can't believe you suspect me.

I don't know why they all lied about me.

Why not see them? -I will.

I want to make it clear.

I don't want to suspect my sister.

But they all say they saw you.

I can't get it out of my mind.

I don't think I stood out.

If I'd lived in a showy way,

they might've noticed me.

Maybe they're curious about us.

How embarrassing!

Remember when I went to Kofu?

Yes, I remember.

It's bothered me ever since.

You people often talked about Oshima and me.

I thought it odd, I didn't know what you meant.

We've hardly talked since.

Sorry to make you come so late.

Do you remember him? -Not at all.

Do you know me?

Yes. When I saw your photo.

What about now?

I've changed my hair style.

Yes, but still...

Was it me?

I'm not absolutely sure.

But I remember you passing in front of my shop.

How did I look then?

Let's see... When I saw you...

you had no make-up.

And your hairdo, from Pearl...

How was it?

Beats me.

Not only my face.

As I recall,

you were wearing a cardigan, or something like that.

Try to remember clearly.

I won't complain about it.

I'm telling you the truth.

I'm not making it up. Really.

The photo... -This is the one we showed him.

When did you take it? The other day?

Yes.

I look awful. -This one, too.

Do I look like this? -Pretty much.

You look very natural.

When I saw this one, I recognized her.

I never had such a hairdo.

About that picture... -With Yoshie.

Oshima looked good.

I wouldn't have been ashamed if they'd seen us together

and spread rumors.

We care only about facts.

Do you know him?

The man?

Show him his photo.

As I explained the other day, I saw him.

How many times did you see him?

Two or three. Maybe more.

When I first saw him... -Where was it?

Do you know the Watabe car shop?

Near the railway bridge.

Do you know the Okuma pawnshop?

No, I don't.

I first saw him near the pawnshop.

I saw him and we exchanged glances.

Then he looked away.

That's when I thought I'd seen him before.

My customers will greet me,

even if I don't remember them.

I thought it was the case with him.

I don't think I've met you. I don't remember.

I regarded you as one of my customers.

I never forget anyone to do with my work.

This has nothing to do with your work.

We're total strangers... unless you're very curious.

And the next time?

Know the Kanayama residence?

I went to deliver fish there. I pushed the buzzer.

While waiting, I saw someone come from the apartment

and go toward the bridge.

I remembered from before.

Not me though. Him, right?

Was it Oshima?

Why did Oshima go toward the bridge? He always went the other way.

And the next time?

I saw him walking with you near your place.

Where, exactly?

Do you know the Suzutake residence near here?

I never passed there except when I went to pay the rent.

I usually took the road under the bridge.

I always went that way.

What were they wearing?

Well, I never saw her in a Kimono.

I remember she wore a cardigan.

And the man was wearing...

something like a polo shirt or sweater.

If it was a sweater, the sleeves were rolled up.

I don't think I was there.

Could you be mistaken? -No way.

You wouldn't be wrong?

Are you sure about him too? Look again.

The other photo is better.

Have you ever walked with a man there?

No. And even if I was with someone, I wouldn't walk there.

He says he saw you.

He says he saw you all of 3 times!

How strange!

I remember the first 3 times.

I don't recall the rest.

Sundays or weekdays?

I was at work, so weekdays. Few people were out.

There never are many passers-by.

I usually deliver fish around there in the early afternoon.

From noon? -Until 2 or 3 PM.

3 PM at the latest.

You're sure it was her? -Certain.

Sure about him? -Certain.

Something stuck in my mind at first glance.

His thick eyebrows?

That's why I recognized him.

I have thick eyebrows. But his amazed me.

You're sure it was me? No mistake?

No mistake. I swear.

But I don't remember your clothes.

That doesn't matter.

It's not that I only wear kimonos.

Are you sure?

Yes. I never walked with him.

I don't get it.

This is as strange as that phone call.

This man isn't here for profit. -I know that.

I'm not lying. I don't make up stories.

I'm here to help you,

because you're looking for him.

I told what really happened.

I always talk straight, you know.

He's talking about what I never did.

It's very strange to me that you say it was Oshima.

You may all think I'm lying,

but it's very strange.

You deny it flatly,

yet the fishmonger says it was you.

We can't do anything about it.

No use arguing anymore.

But I wasn't there.

He says you were. He's positive.

And I'm positive, too.

I don't understand this at all.

I don't think I'm wrong.

The point is, what does it mean?

I don't know.

I only told you the truth.

I saw you 3 times.

I may have seen you more.

But I don't remember well, as I never expected this.

I spoke only the truth.

I told you no lies.

Mr. Imamura...

What is truth?

I don't know myself.

I'd like to know what truth is.

But I don't know.

I don't know if Sayoko is lying

or if the fishmonger is telling the truth.

Maybe I alone know.

Maybe you don't, either.

This is like a mystery novel.

Strike the set!

When you think you're telling the truth,

everything looks real to you.

I'm not sure, but I think this is one truth.

For instance, this is a set.

No ceiling, no roof.

But we've talked as if in a real room.

You may have felt like it's a real room.

But actually, it's only a studio set.

Looks can be deceiving.

This is fiction.

This drama developed after Oshima went missing.

It didn't occur spontaneously.

It evolved as we planned.

Lights!

In short, it's only like this.

The camera is trying to catch you, and you know it.

Tomorrow we'll play out another drama here again.

But it's not: what we do tomorrow is a lie,

and what we do today is true.

This is fiction, too.

We're shooting a film like this.

This is a feature film.

I can't forget it.

It's a drama by which we're trying to learn

why so many people go missing in such a small country.

Anyway, it's a drama, and it's fiction.

I'd like you to remember that.

Over 91,000 persons were reported missing last year.

This year the number is increasing.

I asked you to come

because I wanted to learn the truth.

This is Mr. Asanami, who lived in the same building.

Mr. Asanami, will you tell us what you remember?

Sis, you know him, don't you?

I'm not sure.

Do you know her?

Yes.

What about you?

It's been so long.

I'm not sure if I remember you.

Will you tell us?

Excuse me. I'll play the man in question.

Did he enter?

From here?

Did he enter first?

Through that door.

You were inside?

This was open, right?

I'll close this door.

Shall I go up? -Yes. Keep climbing.

I need one more person.

Will someone else go up?

Someone, go up.

I saw her passing here.

I spoke to her.

I said hello and asked who it was.

Then what I told you happened.

You asked who it was?

Yes. She said he was her brother.

I lived here. Who'd have asked who I was?

I asked about the man who went up first.

You asked Sayoko

who the man was, is that it?

Yes. I'm trying to remember, because you asked.

I don't think it really happened.

That you really met me?

No, I'm merely saying,

if I were with him, you wouldn't have asked.

I'm sure. -You really saw?

I say you're wrong. -You deny it?

Ask other neighbors.

Was he really Tadashi Oshima?

I'm almost certain.

But I can't swear to it.

Two years ago, I wasn't interested in them.

How old did he look?

He looked young.

Sayoko, you said he didn't come.

No one else came, either.

But the fishmonger said he saw you two.

I can't help but believe him.

Aren't you a bit too subjective?

How could he remember what happened 2 years ago?

It's in the past, and his memory is fading.

Yes. They didn't catch my attention then.

Suddenly you showed me his photo.

Then I remembered him.

Are you sure you saw them?

Yes, I'm sure.

You're positive it was me?

Not 100%. -Make your mind up.

Before you said you were sure.

You said he couldn't remember, he couldn't be positive.

Right. -Sayoko is no different.

Sayoko denies it, but it can be true, too.

If the story involved close people,

he'd remember who passed by.

If the ones he saw were his brothers or his sisters,

he'd remember them even after 2 years.

But if they were merely passers-by,

I doubt he could remember well.

Didn't you two walk there?

I never walked with Oshima.

Not with any young man?

A man in a polo shirt. -Absolutely not.

I couldn't have mistaken you for someone else.

I'm sure about it.

What do you say?

It's so sudden I can't answer.

I never expected this.

Even I don't know what's what.

Do you think it's possible I walked with Tadashi Oshima?

What's wrong with walking with your future brother-in-law?

I'm not blaming you for that.

Just admit the fact that you walked with him.

If you were, there's nothing wrong.

But I didn't.

What's your opinion?

I think it's an endless argument.

If she remembers, she should go ahead

and say so.

But if she doesn't we can't blame her.

As I said, I saw them a few times.

I remember it was her. That's why I'm sure.

Then what she says doesn't matter?

Suppose he really saw her.

I think if she were coming out of a motel,

she'd want to hide it.

But she was only walking on the street.

What's more,

if Sayoko were walking with her future brother-in-law,

I wonder why she must deny the fact.

Yes. I want to know why she must hide it.

I doubt that he remembers correctly.

Were they walking arm in arm,

or was it just side by side?

Can he remember?

There's nothing wrong with just walking.

She may have happened to walk beside a stranger.

And it looked like they were together.

I asked her about that. She flatly denied it.

She may be right.

Then why does he say he saw her?

I didn't come here just to lie.

What's the point in him lying?

It sounds like you believe only him.

Yes, I believe him. -Why?

Well...

I trust Kakutaro too.

Why must you believe them?

I don't understand you, Yoshie.

So you don't believe me? -No, I don't.

She just doesn't remember.

He isn't here for profit, remember that.

What's his name? Oshima?

Why say these things?

Who, me?

Yes. Why must you say you saw me with Oshima?

I'm not lying!

No one is here for profit.

Lying would bring me no advantage, you know.

Why is it that when I deny walking with him,

you don't even have the slightest doubt?

You keep insisting you're certain.

Because I really saw you. -But I'm denying it.

Why would I deliberately lie?

You keep insisting it's true. It's driving me mad.

I saw you with him. I did!

You're a liar.

I'm sure of it.

Because it's you.

This is something very serious for me.

For him too.

What's the sense in me leaving my shop to be here then?

How can you be so sure, when I wasn't there?

You may have been.

There's nothing wrong in it.

I know. But I wasn't walking with him.

She clearly stated she wasn't.

We mustn't force her to say she was.

I'm not forcing her.

Whatever he says, it's all right.

He may be wrong. It happened 2 years ago.

But I wasn't there!

An endless argument.

And it's wrong to discuss it here.

I'm tired of this!

I suggest we end it here.

I'd like your opinions about missing person.

That's the real point of this film.

I never expected this.

Don't be so mad.

We'd like to focus on Tadashi Oshima.

We'll question each of you separately.

Please answer frankly.

This film is fiction, not a case record.

Remember that.

Are we wasting time? -I feel so.

You're just being a typical producer:

Tenacious.

I'll say no more.

I never felt like this before. I was stupid.

Maybe I shouldn't have said I saw them.

I suspect that she did something wrong

and that's why she's lying.

That's life.

We just have to adjust to it.

Sayoko, why do you think Oshima disappeared?

I don't know.

Though he's my brother, I still don't know.

Why did he vanish?

What do you think?

After hearing this argument? I don't know.

This "truth" is beyond me.

You keep asking questions based on sheer bias.

I hate that.

You believe only them. It's odd.

It makes me mad. I did nothing wrong.

But they say I even lived with him.

As I told you,

my brother may be the only person who knows.

Do you believe in God?

Sure. Absolutely.

I definitely believe in luck, too. -And its adverse effects?

I have no idea about this Oshima.

Trace back the story? I didn't plan it.

Maybe "believe in God" is the wrong term.

But everyone respects God.

Is it over? -Yes.

I want to go home and work.

I cooperated with you,

and I've been driven mad.

I'll go home and work.

They're sisters. They'll probably change.

I feel like everything's empty.

I don't know what I've suffered for.

I don't believe anything.

Shall we send him home?

Do you still suspect your sister?

Yes.

You may suspect her forever. -Yes.

Maybe I should believe her.

And it's hard for me not to believe her.

I wish she were a total stranger.

Is it over? Are you leaving?

Yes, it's over.

It's over, isn't it?

Yes. Time's up.

The film is over,

but not the reality.

What'll you do after this?

I don't know.

(THE END)