In Chapter 10, author and lawyer Shin Ushijima raises the fertility issue and conundrum of who is a child in the struggle for control of family corporations..
Author and lawyer Shin Ushijima with his latest book, "Japan for Sale." (©Japan Forward)
Corporate Japan is changing, and so are the complex relationships between the business world and the individual human beings who own, manage, and make it work. Author and lawyer Shin Ushijima uses his rare talent to weave a fictional story about love, loyalty, betrayal, war and peace, and the collapse and rebirth of the protagonists as well as their country. Join us below for the next chapter in this gripping saga.
Find earlier chapters through the Table of Contents
Chapter 10: Japan for Sale!
The Destiny of the Baby Boomer Generation
Ohki kept his "lawyer face" on as he continued his spiel for his old classmate.
"The problem is that the owner has someone listed in their family register as a child from a previous marriage, right? That would be your eldest daughter. Nonetheless, the owner was apparently infertile, so this child of his first wife cannot be his own child."
"That's right. My late husband's name is Mineo, Mineo Saito. Our eldest daughter is named Midori. And Mineo's eldest son, who is also my second son, is named Eijiro."
Reiko Nishino did not show the slightest hint of sentimentality as she confirmed these facts. Ohki found that odd. After all, this man had finally managed to father a child. The couple had at last been blessed thanks to their combined efforts because he was infertile.
She was now discussing the recent death of that same man, the man who had been her husband. However, the detached tone adopted by Reiko, who was sitting there in front of him, sounded as if she was dealing with some routine matters at her company."
"By the way, is your company okay now that Mr Mineo Saito, the owner and president, your husband, has passed away?"
"There is no reason for concern, since I, as the managing director, am in charge of everything."
Glancing at Reiko's business card, which he held in his hand, Ohki nodded slightly.
Ohki noted that Reiko had not spoken once in the Hiroshima dialect since he went to meet her in the first-floor lobby. And after entering the conference room, she had again given him her name card. (She had already done so at the Hiroshima class reunion.)
A Precocious Linguist
"Mineo Saito did not have the capacity as a man to impregnate a woman, did he? Therefore, it is impossible for Mr Saito's eldest daughter Midori to be related to her father by blood. Yet, she is listed as his eldest daughter in the Saito family registry."
Ohki made no mention of the fact that Reiko was not using the Hiroshima dialect. However, he recalled one interesting thing regarding Reiko's way of speaking. One time back in their elementary school days, Reiko, who had spent a summer in Osaka, had suddenly started speaking in the Osaka dialect. The members of her girls' entourage quickly followed suit. However, to young Ohki's ears, the Osaka dialect had sounded highly sensual.
He had not thought about those days and the way Reiko had expressed herself for a long time. But as he traveled to Osaka many times for work, the Osaka dialect, as spoken by Osaka women, reminded him of the language Reiko used back then ー and of the girl herself. The word "sensual" seemed fitting for such a precocious girl.
Osaka was a city where Ohki had made close connections through various jobs, from his youth to the present. There were times when he went there almost every month. And the Osaka dialect, especially as spoken by women, always sounded very pleasant to Ohki's ears.
People often say that women who speak in the Kyoto dialect are attractive, but Ohki preferred women who spoke in the Osaka dialect. Could it be because it sounded more down-to-earth and forceful?
His Previous Wife's Child
"Isn't it strange that Mineo Saito had a previous child on his family register?"
"What are you talking about? It's perfectly obvious. His first wife was alive at that time."
The expression on Reiko's face turned cold for a moment, then she gave him that answer as if spitting out a tiny bit of food stuck between her teeth. The old voice of Reiko saying, "You're so stupid," echoed in Ohki's head. It was her catchphrase.
"So, you're saying Mr Saito's spouse, his wife, was adulterous?"
Reiko slowly lowered her entire head and nodded.
"Well, I was shocked. It's like something out of the world of Bathsheba in the Old Testament. Like she was portrayed in the Rembrandt painting 'Bathsheba at Her Bath.'"
"No, it's different. Bathsheba was victimized by King David. It was different with that woman. But you know, when you're living in a small world, everyone becomes close to each other."
It seemed she even knew who the other person was, but didn't make a big deal about it.
"But how were you able to give birth to Mineo's child? What with Mineo Saito seemingly incapable of impregnating women."
"Oh, that's what you're getting at. My goodness. I thought Fujitomo had already explained all that. But I guess not."
Ohki gestured to encourage her to speak.
"Mineo simply has a low sperm count, so he couldn't impregnate a woman through normal means. But with the help of a doctor, it proved possible. That's how my second son was born. It was all thanks to Mr Fujitomo."
"So, that's how it was. Oh, Fujitomo did say that he made an introduction to an obstetrician in Osaka. So was that what it was all about?"
Affairs and Children
Ohki nodded again as if overwhelmed by emotion.
As if to say, "You finally understand. Arigato." Reiko herself nodded deeply two times.
Ohki imagined that she was recalling the long days she spent at the obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Osaka. Without a doubt, Reiko had been through a lot.
"Mineo acknowledged paternity, and we got married shortly afterward. So I don't see where there's any problem."
"You mean he clearly acknowledged your second son as his."
"Of course. However, Mineo's oldest daughter is not his actual daughter. We went through so much hardship because we couldn't have children together."
"By we, you mean Mineo and yourself? Well, since you two got married, your second son is undoubtedly a legitimate child of Saito's. Meaning he is legally considered born within wedlock."
Reiko nodded with a little more force this time, as if to say, "That's a given."
"We wanted children, but just couldn't have them. And that's when we became desperate."
"That's why the two of you went to see a doctor."
"Right."
"So the doctor told him, 'Mineo-san, you are infertile.' I bet Mineo was shocked."
"Of course that's how it was. Mineo's daughter was still only 11 years old. She wasn't yet an adult. And she wasn't his actual daughter? What on earth had happened? Anyone in his position would have been shocked."
"Mineo's wife had an affair and got pregnant. There can be no doubt on that score. Anyone would conclude that. She pretended not to know anything about the situation, gave birth to the child as Mineo's, and reported the birth to the authorities like that."
After a brief pause, Ohki continued.
"Nonetheless, Mineo himself was having an affair at the time, and oh, forgive me, the other person is you."
Blood Relations or Not?
"You've got it wrong. What are you saying? We weren't involved in an adulterous relationship. Mineo's wife had died much earlier, and my first husband died when I was just 35. I already told you all that, didn't I?"
Her nose wrinkled as Reiko smiled.
"I see. My mistake. I was wrong to ask that. Well, what happened?"
"About what? My asking Fujitomo to help us. Or about the child that Mineo had with his previous wife?"
"Well, let's see. I pretty much understand what you asked Fujitomo for help with. Shall we talk about Mineo and his late wife then?"
"Mineo didn't know anything about what she had done until our problem came up."
"So that's how it was."
"After all, he had no reason to have doubts in that regard."
"That's true, but…"
"I told you, didn't I, that Mineo's first wife had died much earlier. It was in a traffic accident. Truly unfortunate. And leaving behind a young child like that."
"How true."
"But, you see, more importantly, Mineo's eldest daughter isn't actually related to him by blood. What are we to do? She's definitely not his heir!
We raised the three children as siblings. I also have my eldest son. I've always thought that it was okay because Mineo was kind to Eijiro as well. And I felt so sorry for little Midori, whose mother passed away when she was so young, and who then refused to go to school.
I was a mother to all three children, and we lived together as a real family of five. So we all decided to join in to do something to help Midori-chan, who was still refusing to attend school."
Follow the story as it continues.
(To read the book in Japanese, please visit the publisher's website.)
READ Other Books in English by Shin Ushijima:
Author: Shin Ushijima
Ushijima & Partners, Attorneys at Law
Translation by: John C Carroll
(Edited by Susan Komori, Japan Forward)