Rainfall

disgraced. The scandal reflects only on the LDP, not on Conviction.”

    “How does he get his information?”

    “An extensive system of wiretaps, video surveillance, and accomplices. Every time he traps someone new, the victim becomes complicit and assists him in furthering his network of blackmail.”

    “Why would they help him?”

    “Carrot and stick. Yamaoto of course has on his payroll a number of young women sufficiently beautiful to make even the most faithfully married politician temporarily forget himself. Say he has one of his people videotape a member of Parliament engaging in an embarrassing sexual act with one of these women. The politician is then shown the videotape and told that it will be kept in confidence in exchange for his vote on certain measures, typically affecting public-works spending, and for his cooperation in entrapping his colleagues. If the politician has a conscience, he won’t want to vote in favor of these ridiculous public projects, but his fear of exposure is now a much more significant motivator than his conscience would ever have been. As for entrapping his colleagues, there is some psychology at work: by making others dirty, he feels less dirty by comparison. And because elections are decided in Japan not by a politician’s voting record but by his access to money, Yamaoto offers an enormous slush fund that the politician can use to fund his next election campaign. Yamaoto gives generously: once a politician is part of his network, it is in his interest to see that person reelected, to advance the politician’s career. Yamaoto’s influence runs so deep that, if you’re not part of his network, you can’t get anything done and anyway you’ll be defeated in the next election by being outspent by one of his puppets.”

    “With all that power, why have I never heard of him?”

    “Yamaoto does not reveal the source of the pressure being applied. His victims know only that they are being blackmailed, not by whom. Most of them believe it is the work of one or another LDP faction. And why not? Every time Yamaoto determines that a scandal is in his interest, the LDP becomes the focus of the country’s attention. Ironic, isn’t it? Yamaoto manages things so that even the LDP believes the LDP is the power. But there is a power behind the power.”

    I thought of the reports I’d been tracking, of Tatsu’s conspiracy theories. “But you’ve been focusing on corruption in the LDP yourself, Tatsu.”

    His eyes narrowed. “How would you know that?”

    I smiled. “Just because we’ve fallen out of touch doesn’t mean I’ve lost interest.”

    He took another drag on the cigarette. “Yes, I focus on corruption in the LDP,” he said, the smoke jetting down from his nostrils. “Yamaoto is amused by this. He believes it serves his ends. And it would, if any of my reports were taken seriously. But only Yamaoto decides when corruption is to be prosecuted.” There was a bitter set to his mouth as he said it.

    I couldn’t help but smile at him — the same wily bastard I knew in Vietnam. “But you’ve been playing possum. Your real goal is Yamaoto.”

    He shrugged.

    “Now I understand why you wanted that disk,” I said.

    “You knew of my involvement, Rain-san. Why didn’t you contact me?”

    “I had reason not to.”

    “Yes?”

    “Midori,” I said. “If I’d given it to you, Yamaoto would still think it was missing, and he would keep coming after Midori. Publication was the only way to make her safe.”

    “Is this the only reason you were reluctant to contact me?”

    I looked at him, wary. “I can’t think of anything else. Can you?”

    His only response was the sad smile.

    We walked for a moment in silence, then I asked, “How did Yamaoto get to Holtzer?”

    “By offering him what every man wants.”

    “Which is?”

    “Power, of course. How do you think that Holtzer rose so quickly through the ranks to become chief of Tokyo Station?”

    “Yamaoto’s been feeding him information?”

    “Of course. It is my understanding that Mr. Holtzer has been notably successful at developing assets in Japan. And as chief of station in Tokyo, he has been responsible for producing certain critical intelligence reports — particularly regarding corruption in the Japanese government, on which Yamaoto is of course an expert.”

    “Christ, Tatsu, the quality of your information is almost scary.”

    “What is scary is how useless the information