The Debate Over Hara’s Innocence

Kido’s confidence that Hara was a good man is challenged by the possibility that he exploited a vulnerable drifter during an identity exchange.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Victim of His Father’s History

A Sympathetic Suspect Kido’s first picture Kido imagines X as someone escaping a painful past and initially rejects Kyoichi’s claims that he may have committed murder. Affection shapes inquiry His sympathy for Rié and her late husband makes him want the answer to be morally reassuring.

A Prisoner Hints at Crime

Omiura’s Suggestion A new concern Omiura links Hara to the register-exchange world and implies that Kido’s assumptions are naive. Trust becomes uncertain Kido begins considering that Hara may have been involved in crimes, even as he resents Omiura’s manipulations.

The Son of Kenkichi Kobayashi

A Possible Explanation Art and resemblance Kido sees paintings resembling X’s landscapes beside work by Kenkichi Kobayashi and learns that X may be Kobayashi’s son, Makoto Hara. Sympathy returns Hara’s wish to escape a notorious father seems to explain his new identity, restoring Kido’s sense that he was not a monster.

Tashiro’s Vulnerability

A Troubling Exchange A different man speaks Shozo Tashiro says he traded registers with someone claiming to be Makoto Hara, but cannot identify the man in X’s photograph. Ethical doubt Kadosaki worries that a mentally impaired drifter may have been cheated. Kido must consider whether Hara’s escape harmed another vulnerable person.

The Original Sonézaki

A More Complicated Truth Daisuké explains the swap He says Hara disliked the original Sonézaki and later exchanged identities with him. The first trade was not necessarily Hara’s transaction with Tashiro. Judgment remains open Kido’s admiration of Hara survives, but no longer rests on a clean story. Compassion and moral scrutiny must coexist.

When Kido first learns of Hara

Autumn 2013

December 2013

Late December 2013

March 2014