...IMO that sounds more like the local American police stonewalled the Japanese police, did nothing to investigate, and threw any record of contact with the Japanese Police into the trash (25 years ago might be before records would have been digitized). What's more likely, that the Japanese cops were incompetent/protecting a random American, or that some corrupt small town cops in America gave them the finger?
There's also the possibility that someone with power knows who it is, and is blocking the police from doing anything. Basically, a threat. Could be a Yakuza, could be a agreement, for some reason. Political reasons likely. Maybe they have shit on the chief or something, and the chief is blocking investigation. Who knows what is going on. Could really be many things.
I mean, Police is Japan have a track-record of doing REALLY badly on this kind of shit. Including not even investigating or not investigating enough to do something about things. Like, women being stalked and the police basically doing nothing at all, despite them claiming they are being followers and stalked, with video proof, and telling them exactly who they are... only for the girls to end up kidnapped, raped, and/or murdered. So, really, could be either of the two you proposed.
I mean I get it, I read the same stories. But getting to the point where they have DNA and fingerprints that don't match any Japanese database, and the only lead requires the help of a US police force, there really isn't much else they can do. And I have friends who are cops that love visiting Japan - if you asked them if they trusted the Japanese police over (some of) their own coworkers, take one guess what their answer would be...
The American town is next to Edwards Air Force Base so one theory is it was an American soldier or the child of a soldier.
Except they were super helpful and open with the podcaster and provided their own theories and thoughts on the case, but without the physical evidence in the Japanese Police vault, they couldn't do more than theorize.
I was already gonna guess military personnel if it was an American in Japan, but that just cinches it for me. US soldier suspected of a crime in a foreign country just before the war on terror breaks out? Local PD probably put minimal effort into doing anything about it. It's been 25 years, the local police being friendly and helpful to the podcaster recently isn't that much of a surprise, because whoever buried the case is probably retired at this point. My only question now is if they haven't contacted each othe recently, since the DNA and fingerprints are still sitting in lockup to this day.
I am not trying to belittle their opinions, I know little of either, except from what I see in videos (which paints the US police far worse than anything I have heard from JP police). However, the grass always looks greener on the other side. They could think JP police are better when they literally live the absolute shit that is their own police departments. Meanwhile, it's possible that JP police see their garbage situation and think "boy, if only we could act like the police in the US, things could go easier instead of having to lie to everyone and then bow to millions to make keep on the act." This is ENTIRELY speculative. I wish I knew exactly how the police over there actually works. I simply think police in all countries have a huge closet with skeletons, and just because on closet is smaller than another, doesn't speak of who could actually be at fault in certain circumstance.
I hope not, I liked all the previous mysteries.
I'm surprised they didn't just pin it on someone and call it a job well don
Too much bureaucracy and red tapes on top of Japan Police is untouchable because of the law that people can't criticize them iirc.
Big up to my man Carlos Ghosn, who survived more than a year of this bullshit and never admitted to a single wrong-doing. Of course bro is a scoundrel, but gotta acknowledge the balls of steel.
