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Can you tell us about one case that made a particular impression on
you.
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Tajima
A single mother in her late twenties came to us. She had borrowed
300,00 yen from a consumer finance company (A). Although she had
difficulty, she paid back the full amount. However, one day, another
consumer finance company (B) sent her a content certification. She was
confused, so she brought the matter to us. The letter was a notification of
assignment of a claim. However, when I read the document, I thought
something was wrong. It sounded too good to be true. Consumer finance
company (B) dealt with her as though they understood the circumstances
surrounding this situation. In fact, the bond of debt was counterfeit.
Someone had signed the document, forging her signature and stamped it with
an unregistered seal. Consumer finance company (A) assigned a claim to
consumer finance company (B) and then disappeared.
Even though she went to the police and to city hall, no one did anything
since it was considered a civil matter. Thereupon, I decided to leak the
story to the press and convene a press conference. Moreover, since I was a
director of the Japan Marine Procedure Commission Agents Association, I was
able to discuss the case with the co-chairman of the bar association. On my
behalf, he formed a victims group, filed a letter complaint with the
district public prosecutor's office and presented a petition for
investigation to the prefectural regulatory finance department, the agency
in charge of overseeing consumer finance companies. When the article
appeared in the newspaper, I guess the police department was astounded.
They asked her to file a complaint so they could begin investigating the
case. Later, we received a call from a publishing company. It seems there
were at least three hundred similar cases in the region.
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So it became a major scandal in Kure City?
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Tajima
Yes, that's right. City hall contacted us since many victims only
realized they were victims after they saw the article in the newspaper. I
drafted a content certification form which stated that if you received a
notification of assignment of a claim, it was a bogus document. City hall
distributed copies of this document.
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Your action is amazing, but weren't you scared of the yakuza when you
went up against the consumer finance companies?
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Tajima
The bottom line is that it is their business as well. If you
understand their mentality, you can do business with them. If I ever feel
that I am in any danger, I will refer the job to attorneys or I would
handle negotiations when I am commissioned to do so by an attorney. In my
opinion, even if something falls under the practicing attorney law or the
administrative scrivener law, if I am not being paid, it should not matter.
The objective is to help others. As long as I am working within a region, I
should contribute to that region.
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As you said 'without having compassion...' This is exactly what you
mean.
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Tajima
Thank you. If you base your actions only on profit or loss, you will
not be accepted in the countryside. Anyway, it diffuses the purpose of
being there if you think that way.
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