Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

Photo by Chris Betros

Do you still get asked about your most famous case, the investigation into the shooting death of Kazuyoshi Miura’s wife in 1981 in LA?
Yes, but my statement was always no comment. Japanese journalists who remember the case still ask me about it. What I never got used to was the media hounding at its height, especially when I came to Tokyo to work the case. The media in Japan became obsessed with it. When he was arrested in Saipan in February 2008, there was all this talk of him being Japan’s version of the O.J. Simpson case.

How did you feel when Miura apparently hanged himself in his LAPD cell 24 hours after being extradited from Saipan in October 2008?
I felt it was too bad we didn’t get a chance to take him to trial in a US court. Unfortunately, there was no closure for the detectives and relatives of his wife Kazumi.

What do you think of Japanese police methods?
I found Japanese police to be tedious about minor details. In an investigation, you should be very careful about every bit of evidence, but I felt there was really an excessive amount of detailed work. In the US, you’re lucky if you get more than two different investigators. Over here, you might get 100 policemen. I can see how the stereotyped Keystone Kops image can occur. You see all these policemen running around and you wonder what they are doing.

What are you doing now?
I am an investigator for the 360 Risk Management Group. We do risk management for clients in Japan and the Asian region. There are a lot of companies outside of Japan that may be involved in joint ventures and mergers and they would like to know what they are getting themselves into; for example, are there yakuza involved?

What are the challenges?
It is difficult to convince companies, especially in Japan, about the need for risk management. Japan is still about 8-10 years behind the US in areas of compliance and risk management. Also, if you don’t understand the culture and language, then trying to gain any information can be difficult.

Is it dangerous work?
When you are conducting an investigation, there is always a possibility of danger, but I really don’t think about it. You can’t do your job if you worry about it. When I was with the LAPD, I worked narcotics for many years and even did undercover work in jail.