(Voice actor) Mr.Akira Daniel Duncan

There is a period drama called “Onihei Hankacho.” During the Tokugawa-regime Edo (now Tokyo), there was a position called “Hitsuke-tozoku-aratame-kata,” who specialized in cracking down on arson and robbery. Heizo Hasegawa, president of the Hitsuke-tozoku-aratame-kata, is the protagonist of that drama. Whereas the town magistrate was the police, Hitsuke-tozoku-aratame-kata was closer to a military, as they dealt with armed robbers. If their opponent resisted, they were allowed to subdue them via force or even kill them. President of Hitsuke-tozoku-aratame-kata, Heizo Hasegawa, was not a grand fictitious figure, but actually rendered distinguished services. When he caught the Tokujiro Shinto gang in 1789, a burglary ring that was active in Kanto, his name became known nation-wide. In 1791, he caught Aoi-kozo, a burglar who always raped women wherever he burglarized. At that time, a speedy trial was held where he was executed 10 days after being captured. The quick punishment was carried out out of consideration for the pain of the victimized women. Heizo’s name became known in all of Japan, but he was violent when he was young. He had a friendly relationship with the town’s outlaws, enjoyed gambling and alcohol, and had fights. As he was a good fighter, his nickname was “Tetsu of Honjo” or “Oni-tetsu,” which was derived from his name when he was younger, Tetsusaburo. However, he became familiar with the commoners’ lives and had empathy through these experiences. Therefore, he was called “Mr. Heizo of Honjo” and “modern-day Ooka (meaning that he was like Echizen Ooka, a great magistrate of the past”) and respected, but was feared by the robbers as “Onihei” (“Oni” meaning ‘the devil’). Heizo understood the commoners’ feelings, and why people turned to crime. Usually, it was because they lost their jobs and had trouble making a living. Especially those who came to Edo from the countryside didn’t have special skills to get a job in Edo, so they tended to have trouble living. As an example, say someone who used to be a farmer came to Edo because they wanted to live in a city. But they couldn’t become a carpenter or a merchant, so they wouldn’t have a job and became a homeless without a census register. There were many cases where these homeless turned into a gang member or a criminal. Therefore, Heizo thought that if job trainings were given to the homeless, there would be less gang members or criminals. So, he made a suggestion to Sadanobu Matsudaira, the councilor, a modern-day equivalent to a Prime Minister, of the Tokugawa regime. What was the suggestion? And what was the facility built as a result of it?