‘Mycroft, as you are possibly aware, holds a sensitive position at the Home Office, where his sagacity is much valued. While I have always had the inclination to action, he prefers to address challenges of great import from his chair. He wields enormous influence and it would be no exaggeration to say that he occasionally is the government. He could not be bothered if you agreed with him on any matter or disagreed. He prefers spending time at the exclusive Diogenes Club, where speaking is strictly forbidden—such is the loathing of its strange members for social intercourse. But I digress.
‘I had, of course, kept him generally informed of my whereabouts in Europe. He often told me to immediately cease what he called a juvenile adventure, most likely to end in an unfortunate way. He had already concluded that these were deeper waters than was apparent and had even deduced who the persons involved were. But he did not think it necessary to intervene, feeling that my tiresome ways were perhaps more suitable to the handling of the situation.
‘He is the person who advised me to leave forthwith for Japan and seek an audience with you directly, Your Majesty. He further hypothesized that it was very possible for the Yakuza, given his knowledge of the psychology of successful criminal groups, to precipitate matters in a clouded political environment by taking extreme and very bold action. Specifically, he felt that the possibility of an assassination attempt on your person by insiders could not be ruled out, and he wanted me to warn you. I believe that the two Yakuza gentlemen on board the North Star were the appointed assassins, having been specially trained by Colonel Moran himself in the handling of air rifles that use revolver bullets, which is why I needed to reach Japan before the arrival of the ship into Yokohama. They can doubtless now be detained on arrival.’
While the group struggled to find expression, Holmes continued. ‘Lestrade was, of course, absolutely delighted to see me. He too believed I had been killed at Reichenbach Falls. I explained the situation and he, after some initial incredulity, understood the gravity of the matter. He agreed that I should make good my escape to Japan soon and try to speak to you directly. We hit upon the idea of having Dr. Watson carry the information to Tokyo without his knowledge.’
‘Holmes!’ I exclaimed, outraged.
‘It was all quite simple, Watson. We arranged for your ticket on the North Star and created the blind—it was quite easy to fake a letter from Japan supposedly stamped in Yokohama.’
‘How did you have him carry the information?’ asked Oshima-san. ‘Would that not have been equally dangerous?’
‘If a person does not know he has information, that information is safe with him.’ Holmes’ face was flushed with triumph. ‘And this is what I did—I had the entire list of names and proof against each person codified into musical notation and transcribed. In short, I used a cipher that only the trained eye could have made sense of. The sheaves of “music” that emerged could not possibly have been recognized as a list of any kind. Lestrade arranged for one of his agents to enter Dr. Watson’s house and place it with my violin, which was in his possession, and which he had very graciously not opened even once after my “death.” And so Dr. Watson carried my violin with him throughout. Along the way, on the few occasions I opened the case and played my violin, I told him the sheaves were the compositions of a young composer in Prague. Here they are!’
Sherlock Holmes waved the sheaves of sheet music triumphantly in the air. This was his moment of glory, without a doubt.
‘That paper, Holmes-san, contains the complete list of diplomats, Japanese and others, who have been part of this operation. And specific proof of their activities. Is that correct?’ asked Emperor Meiji.
‘That is correct, Your Majesty.’
‘Was it wise to have travelled in such a manner with such sensitive information?’ asked Miss Nohara.
‘Naturally I had taken precautions. But I could not do it any other way. A letter would have taken too long and might have been lost or stolen.’
‘What is the cipher?’ asked Otawa-san.
‘An ancient but effective system devised by the Italian composer Porta. In his system, the first half of the alphabet would be matched to a sequence of thirteen half notes going up the notes on a musical stave and the second half of the alphabet to a descending sequence of thirteen quarter notes. However, a musician would find any such score unusual and potentially unmusical. The system was altered later by another composer, Thomas Thicknesse, so that it made musical sense. Perhaps it sounds complicated. But that does not matter at this stage; the deciphering is easy and will not take long. I can do it myself within two hours.’
‘Innovative and admirable, Holmes-san,’ nodded the emperor.
Holmes bowed. ‘This, Your Majesty, is your property now for you to act on in the manner you deem fit. I request that my suggestions be taken into consideration. I have been witness to many diplomatic challenges and have discovered the great value of being candid as a means of diffusing tension. Taking immediate steps is important. If you do not, it is likely that Professor Moriarty will communicate with foreign governments in a manner different from ours. Japan will be accused of misusing its diplomatic channels to encourage criminal activity aimed at undermining the sovereignty of independent nations. Unfortunately, the personal actions of diplomats cannot be distinguished from those of the nations they represent and then you will not be able to convincingly deny that this was part of an official strategy. Retribution will be swift and may include the arrest of Japanese diplomats, the suspension of treaties, and confiscation of Japanese assets. It may include war, if the objective of deliberately subverting European governments and cultures by distributing opium through diplomatic channels is accepted by various governments. It is not a price you can afford to pay, especially given your recent initiatives to modernize Japan.’
The emperor nodded, his face pale.
Holmes stood up, his expression grim and solemn.
‘At the same time, it is also my painful duty, Your Majesty, to say that this group has been compromised. The Yakuza has infiltrated the core committee overseeing Operation Kobe55. I regret to say that you have a traitor in this very room.’
Closure
Let the sea, the wind, the fire, time and us come together,
my friend. There is such beauty in the melding of our
essences. You have such fine sensibilities. I yearn to be
like you. That is my dearest wish.
There have been times when, as a chronicler of the brilliant career of my good friend Sherlock Holmes, I have found myself struggling for the right words to describe an event, especially the electric atmosphere caused by the revelation of one or more astonishing and completely unexpected facts at a delicate point in an investigation. Shock results—as does humour, surprisingly—when the new information overturns one’s knowledge or assumptions. What seems obvious and not even worth remembering may contain layers of information. In several cases in the past—especially those related to diplomacy—Sherlock Holmes thought it best not to bring to anyone’s attention certain crucial facts that could exacerbate tensions and would serve no useful purpose. That was not the case here. The time to reveal an unpleasant truth had come.
Holmes’ solemn and dramatic pronouncement had the desired effect. Everyone, including the emperor, shrank back in consternation. Miss Nohara, however, did not and I could see the hint of a smile on her face as she looked down at her hands.
‘That is a very serious allegation, Holmes-san,’ said Otawa-san, finally, his voice not quite steady. ‘All those who conceived and executed Operation Kobe55 are in this very room, except for the three who have regrettably passed away. The emperor himself approved this list. What you have presented was precisely what the committee anticipated for the most part and we are completely aware of the consequences these people face. How is it possible that anyone in this group could prove to be a traitor?’
‘Ah! An extremely
good question. And yet the facts are so startlingly clear. My conclusion is based on certain points.
‘First, I pondered for quite some time why I had been selected so easily for this role without everyone first meeting me. I could understand Mr. Sugiyama’s earnest efforts to bring me to the notice of the Kobe55 committee and escorting me all the way from Switzerland in the hope that someone with my reputation and experience could help in some small way. But I could not understand why I should become so singularly critical to the execution of the strategy. It seemed extremely convenient and a little too swift. Why would you trust a man you had never met, going purely by reputation, especially if he was not Japanese and knew little about the country, its history, and its language? Nonetheless, it was not the first time this has happened. I recall at least two assignments in which I was given full authority to operate on behalf of the governments of Brazil and Liechtenstein, based purely on internal government recommendations and without anyone from either government actually meeting me.14
‘Let us then look at the extreme ease with which I was granted access to various functionaries. True, there was a secret government order from you, Mr. Yoshida, giving me access to Japanese Embassies anywhere, but I was still surprised that my cover as an American businessman was never challenged even once. Further, the meeting with Professor Moriarty was just a little too easily arranged. Why would the commercial attaché be so ready to introduce me to him? Was it perhaps to help the professor check on who I really was? Remember that I was just one of the businesses acting as willing conduits for opium imports masked as something else.
‘At Lisbon, at Berlin, at Prague—the gates opened as though by magic. Information was shared very easily—too easily. Money was made available for my expenses without question. It struck me that perhaps the network was allowing me to investigate it, to help it to identify its own weak links, rather than the other way around. The shipments that I was importing were notional—I was never a major player and I could hardly have been expected to make a difference to their business. No, I had been selected because I would not stand out in Europe and because of my knowledge of Professor Moriarty’s network. I was a mere pawn, though an important one. Professor Moriarty was a thorough professional—he wanted to be sure that the network was perfect and what better strategy than to have it tested by his greatest adversary, me?
‘And though the meeting with Professor Moriarty at the Louvre was brief and he gave no sign of recognizing me, I reflected that the conversation he had had with the commercial attaché, Mr. Takada, and the Yakuza representative, Mr. Murakami, did not warrant his exposure in public. He reprimanded Takada for delayed shipments and certain operational errors that he had observed. It is not the job of a general to check whether the rifles of his soldiers are in working condition. He could easily have conveyed the same message in a more discreet way. No, his primary objective was to personally satisfy himself that Hodges was Holmes. He was, obviously, too clever to allow recognition to flash on his face. The meeting was clearly initiated by him and not by us. He had been tipped off.
‘Someone in this room—yes, this room—was working with the Yakuza and keeping Professor Moriarty informed. Let us look at the possibilities.’
There was a breathless silence in the room.
‘I was never comfortable with Miss Nohara, since I have always had a particular view on the ability of women to keep secrets. I suspected that she was a possibility because she had access to Mr. Oshima’s correspondence. Further, she had been the person to give us the initial information about the arrangements of the saiko-komon of the Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai with the Shanghai Triad and of the commencement of the Europe project. It seemed probable that she was the weak link. But I had nothing definitive.’
Miss Nohara did not respond, continuing to look down demurely.
‘Then I considered Mr. Yoshida—how could this deterioration of the Diplomatic Services have happened without the knowledge of its head? Was it possible that he had deliberately looked the other way?’
Yoshida-san’s face was red with embarrassment and shame. He too did not respond.
‘However, I had no proof. Further, I also discovered that except for a couple of them, most ambassadors were not involved. He had spoken to me once with great feeling about the damage that could be done to Japan’s image if the suspicions were brought to light. This seemed to rule out Mr. Yoshida, though more evidence was needed to establish his lack of involvement.’
Sherlock Holmes turned to Oshima-san and smiled grimly. The tension in the room was acute.
‘Mr. Oshima. What a delicate position to be in! To be aware of your nation’s greatest secrets and often being unable to act. To watch events, to conjecture, and to consider how events a world away might impact your nation. I do not envy you.’
The emperor gasped. ‘Oshima-san! Impossible!’
Oshima-san’s face was ashen. ‘You have made a mistake. I must protest! I am a loyal servant of the emperor!’ he said in a hoarse voice.
‘Of course you are, Mr. Oshima,’ responded Holmes in a soothing voice. ‘I never accused you of anything. I merely said that your position was delicate. In my considered opinion, you are one of Japan’s greatest patriots.’
Holmes sat down. ‘One of you, Mr. Otawa, Mr. Sugiyama, and Mr. Sasaki—one of you is in the pay of the Yakuza. And I know who it is. I can review the case for and against each of you, but I do not see the point. Let us not waste time. We have none. A confession may be best.’
Sugiyama-san shot out of his chair and, before any of us could act, swiftly positioned himself behind Miss Nohara. He took out a revolver, and pressed it to her head, while pulling her hair back violently.
‘Hand over the papers to Masako, or I shall kill her without hesitation!’ he barked at Holmes, completely transformed from the mild-mannered, urbane diplomat he had been seconds ago.
‘What is the meaning of this outrage? How dare you enter this room with a gun?’ shouted the emperor.
His guards leapt forward, standing in front of him with their swords out. The others in the room sank back in their chairs, shocked. Holmes was quite unperturbed, as was Miss Nohara. I was considerably dismayed by the unexpected turn of events.
‘I will shoot her if anyone moves! Believe me!’ shouted Sugiyama-san, holding Miss Nohara’s neck firmly.
Holmes handed over the sheaf of sheet music to Miss Nohara.
‘Stand up!’ cried Sugiyama-san.
Dragging Miss Nohara roughly, Sugiyama-san took her to the fireplace.
‘Throw them in! Now!’
Miss Nohara threw the sheaf of papers into the fire. They crackled and sputtered and were burned to ashes in less than a minute. With them went the complete list of diplomats and the proofs of their complicity. We watched in silence and horror as the product of years of painstaking intelligence was destroyed.
‘Your work is gone, Holmes-san. I am sorry.’
‘You will not be able to escape, Sugiyama-san,’ said Oshima-san, quietly. ‘It is best you surrender. There is no escape. None.’
‘That we shall see. We are now everywhere, including this very palace!’
‘I knew it was you, Mr. Sugiyama,’ said Sherlock Holmes in an even voice. ‘I was suspicious of you when we met for the first time, then as we travelled by train to Vladivostok, though I knew nothing at that point. It was all too easy and perfect.’
Sugiyama-san laughed. ‘It really does not matter, Holmes-san. Our plans are in place. You will not be able to interfere. The Yakuza will soon take over Japan. The world will bow in acknowledgment of our superiority and be guided by our glorious nation. We are opposed to the Restoration! The purity of the Japanese race must be preserved at all costs, and foreigners with their corrupting ideas cannot be allowed to roam about unchecked! As we speak, my colleagues are entering the Imperial Palace and will be here in precisely two minutes.’
‘My long sojourns in Europe taught me one thing, Holmes-san—Japan is superior! In all ways. Europe is decadent and their people impressionable and easy to control. But their pretentions are corrupting. The Restoration will corrode the glory of Japan and that cannot be permitted to happen. Do you think Japanese diplomats acting in concert with the Yakuza are driven solely by money? No! Many strongly oppose the Restoration and are prepared to do whatever is necessary to subvert it and restore Japan to its pure state. I, like many other diplomats, belong to an ancient Samurai family and cannot tolerate the slow erosion of Japan’s position of preeminence!’
‘Tell me, was it you who informed Professor Moriarty about me?’
Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years, Japan Page 23