The Man Who Looked After the Building

On December 22, 1982, police in Gunma arrested a man at a pachinko parlor in Tokyo's Nerima ward, where he was living and working. In 1977, he had been that building's caretaker, and he had lived there with his wife and children. He confessed readily. He owed about ¥5 million to high-interest consumer lenders after gambling on boat and bicycle races, and the interest alone came to nearly ¥200,000 a month.