It was destined to be a busy and fulfilling evening for the bureaucrats of Sapporo on the night of February 1, 1993.
The Disaster Countermeasures Officer at the police headquarters, who did not deserve a name, certainly found it so. Based on the compiled list of victims, he personally visited each household overnight.
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"
He rang the doorbell of a deceased's family home.
Moments later, the door was opened by a middle-aged woman with red eyes. She asked, "May I help you?"
Clearly, she had just been crying her eyes out.
"Mrs. Yamamoto, please accept our deepest condolences. May we come in and sit down?" the Disaster Countermeasures Officer asked, bowing politely and speaking with a gentle, people-friendly attitude.
Mrs. Yamamoto glanced at him, then at the two policemen behind him, nodded, and stepped aside to allow them to enter, saying, "Please come in."
