1Q84

In Book 3, Ushikawa joins Aomame and Tengo as a perspective character.

Three weeks after Leader’s death, Buzzcut and Ponytail meet with Ushikawa to discuss the status of his investigation into Aomame’s whereabouts. Although Sakigake’s autopsy found no sign of foul play, Aomame’s sudden disappearance makes it extremely likely that she killed Leader and did so with the help of an individual or entity with extensive resources. Meanwhile, Leader’s death remains a secret to the police, the public, and most of Sakigake. As for Ushikawa’s involvement, he performed Aomame’s background check and therefore feels some responsibility for Leader’s death. He also has an unspoken personal interest in locating his killer, telling Buzzcut, “I have no religious beliefs, but Leader helped me personally” (602).

Although Ushikawa tells Buzzcut and Ponytail he’s made little progress in locating Aomame, the truth is he has a lead: When researching the names on Aomame’s client list, the dowager stood out. Although her mission of protecting domestic violence survivors is admirable, something about it is vaguely suspicious to him: “Violence was perhaps the keyword there. This elderly woman had a special awareness of the violent, and thus went out of her way to protect those who were its victims” (606).