Organizing Records When There Are No Photos or Recordings | Arranging Surrounding Records by Date
When there are no photos or recordings
There are cases where no record directly shows what happened: there is no photo of an affair, a supervisor's instructions were given only verbally and were not recorded, or a spouse's bank account number is unknown. Even then, some records are left behind in daily life: transit IC card usage history, credit card statements, the send and receive times of messages, step counts, and attendance records.
These records make it possible to check the order in which events occurred. How much weight any single record carries depends on the case and on who is making the judgment, and this article does not address that question.
How to arrange the records
When setting the other party's explanation against the records at hand, one method is to arrange them in the following order.
- Write the other party's explanation in one sentence. For example, "I was on a business trip alone," "It was ordinary work guidance," or "I lent it free of charge." The sentence states the explanation the other party has given, or is expected to give.
- Arrange the records at hand in date order. Receipts, transit IC card history, LINE messages, emails, invoices, attendance records, medical certificates: any type of record can be used. Each is listed with its date and source.
- Mark the records that conflict with the explanation. Records that would be unlikely to exist if the explanation were true are marked and listed.
Example 1: An explanation of whereabouts and the records
| The other party's explanation | "I was asleep alone in a hotel on my business trip." |
|---|---|
| Record 1 (transit IC card) | The history ends not at the business trip destination but in an entertainment district a few stations from home |
| Record 2 (card statement) | A payment for two people at a restaurant in that district |
| Record 3 (smartwatch) | The step counter recorded activity until 2 a.m. |
The place where the history ends, the payment for two, and the activity recorded until 2 a.m. do not fit the explanation "I was alone in a hotel." What can be concluded from them is for a third party, such as a professional who is consulted, to judge.
Example 2: Being pressed to resign
| The company's explanation | "This was ordinary work guidance; there was no forced resignation." |
|---|---|
| Record 1 (email) | After a meeting on [date], the employee was removed from the regular meeting's mailing list |
| Record 2 (personnel order) | The following week, a transfer order to a department with no prior experience was issued |
| Record 3 (work records) | Numerical targets that were difficult to achieve were set, and the employee was called in for "work guidance" day after day |
Right after the meeting, removal from the mailing list, the transfer, the numerical targets, and the daily summons followed one after another. Placing these dates in a timeline next to the company's explanation produces a list of what changed before and after the meeting.
Sample fact summary output
This is sample output from entering the records in Example 1 into the organizing tool.
1. The other party's account
"I stayed alone at a hotel on my business trip. On Friday, October 18, 2024, I was out for work, checked into the hotel around 9 p.m., and went straight to sleep."
2. Timeline of records
| 2024/10/18 18:32 | Transit IC | Passed through the ticket gate at Station A (entertainment district), not the nearest station. Opposite direction from the business trip destination. | [IC history] |
| 2024/10/18 19:15 | Payment | Credit card payment at Italian restaurant B near Station A. Amount: 14,800 yen (set course for two). | [Card statement] |
| 2024/10/18 21:40 | Payment | Credit card payment at Bar C near Station A. Amount: 6,200 yen. | [Card statement] |
| 2024/10/18 23:05 | Messages | LINE read time. In reply to his wife's "What time are you coming home?", he wrote "Going to sleep now, good night." | [LINE] |
| 2024/10/19 01:48 | Activity | Smartwatch step record. Continuous walking detected from 23:00 to 01:48. Inconsistent with "asleep at 9 p.m." | [Health app] |
| 2024/10/19 07:22 | Transit IC | Boarded at Station A, not the station nearest the business trip hotel. | [IC history] |
3. Points that conflict with the explanation
The other party's explanation, "checked into the hotel at the business trip destination at 9 p.m. and went straight to sleep," conflicts with the following records.
(1) The IC history records Station A, which has no connection to the business trip destination
(2) There is a payment for a set course for two
(3) Activity is recorded until 01:48, after the reply "Going to sleep now"
(4) The boarding station the next morning is Station A
The actual output is a PDF.
Even when the records span several types, what each one shows is examined individually. Arranging them with their dates and sources makes it easier for the person consulted to check the content.
Where to consult
Besides lawyers, depending on the matter there are consultation desks run by local governments and administrative agencies. The scope each desk handles differs.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice on any individual case.