Jake realized in Tokyo Vice Season 2 episode 8 that he was very close to establishing the fact that Tozawa made some sort of deal with Lynn, as otherwise, it was not possible for him to enter the US for his liver transplant. The main issue was that he needed some solid evidence to back up his story, as he was well aware that the newspaper wouldn’t publish anything in the absence of it. So, let’s find out what developments were made in the 9th episode and if Jake and Katagiri were able to get any sort of leverage.
Spoiler Alert
What was Sato’s plan to tackle Tozawa?
Sato’s gang members were scared of Tozawa’s growing influence, and after Hayama’s death, a lot of people stopped coming to gang meetings altogether. Sato knew that for him, backing out and supporting Tozawa was not an option, but the point was that he didn’t have the resources to tackle him single-handedly. Sato was not scared of the new yakuza boss, but he knew that it would be foolish to do something when one knew the kind of influence and power Tozawa had at that time. Sato, in Tokyo Vice episode 9, went to meet Ichikawa-kumicho and asked if he wanted to join forces. But just a couple of days before, Ichikawa-kumicho had decided that he would lay down his arms and swear allegiance to Tozawa. Ichikawa-kumicho advised Sato that he should also do the same, as it was foolish to put the lives of his gang members at risk. Sato was running out of options, and he had no clue that, other than running away from the city, what else he could do. But then something happened that gave him a glimmer of hope. Jake came to him with a proposition, and Sato realized that if he capitalized on the opportunity, there was a possibility that he could pin down Tozawa.
Did Tozawa make a deal with the FBI?
Jake told Maruyama and his colleagues about his meeting with Lynn Oberfeld, and it became quite evident to everybody that she was lying and that she had made some sort of deal with Tozawa. Now, the point was that the evidence they had was circumstantial, and a report couldn’t be published based on that. They were thinking hard about what they could do when suddenly Tin Tin realized something. He told the group that it could be a possibility that the FBI itself had facilitated the entry of Tozawa into the US in exchange for information about the yakuza gang operating on their soil. Jake contacted Katagari, and he realized that there was a precedent where a similar thing had happened, and an official contract had been signed by the US government and that informant Yakuza. Jake went to meet Lynn Oberfeld, and he told her that he knew that the school teacher was merely a cover, and in reality, it was a yakuza who had gone to the US for a liver transplant. Jake bluffed about the fact that he had a copy of the agreement signed between the US authorities and Tozawa. Lynn had no option but to back the story, but she had one condition: she wanted the name of Jake’s source. Jake made the deal in the end, and even Tin Tin confirmed with Tozawa’s doctor that the latter had gone to the US for an organ transplant.
Will Jake be able to publish his article?
Jake knew that once the information that they knew about Tozawa’s connection with the FBI leaked, the yakuza would come after his life. His speculations proved to be right when Tozawa’s gang members attacked Tin Tin just after he was coming out of the doctor’s clinic. Jake knew that now only a Yakuza could save him, so he went to Chihara Kai’s hideout to meet Sato. He gave Sato an offer that he would help him bring down Tozawa’s empire, provided he kept him safe until the time he wrote his article. At the end of Tokyo Vice episode 9, Tozawa got to know that Misaki had met Jake and that something was brewing between them. Tozawa was playing golf with his soon-to-be business partners when Fujimoto-san told him that he saw Misaki with Jake at the function organized for the US delegates.
Misaki, since the previous episode of Tokyo Vice season 2, was trying to contact Jake as she had gotten to know that Kazuko, Tozawa’s wife, knew about her affair, though she chose to keep that information to herself. Misaki went to Samantha, and together, they went to search for Jake. First, they went to Jake’s house, and they were just about to leave when Tozawa arrived there. Tozawa saw Misaki with Samantha, and he lost his temper. Luckily, Samantha and Misaki were able to escape from there, and then later they reached Sato’s hideout and met Jake. Sato had lost almost all his men and in reality he also didn’t know if he would be able to save the lives of all those who depended on him. But I believe that Jake, in the season finale, would be able to print his article, as something that happened at the end of the episode gave the law enforcement authorities an edge over the yakuza leader.
Why did Kazuko Tozawa meet Katagiri?
Katagiri and Nagato framed Yabuki, Tozawa’s second-in-command, for the murder of Ohno-san, and they told him to either give incriminating evidence against his boss or be ready to face a legal trial. Still, Katagiri knew that he needed more evidence to build up a strong case, considering the kind of political backing Tozawa had. That’s when Katagari saw a car approaching him, and he was surprised to find Kazuko sitting inside it.
Tozawa and Kazuko had an argument at the beginning of the episode, where the former made it very clear to his wife that she was just a means to an end for him. Tozawa told her that she should take care of his children and fulfill the duties of a wife instead of poking her nose in professional matters. Kazuko had made it very clear that she was not the kind of enemy Tozawa wanted to make, but he didn’t listen. That’s when Kazuko decided that she would go against her husband and make him pay the consequences of ill-treating her.
At the end of Tokyo Vice season 2, episode 9, Kazuko met Katagari, and told him that she knew where the contract, signed between the FBI and Tozawa, was hidden. She told Katagari that Tozawa had kept the document on his yacht and she also made it very clear to the detective that he won’t be able to enter it without her support. Up until now, Tozawa had better odds, as the soon-to-be prime minister was his puppet. But by disrespecting his wife and hurting her ego, he had sabotaged his own future. I believe that in the season finale, Tozawa’s empire will perish, and Jake and Katagiri will finally fulfill their goal of putting him behind bars.
