01x06 - Fraud

[bunniefuu]

So...

Can you get your hands on that thing?

Yes.

Well then...

shall we begin?

After checking the history
on the old phone,

I managed to get in touch with someone.

Someone who used to work for Egoshi.

That's great.

Let's keep digging.

Next,

I want to find out if that thing
from 12 years ago is still around.

They should have it close by.

Egoshi exploits people's weaknesses
to manipulate them.

That's the kind of person they are.

Can I...

trust you on this?

Yes.

Excuse me.

Welcome back.

You didn't have to wait outside, you know.

I could see that Mr. Hiyama was in.

We were discussing the second instance.

What about you?

What are you up to so late?

I remembered something urgent
I had to take care of.

About a hit-and-run incident.

I need to fax it by tonight.

Is that so?

Mr. Kurata.

Your charges include
aiding a false accusation

and violating
the National Public Service Act.

However...

you should be able to challenge
the detention requirement.

And even argue for a rejection
of the detention request.

I...

will work on your defense.

Asuka.

I'm not saying this as your daughter.

I'm saying this as an attorney.

I don't need one.

I agree to this arrest.

I admit my crime

and will pay for it.

You agree?

Are you going to pay
for all your crimes, then?

Including the false accusation
against Mr. Shimizu?

Attorney Shinomiya,

I have nothing more to say to you.

We're done here.

Did you know...

Attorney Shinomiya?

Even the best doctors

find it hard
to operate on their own family.

When faced with an illness
that afflicts their family,

they're forced to confront...

their own powerlessness.

If you want to help your father,

you should let...

a cool-headed third party
handle his defense.

A lot of things
must have come as a shock to you.

You have...

my sympathies.

Chief Prosecutor Datehara?

He's acquainted with Chief Kurata?

I'm not sure.

But he seemed to know about me.

My father confessed
to fabricating this incident.

But...

he still won't say anything
about Mr. Shimizu's case.

Just maybe...

Hiyama is involved
in Mr. Shimizu's case as well.

Mr. Hiyama?

Last night,

Hiyama was actually at the office.

Mr. Akizumi said they were discussing
the second instance,

but their conversation
was completely unrelated.

It seems Mr. Akizumi

is getting Hiyama to locate someone.

"If that thing
from 12 years ago is still around."

That's what I heard him say.

If Mr. Shimizu...

is truly falsely accused,

now that I know, I can't back down.

I've been witnessing an innocent person

endure unimaginable suffering...

for so long.

I want to uncover
what my father is hiding.

If there are people being harmed
because of him...

I share the responsibility too.

The decision.

The accused is sentenced
to one year in prison.

The execution of the sentence
will be suspended for two years

from the day it becomes final.

I cannot accept this.

I was set up!

I'll appeal this case.

I want the process started now.

About that...

Ms. Maki Sawahara?

Yes?

I will secure an acquittal for you.

My name is Maki Sawahara.

I used to be the vice editor-in-chief
of Taiyo Weekly at Taiyo Publishing.

Remember the information leak incident
at Taiyo Publishing?

It caused quite a commotion.

There was awful slander
on social media about it.

As I recall, the culprit was
the vice editor-in-chief...

Yes, that's the incident.

Last December, after inquiries
by the group's employees,

suspicions arose that the employees'
private information was being leaked.

Investigations revealed that


including the company's
confidential and client information,

as well as the personal information
of all group employees.

Based on circumstantial evidence,

the police focused their investigation
on an active employee,

leading to Ms. Sawahara's arrest.

But I really didn't do it.

I'm absolutely innocent.

So we're defending a second instance.

Two key points
led to the decision in the first instance.

First, during the investigation
into the information leak route,

they found
Ms. Sawahara's ID was being used.

I lost my company ID last year.

I keep it in my bag's inside pocket,
but I couldn't find it on my way home.

So, it's likely the real culprit
stole your ID and misused it.

Apparently, the time the ID was used
to access the information

was around 8 p.m. on December 5th,
the same time my card was likely stolen.

And the second point
that led to the guilty verdict is this.

STARLIST, the list broker
that the information was leaked to,

deposited over 3 million yen
to Ms. Sawahara's account.

I never knew this company,

and I didn't even notice this deposit
until the police pointed it out.

This also worked against you
in the first instance.

If you had realized the deposit right away
and inquired about it,

the circumstances may have been different.

What was STARLIST's response
regarding the deposit?

According to Hiroki Tamura,
STARLIST's former representative director,

the leaked information was placed
on a USB drive and sent to them by mail.

So basically,

the real culprit stole Ms. Sawahara's ID
to extract inside information

and sent it to STARLIST.

Then, they arranged for the reward
to go to Ms. Sawahara's account.

That's right.

And according to forensics,
the envelope and USB that were sent

had Ms. Sawahara's fingerprints on them.

They were quite meticulous.

But why did the real culprit
try to pin the blame on you?

They wanted to bring her down.

It has to be someone within the company.

Do you have any idea who it might be?

I can't say for certain,

but I had a subordinate named Ueda
who used to be my supervisor.

A subordinate
who was your former supervisor?

I was promoted to vice editor-in-chief,
ahead of Ueda, who was a copy editor.

That's amazing.

Not really.

If I weren't a woman,
this transfer wouldn't have happened.

Was it part of a push to promote women?

Yes.

During the personnel transfers
in July last year,

many women got promoted.

When your positions are reversed,
it does make things awkward.

Ms. Sawahara,
do you suspect Mr. Ueda is the culprit?

I don't have any evidence, but yes.

The country is promoting
women's appointments,

but some suffer because of it.

Isn't that irresponsible?

Not all companies are like that.

But media companies are lagging behind,

leading to incidents like this one.

I get it might be unpleasant
to have a subordinate promoted over you.

But is that enough motive to do this?

True.

Internal information leaks
have a limited pool of suspects.

Would he risk so much to do this?

All the evidence points to Ms. Sawahara,

to an unnatural degree.

Usually, culprits try to hide their tracks
to avoid suspicion.

And yet, her name, address,
and deposit account were all out there.

As if begging to be arrested.

So, someone clearly framed Ms. Sawahara.

In a recent incident,
the police presented false testimony.

There was a case where the prosecution
replaced a test result as well.

What do you believe motivates
these acts of misconduct?

For those of us in the judicial system,

trials are a part of our job and lives.

However, a trial holds the power
to determine someone's fate.

We must never forget this simple fact.

Therefore, through my work as an attorney,

I aim to keep
many judicial officials on their toes.

That interview was truly meaningful.

Your perspective exposed
the misconduct of the Chiba Police.

I was especially impressed by that.

I hope my story was adequate.

Given the nature of your story,
I'm sure it will elicit a strong response.

That's good.

Mr. Akizumi, I need to use the bathroom.

Go ahead. It's over there.

-Excuse me as well.
-Of course.

May I take a look at your workspace?

Of course.

By the way, I heard a trial the other day
resulted in a guilty verdict.

Wasn't the accused
the former vice editor-in-chief here?

I'm sorry for any disturbance that caused.

It's all right.

I'm just curious
because of my line of work.

Could you tell me more about it?

What kind of person was she?

I'm sorry!

No worries.

Thank you.

Well...

She was very hardworking and competent.

She'd do anything for a scoop.

But if she was so dedicated,

what could have motivated her
to leak information?

Especially after the struggles
to become vice editor-in-chief.

Well, I'm not so sure about that.

I wonder if she was unhappy
with her workplace.

To be honest, it seemed like she didn't
get along with her subordinates.

I tried to intervene and offer advice,

but once a relationship goes sour,
it's hard to repair.

I see.

But with her arrest,

you ended up becoming
the vice editor-in-chief.

Weren't you secretly pleased?

What? No.

Ms. Sawahara is claiming innocence.

If what she says is true,

it implies the culprit is someone else.

What?

I'm her attorney, you see.

I'll see you again.

Ms. Sawahara, huh?

She was promoted to vice editor-in-chief,

but couldn't deliver much,
so her demotion was decided.

They say she leaked
the information out of spite.

I see.

Mr. Ueda is a good man.

Ms. Sawahara was the one snapping at him.

Yeah.

When she was working under Mr. Ueda,

no matter how many times
he'd tell her to drop something,

she'd never obey him.

I see.

Thank you.

-Good work.
-Good work.

-Excuse me.
-Yes?

May I see the entry log
for December 5th of last year?

No, I'm afraid that's not possible.

We can't share that with outsiders.

Is that so? Well then,

I'll report your conduct during work.

Huh?

Smoking isn't allowed anywhere
on the premises, correct?

Every time you use your ID card,
your entries and exits are recorded.

What if someone loses their ID?

We ask for another form of ID,
contact their department head,

and upon approval, grant entry.

Would you view that record as well?

Yes, please.

TAIYO WEEKLY

At the time of the incident,

there were a total of 79 people
inside the building.

Of which only two were from
the Taiyo Weekly editorial department.

Ms. Sawahara and Mr. Ueda.

-Excuse me.
-Whoa.

What's with all the stuff?

Could you take a look at these?

These were issued before
Ms. Sawahara became vice editor-in-chief.

These were issued
after she assumed the position.

And these were issued
following Ms. Sawahara's arrest

and Mr. Ueda's promotion
to vice editor-in-chief.

During the five months Ms. Sawahara
was vice editor-in-chief,

there was a series of special features.

Do you mean this?

An exposé article on Tatsuya Kazaki,
a Mineito Party Diet member.

"Suspected of having affairs
with multiple women."

And this one says,

"Partying with a major company head
for several consecutive days."

How foolish.

Isn't Kazaki
the State Minister of Justice?

Yes, he's a Diet member
from the opposing faction of Seiji Tomita.

One of the two was speculated
to be the next Minister of Justice.

But after Tomita's downfall,
Kazaki is the only real candidate.

Factions still exist, huh?

Some things never change.

It seems Ms. Sawahara
had been investigating Kazaki for years,

but Mr. Ueda kept rejecting her articles.

When she became the vice editor-in-chief,
she finally managed to publish them.

But...

After her arrest,

articles about Kazaki stopped completely.

Kazaki's pieces
received a lot of attention,

and the number of copies sold
was increasing during that period.

But Mr. Ueda adamantly refused
to publish them.

Aren't you curious about the reason?

You think Ueda and Kazaki are connected?

Yes.

If you already know that much,
it makes things easier.

Here you go.

It's already set up.

Huh?

Taiyo Publishing?

I'm sorry!

No worries.

She was very hardworking and competent.

A GPS tracker?

You want me to follow Mr. Ueda with this?

You're catching on.

Ueda has always been a political reporter,

covering many Diet members' scandals.

But his stories have something in common.

I notice many exposés
on the Takemoto faction.

The Takemoto faction
is the opposing faction of Kazaki.

Scandals involving the Takemoto faction,
which benefit Kazaki...

were published at just the right times.

So, is Kazaki Mr. Ueda's source?

So in this incident,
Ms. Sawahara was an obstacle

for both Kazaki and Mr. Ueda.

The reason someone could leak information,
even at the risk of getting caught,

is most likely because they had
a politician backing them.

I also...

have a task for you, Ms. Shinomiya.

Like I said, the police took
the USB that was sent here

and seized all the company's computers.

What about that one?

That's my personal laptop.

May I borrow it?

Are you kidding? Give me a break.

You're evading a hefty amount of taxes.

If I send this to someone I know
at the National Tax Agency,

he'll be thrilled.

He's a rising star there.

The other day, there was a tax evasion
involving Kamehara Constructions.

He handled that one too.

Found it.

They ended up paying hundreds of millions
in additional taxes...

-Hello?
-Hey! W-Wait a minute!

I'll ask you again.

May I...

borrow that?

YUMEMIRAI FESTIVAL

-Welcome!
-Welcome!

Good for you!

Oh, yeah?

Eat up!

Here. It's good.

You're welcome.

Thank you so much!

You always come
despite your busy schedule.

I need to thank you as well.

My heart feels cleansed when I come here.

Spending so much time in the courtroom
can be so depressing.

I'm glad to hear you say that.

Director, the children are calling you!

Coming! Excuse me.

I'll take that.

Good work, everyone!

You haven't eaten yet, right?

Here.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Would you like one too?

Well, well.

You know who's handling
the second instance, right?

You shouldn't make contact
with me before the trial.

Make contact?

I just happened to be here.

At a children's home?

Yes.

I've taken an interest
in volunteer work lately.

Is that so?

Well, if you say so.

What about you, Judge Seko?

Why do volunteer work?

I face sad incidents every day.

And behind them,
there are suffering children.

I want to be of some help to them.

No.

That was just me being grandiose.

I come here for myself.

Spending time with innocent children

helps me dispel
the negative energy I accumulate.

Impressive.

No wonder you're rumored
to be the future Supreme Court Justice.

Very funny.

I want to help Ms. Maki Sawahara.

She's maintaining her innocence,

insisting she was framed by someone.

I read the documents
from her first instance.

I sympathize with her.

It feels like seeing my past self.

While the circumstances
are very different now,

it's still a difficult world
for women to live in.

We have a lead
on who might have set her up.

Is that so?

We're currently investigating this man.

We should obtain
the evidence we need soon.

Judge!

The mayor has come to greet you.

Settle the score...

for her.

You can stop coming.

I know you're not to blame.

Shoichiro's arrest
made me feel a little better.

Shoichiro...

was only arrested for a different case.

Nothing has changed yet.

You...

are innocent.

I'll never give up.

I don't want you to endure
any more frustration.

So, please.

Join me...

in this fight again.

You're really stubborn.

I read in a book.

Unless you have substantial new evidence,

it's hard to get a retrial.

I'll find one.

I promise...

to prove your innocence!

I'll come again.

This one, huh?

Yes.

When I asked Ms. Sawahara,

she said this man was
Kazaki's chief secretary.

Apparently, the two meet
at a bar called Luna's Bar.

According to the bar staff,
Kazaki himself shows up sometimes.

Just as I suspected.

And you?

Right.

After the arrest,
Tamura shut down STARLIST

and deleted all accounts
under the company's name.

Email, social media accounts, everything.

But fortunately, even though
they were removed from the internet,

the data still remained on his laptop.

And after having all the data
restored by an expert...

Are you familiar with this?

It's a social networking site
called SCRE. CHAT.

I know. It's an overseas platform
known for its strong privacy measures.

Users are untrackable.

Right.

Using SCRE. CHAT, Tamura
was involved in many backdoor deals.

So I focused on the period
before December 5th,

the day the information supposedly leaked.

And I got an expert to identify the users

behind every account
that contacted STARLIST.

One of them turned out to be...

a Taiyo Publishing employee.

Ueda?

Two months before the incident,

Ueda was making
several inquiries to STARLIST.

Feelers like
how much information could be sold for,

and whether any evidence would remain.

He did his research using social media.

And to make the actual crime
look like Ms. Sawahara's doing,

he used an old-fashioned way
by sending USB by mail.

It seems so.

We can use this as evidence, right?

We can.

As you know, in the second instance,

new evidence isn't typically admitted
unless there's a justifiable reason

that it couldn't be presented
in the first instance.

However, if it's crucial evidence
that contributes to uncovering the truth,

the court may accept it ex officio.

In this trial,

whether the judge will accept
new evidence will play a key part.

Judge Narumi Seko
of the Third Criminal Department

will preside over the second instance.

So, in this case, we need compelling
and persuasive evidence

that Judge Seko
will have no choice but to accept.

Morio!

Shinomiya.

-Heading to the courtroom?
-Yeah.

The witness examination for
the food poisoning case starts at 10 a.m.

Oh, that one.

Hey, do you have a moment after that?

Sure.

All rise.

The court is now in session.

Evidence number 17

consists of STARLIST's every email
and social media exchange.

This proves that there were
no inquiries from the accused.

But that Mr. Ueda,
the former subordinate of the accused,

had been sending inquiries to STARLIST.

Furthermore, evidence number 18 and 19
include a photo showing Mr. Ueda

meeting Diet member Tatsuya Kazaki's
chief secretary at Luna's Bar

and a testimony by the staff,
respectively.

It shows that Mr. Kazaki
has been providing information

to Mr. Ueda for a few years.

Lastly, there's personal evidence.

It became clear that Mr. Ueda
had been rejecting the accused's articles

about Mr. Kazaki
each time they were presented.

I'd like to back this up with testimony
from a Taiyo Publishing employee,

as per the request
for examination of the evidence.

Through these pieces of evidence,
the defense counsel aims

to shed light on the accused's
workplace dynamics and relationships.

Bearing on that, firstly,

we seek to establish that the accused
is not responsible for the crime.

Secondly, we aim to demonstrate

that she was framed to appear
as if she deliberately leaked information.

We would like to prove these two points.

Your Honor,

these pieces of evidence are new facts,
not uncovered during the first instance.

According to Article 382-2
of the Code of Criminal Procedure,

these reasons are
due to unavoidable circumstances.

Moreover, this evidence is pivotal
in proving the accused's innocence.

For the pursuit of truth,

I implore you
to make a judicious decision.

I see.

Prosecutor, what is your opinion?

Any of these pieces of evidence

could have been requested
during the first instance.

I believe they cannot be accepted.

You have a point.

Given the timing of their acquisition
and the particulars to be examined,

the request for examination
of the evidence itself may be accepted.

What do you think?

I agree on that front.

Instead,

I wish to show the significant illegality
of the defense counsel's evidence.

I request permission
to summon Mr. Kiichi Ueda,

the former subordinate of the accused,
as a witness ahead of schedule.

You answered earlier that Attorney Akizumi
visited your workplace the other day.

Can you elaborate on this encounter?

That day, we invited Attorney Akizumi
to our company for an interview.

However, after the interview,

he began grilling me about the accused.

It felt as though
he was treating me as the culprit,

and it greatly troubled me.

Did you notice anything after that?

Yes.

That night when I got home,

I found something unfamiliar in my bag.

What was it?

It was small

and seemed to be a plastic object.

To clarify his statement,

I will present evidence number 36
as requested by the prosecution.

Proceed.

Is this that plastic object?

That's right.

When I examined it,

I discovered it was a small GPS tracker.

And then what did you do?

I deliberately acted
as if I hadn't noticed it.

And what was the outcome?

I observed that I was being followed
by a man I recognized.

Followed?

And who was this man?

The man over there,

Attorney Akamine.

Your Honor, to clarify his statement,

I would like to present evidence number 37
as requested by the prosecution.

Proceed.

It's hard to believe this is the conduct
of one involved in the law.

Objection.

This is all mere speculation.

True.

Prosecutor,

shouldn't you first present evidence that
this is the work of the defense counsel?

But Your Honor,

you are aware of the illegality
of conducting a GPS-based investigation.

Even if carried out
by the defense counsel,

it could constitute
a serious violation of rights.

Therefore, I cannot agree
to admit this series of evidence.

Defense counsel, how do you respond
to the prosecutor's assertion?

It is true that the photo
in evidence number 18

were obtained through shadowing Mr. Ueda.

Your Honor, there is no need
for me to present evidence.

The defense counsel
has openly admitted to it.

Such actions are unforgivable.

However, a GPS-based pursuit,
shadowing, and capturing on camera

by an ordinary citizen,
rather than by the authorities,

cannot be immediately deemed ill*gal.

As long as they were part
of a reasonable defense activity.

Moreover, Your Honor,

I urge you to understand this.

The pieces of evidence requested
by the defense counsel in this trial

are essential in proving
the innocence of the accused.

Ms. Maki Sawahara is innocent.

And to establish this fact,

we insist that these pieces of evidence
are crucial and worthy of acceptance.

That is enough.

I understand
the arguments from both sides.

Now, I shall deliver
the court's final decision.

All pieces of evidence requested
by the defense counsel in this trial...

will not be accepted.

Your Honor, but these are...

Although they may be crucial
as the defense counsel has claimed,

they were obtained through a breach
of personal rights,

resembling criminal activity.

Therefore, they cannot
be accepted as evidence.

Accepting such evidence
would set a precedent

enabling the general public
to freely deploy GPS trackers

and engage in shadowing
and secretly capturing people on camera.

This will pose a threat
to people's privacy.

As a courtroom judge,
it is my responsibility

to weigh the potential impact
on all Japanese citizens.

Therefore, these pieces of evidence
cannot be accepted.

I direct the defense counsel
to adhere to trial procedures

and present evidence obtained
through lawful means.

Is that clear?

-But Ms. Sawahara is...
-Even...

in defense of the accused,

one must not resort to shameful conduct
as a legal professional.

Today's trial is adjourned.

All rise.

During Maki Sawahara's second instance,

it seems the defense's
pieces of evidence were dismissed.

Ueda caught on to being followed
and turned the tables, huh?

Quite impressive.

Who gave him that idea?

I didn't do anything.

I believe Judge Seko made a just ruling.

Indeed.

This is Judge Seko we're talking about.

She's the epitome
of a fair judge, after all.

She is.

By the way...

Do you admire her or something?

Actually, we've been
on friendly terms for a while now.

Oh, is that so?

Speaking of which, she mentioned you.

Did she?

I can't imagine she said anything nice.
She's not exactly fond of me.

Not at all.

It's always beneficial
to have a good relationship with a judge.

Just one thing, Midorikawa.

A word of caution.

Don't surpass me.

Mr. Datehara, huh?

From where I stand,
he's on a completely different level.

The accomplished prosecutor

who rose to the top
at an extraordinary pace.

Extraordinary?

I mean, he's already
the Chief Prosecutor at his age.

Compared to others his age,
he's unmatched.

He used to handle
high-profile cases left and right.

It's legendary now.

High-profile cases? Like what?

Remember the embezzlement case
involving Nishi Chiba Construction?

We were still in school then,
but it was all over the news.

Mr. Datehara handled that too?

Yup.

He used to be in the Chiba office.

The company's management
was using underlings

to embezzle a ton of money.

And I think there were murders
related to that.

The Itoi family murders?

Yeah, that one.

The Chief Prosecutor
led the investigation and cracked it.

But the name of the prosecutor
on record was different.

It's not unusual for the name
that's made public to differ.

But Mr. Datehara
was the one really in charge.

None of the evidence was accepted?

No.

The judge mentioned something about
the impact on all citizens.

It really is difficult to introduce
new evidence during the second instance.

What did Mr. Akizumi say?

About that...

What's our next move?

We need more evidence
before the next trial.

That's unnecessary.

Unnecessary?

Why?

I don't know.

But his demeanor suggested
he has something in mind.

I'm still trying to figure out
Mr. Akizumi's strategy.

Maybe I need to broaden my perspective.

YUSAKU SHIMIZU

In the case with Hiyama,

he uncovered illicit dealings between
Prosecutor Himeno and Professor Nakajima.

Then, with Shoichiro,
he revealed Tomita's corruption.

And in Kurusu's series of r*pe cases,

he exposed Chief Kurata.

Given Mr. Akizumi's track record,

his goal this time

might be exposing
Mr. Ueda and Kazaki's corruption.

That seems certain.

But there could be more to it.

Today, I had a chat with someone
I studied law with.

It turns out that
Chief Prosecutor Datehara was heading

the Nishi Chiba Construction
embezzlement case 12 years ago.

He handled
the Itoi family murders as well.

After that, he rose to the top
at an extraordinary pace.

Just as I suspected...

Chief Prosecutor Datehara
was involved as well.

And one more thing.

Mr. Akizumi
frequently visits a dog shelter.

There's a dog named Mame there
that looks just like Mill.

And a girl too.

A girl?

Her name is Saya Makino.

She's 17 years old.

Saya?

SAYA

It seems she doesn't talk
in front of people she doesn't know.

But she seemed happy
when talking to Mr. Akizumi.

They must have known each other
for quite some time.

It took me a while to figure out
who she was.

But I finally connected the dots.

Take a look at this.

Mr. Shimizu had an only daughter.

Her name was kept anonymous
in the article,

but she was five at the time.

She'd be 17 now.

You mean...

Ms. Saya is Mr. Shimizu's daughter?

It's highly likely.

I don't know what the connection is
between Mr. Akizumi and Mr. Shimizu.

But Chief Prosecutor Datehara,
my father, and Mr. Hiyama...

They're all connected
to the incident 12 years ago.

This isn't a coincidence.

Mr. Akizumi's actions seem to
revolve around Mr. Shimizu's case.

But...

I don't see the connection
to the second case with Shoichiro

and this case yet.

SHOICHIRO TOMITA

MAKI SAWAHARA

Wait a minute...

ITOI FAMILY MURDERS

FORMER COLLEAGUE GETS
DEATH SENTENCE IN FAMILY m*rder CASE

Mr. Akizumi.

You were still here?

I've been thinking.

Why did you...

take on this case?

To secure an acquittal for Ms. Sawahara.

I thought your motive behind this

was taking down
the politician Tatsuya Kazaki.

But that's not it.

I finally understand...

what you're trying to do.

I know...

who you're targeting in this case.

It's...

the person who sentenced
Mr. Shimizu to death 12 years ago.

Welcome.

Your companion is waiting for you.

Your aim...

was Judge Seko.

JUDGE NARUMI SEKO

There is one person connected to this case
and the one with Shoichiro.

Judge Seko also delivered
the guilty verdict

in Mr. Matsunaga's trial
linked to Shoichiro.

The accused is sentenced
to two years in prison.

Wait!

Mr. Matsunaga is innocent!

I order him to leave!

Mr. Akizumi,

you've been targeting
Judge Seko all this time.

That's why you observed
Mr. Matsunaga's trial from the gallery.

And that's why you used Shoichiro's trial
to expose Tomita's corruption.

All to reach Judge Seko.

If my theory is correct,

it means Judge Seko is corrupt
and needs to be exposed.

Was she already bribed by Tomita then?

Is that why
she found Mr. Matsunaga guilty?

In this trial,

Judge Seko didn't accept new evidence
that could have acquitted Ms. Sawahara.

Once again,

the ruling is about
to be unfairly manipulated.

Judge Seko never intended to acquit
Ms. Sawahara, who's a hindrance to Kazaki.

Am I wrong, Mr. Akizumi?

Seko's ambition is to become
the Supreme Court Justice.

To secure this position,

she seeks connections
with big political figures.

After all, it's the Cabinet
that appoints the Supreme Court Justice.

Following Tomita's downfall,

her new ally is Kazaki.

Just as I thought,
Seko presided over the second instance,

likely orchestrated by Kazaki
to prevent further scrutiny.

What about the GPS tracker?

Before the trial, I went to see Seko.

And I hinted
at my investigation into Ueda.

We have a lead
on who might have set her up.

We're currently investigating this man.

We should obtain
the evidence we need soon.

Ueda was probably oblivious to the tracker

until Seko reached out through Kazaki.

I knew it.

You intentionally made him notice.

As a result, Ueda used
your shadowing to his advantage,

and Seko rejected all pieces of evidence.

"In this trial,

whether the judge will accept
new evidence will play a key part."

This made their connection evident.

That attorney...

He must have been getting away with a lot
of unreasonable behavior until now.

Just a few days before the public trial,
he made contact with me.

I could've filed a complaint
with the Bar Association.

Well,

you certainly should have done that.

How unusual.

You seem very cautious of him.

Well...

I've seen many people fall prey to him,
one after another,

when caught off guard.

Do you know...

how much hardship I've endured
to reach this position?

Your firm words reassure me.

However,

Akizumi is relentless.

Don't let him catch you out.

In other words,

our only chance of winning this trial
is by taking down Seko.

Seko is the target.

I'll expose...

her corruption.

Subtitle translation by: Ai Matsuoka

You're the only one who can help her!

I'll tell you everything
that happened 12 years ago.

I have Egoshi's whereabouts.

I won't let you get away now.

A world built
on money and lust is fragile.

Let's be flexible.

I promise to win your acquittal this time.

Let's go.

You met Chief Prosecutor Datehara, right?

What did you discuss?

Tell me everything.

I will make Seko get what she deserves.

An impeachment trial.

Strike first before they do.

Even if it means risking everything.