Episode 16

The Noble Path is the eighth episode of the second season of Tokyo Vice.
==Synopsis==
Jake's successful trip to the U.S. propels the group in a new direction, while Katagiri struggles with his case's turn of events.Official Tokyo Vice Synopsis from Max website
==Summary==
At a luxurious Hawaiian hotel resort, members of the Miura-Gumi enjoy themselves at the hotel pool, and one member is served a Blue Hawaii. The member, not liking it, tries to return it until members of the FBI, with their weapons drawn, arrive at the scene. The server is also revealed to be an FBI agent. As the hotel patrons flee in terror, the Miura-Gumi members are forced to the ground and handcuffed by the FBI agents.
In Jake's apartment, Jake awakens to the sound of Hiroto, who is accompanied by Shoko knocking at his door. Inside his apartment, Jake informs Hiroto and Shoko that Tozawa likely had entered the U.S. under a forged passbook, which is illegal in Japan. Hiroto then inquires what U.S. crimes Tozawa could have committed, and Jake suspects either immigration violations or manslaughter, citing the waiting list of people waiting for a transplant. By doing this, Tozawa may have killed someone by getting the transplant. Intrigued, Shoko wonders if the U.S. would want to extradite Tozawa. To that point, Hiroto mentions how all Yakuza fear American prisons. Jake then asks why they don't pursue charges against Tozawa in Japan, using the information they've discovered. Hiroto mentions that double agents exist in their department and that if Jake releases his story, they can get warrants and make arrests. Understanding the situation, Jake asks where to start, and Shoko says he should try the FBI first.
Meanwhile, at Samantha's apartment, Samantha asks Sato for a gun, who asks for what reason. Taking a brief pause, Samantha mentions that she doesn't want to concern him, but she saw some Tozawa and his thugs at the station the day she gave her statement. This reinforces that Tozawa knew her name and that she feared for her life if they came there. Understanding, Sato places a gun on Samantha's table, and she asks if he's carrying one, but Sato cuts her off, stating he's no longer part of the Chihara-Kai. The news irks Samantha, whereas Sato continues stating that Hayama had thrown him out of the clan two days ago. When Samantha asks about Sato's brother, he does not answer, and Samantha follows up, asking what Sato does now. Sato answers that all he's done before was Yakuza work and nothing else, and then he asks Samantha what he can do now. At first, Samantha suggests running a tattoo parlor, which Sato smirks at, but Samantha levels with him, citing they're in the same position and should help the other out. Agreeing with Samantha, Sato suggests that Samantha use the gun if any member of the Chihara-kai visits the apartment. After sharing a kiss with Sato, he leaves. Samantha then pulls out a wad of cash from a hidden department and contemplates something.
At her apartment, Emi receives a cup of tea from Kei, which surprises her. Before leaving for work, Emi is stopped by Kei, who notes that he is ignorant of the fact that he needs to protect her. Further adding, it was no surprise she turned to Shingo. Emi then mentions that she'd never abandon him like their parents, but Kei becomes defensive, claiming Shingo didn't love her. However, Emi argued that he'd have to love her a great deal to tolerate him. Kei backs off, and as Emi leaves, he warns her that he'll disappoint her in the end.
Later that day, at the Meicho, Emi assigns Trendy to investigate a major Yakuza bust in Hawaii. She then asked how Tin-Tin's investigation was going, and he answered that he'd have something later that day. At that moment, Jake arrives and politely greets everyone who stares at him, who has four days of leave left, but he claims that he values working there all too much. Jake then politely bows and apologizes for his previous misbehavior to Emi and gifts Tin-Tin some high-quality maple syrup and Trendy a Kirby Pucket Jersey. Finally, for Emi, an amazing story from Minnesota; however, she coldly asks that she be told it later. She then assigns Jake to assist Trendy with his Hawaii bust story by getting some intel from a U.S. embassy member. When Emi leaves, Trendy whispers that he's the only one who doesn't wish that his plane crashed, which Jake appreciates. As they leave, Tin-Tin watches them and takes a deep sigh.
From Tozawa's place, Yabuki tells Tozawa how violence is escalating all around the streets, and the police aren't going to ignore it, which Tozawa claims they shouldn't. Tozawa wasn't surprised by this and believed the police shouldn't ignore it and should increase their presence to keep the streets safe. Yabuki, perplexing, asks if Tozawa is withholding information about the situation from him, and he answers how the situation would work in their favor.
Misaki rides an elevator with Hagino and asks him if they're there because he told Tozawa about her fling with Jake, but he does not answer. Arriving at Tozawa's place, Misaki enters, and Tozawa happily greets her but notices she's trembling. He then asks if Hagino had something to do with it but denies it. Tozawa then reminds her of how much he values loyalty and shows her how much it means to him that day. It's then revealed that the paperwork Misaki signed was a deed to a house for her mother under her name. Astonished by the revelation, Misaki cries tears of joy. She'd later thank Hagino in the elevator for not telling Tozawa, and he'd inform her that she still had one appointment left.
Meanwhile, at a police re-enactment scene, Hiroto directs the re-enactors to the scene where Shinjiro died by the two motorcyclists. Amid it, Hiroto realizes Funaki, who was notably nervous, had ducked down moments before the shooting.
Elsewhere, Shoko would enter the assistant commissioner's office to inform him of Hiroto's discovery and that a report should be filed into internal affairs. However, the assistant commissioner didn't care to listen to what Shoko had to say and wanted to speak to her concerning an urgent matter of his own.
The person that Misaki had an appointment with was Tozawa's wife, Kazuko, who started their conversation by stating that men are weak. Kazuko then talks about her husband, Tozawa, who denotes how he's a man, and although he is as great as he may be, she relies upon him to take care of his business. Kazuko reveals that through Misaki's carelessness, she has become her business, too; hence, Misaki apologizes for failing her and her husband. However, Kazuko scoffs at the apology, calling it worthless, and says she will ask her a series of questions before allowing her to retire to her new home. Kazuko states that the questions will be about things she may have told Misaki, but not her, and warns her not to disclose the conversation to anyone else. If Misaki agrees, Kazuko promises to keep her secret with Jake between them, but if she lies, she'll tell him everything, and she'll die at his hands. Kazuko then asks Misaki if she understands, and she confirms it.
Visiting the host club that Akira once worked for, Samantha enters when the owner, Inaba, is done chastising her employees. She greets Inaba, who asks her where her Yakuza boyfriend is. Samantha answered that it was just her and that she had no plans to start any trouble. Samantha places her wad of cash in front of Inaba and asks where her former host, Akira, is, as she has unsettled business with him. Coyly, Inaba asks how she'd know where Akira was, and Samantha answers that she believes her to be the type that keeps tabs on people who owe her money. She follows up by saying that Akira likely owes her a ton of unpaid debt. Accepting Samantha's money, Inaba jots down something on a piece of paper and, after handing it to Samantha, demands that when she finds him, don't be nice. Getting up to leave, Samantha assures her that she won't be.
Meanwhile, Trendy and Jake interview Jason Aoki about the Yakuza busts in Hawaii. Jason explains that the arrests were part of an ongoing FBI operation. Trendy then asked how extensively anyone knew about the Yakuza operations in the States, and Jason noted that the FBI was a little surprised. Trendy follows up with Jason to see if more arrests are coming, which he is reluctant to answer, but Trendy coaxes him to confirm that more arrests are incoming. Jake then asks if the FBI would consider extraditing the Yakuza if they can prove that a crime was committed in the States. However, Jason couldn't answer it since it was beyond his knowledge of purview and pay grade. Trendy asks if the arrests originated from tips given by Japanese law enforcement, but Jason directs them to ask Lynn about that. This catches Trendy off guard as he claims that Jason had conned them out of a Gin and Tonic, which Jason smirks and then laughs with them about. Jason then mentions that he has to return to work and leave Jake and Trendy, patting Trendy on the shoulder as he leaves.
Once Jason is gone, Trendy tells Jake they should speak with Lynn. Jake notes that he met Lynn before, which would allow Trendy to talk with the police about the FBI, and Trendy likes the idea. Then, Jake asks if Jason and him are a couple, but Trendy answers don't ask, don't tell, which Jake understands.
Back at the Meicho, Emi and Tin-Tin discuss Tin-Tin's findings about Baku before he joined the Meicho. Baku lived in Kansai, and he wrote an article concerning Tozawa for the paper he worked for. The article was about how charges against Tozawa were dropped after he was arrested due to a lack of evidence. Tin-Tin also mentions that in Baku's article, all citizens, including Yakuza, were treated equally and that he interviewed Tozawa. This leads Emi to conclude that he personally knows Tozawa, and Tin-Tin asks how they should proceed.
Kazuko talks with Shigematsu at her place, citing finances as their number one concern. Shigematsu is pleased to hear that because of their need for mutual prosperity. They're then joined by Tozawa himself, whom Yabuki accompanies. His sudden appearance surprises Shigematsu, who didn't expect him to be there. Tozawa asks if his wife didn't tell him but notes that she enjoys giving surprises to people. After a nervous laugh, Shigematsu congratulated Tozawa on his restored health, and he said that his good health had put him in a kinder mood that allowed him to forgive his past refusal against him.
With that out of the way, Tozawa asks what they were discussing, and with a hint of reluctance, Shigematsu answers the person who would serve as Financial Minister in the next cabinet. One who would be best sympathetic to Tozawa's interests. However, Tozawa claims that his focus would be on justice, but while Shigematsu agrees with that, he tries to persuade him to reconsider citing taking things at a slower pace. On the other hand, Tozawa found that funny, claiming how fast Shigematsu had risen to power, most of it due to his financial backing. Shigematsu pushes back, admitting that Tozawa's contributions were favorable, but he had mostly risen to power on his own merits. However, Tozawa calmly argues what would happen if a certain videotape resurfaced, and Shigematsu agrees to Tozawa's plea for justice and takes his leave.
Once Shigematsu was gone, Tozawa coldly stared at Kazuko, who asked him if having Shigematsu in his pocket would protect him. She chastised Tozawa, calling him a little boy, hoping to avoid punishment but too foolish to understand how. Tozawa asked if she didn't think he didn't understand, but Kazuko noted that he was being small-minded, claiming power in that country comes from those who control the markets. She continues that if they own the Ministry of Finance, they'll yield that power, but Tozawa claims that Kazuko should deal with her interests while he deals with his own. However, Kazuko argues that her interest in protecting him is her family's resource and that she hasn't learned anything. She leaves while stating that once a Kansai thug, always a Kansai thug.
Eventually, Jake visits the U.S. Embassy to meet with Lynn and discuss his business with her in her office. There, she reveals that the FBI made eight arrests in Hawaii of the Yakuza gang, the Miura-gumi. The charges against them were money laundering, extortion, and weapons. She promises to give him the official list and indictments within a few hours. Jake then asks who the FBI collaborated with, which Lynn hesitates to answer, but Jake asks if it was the Tokyo Police or NPA. Lynn gives an off-the-record remark that it was done solely on their own and that more arrests are coming. Though Jake signals he is going to leave, he asks Lynn a couple of hypothetical questions. He asks if a Japanese official committed a crime in the States, would the FBI extradite him to the States? Lynn answers that it is possible, as it depends on the seriousness of the crime. Jake then asks if fraud is possible, such as jumping the line for an organ donor transplant. Lynn then notes how the hypothetical became very specific, and Jake reveals that Shinzo Tozawa illegally entered the U.S. to get a liver transplant. Understanding where Jake was coming from, she asked Jake to detail all she knew so she could inform D.C. about it.
Sato meets Gen at a restaurant, and Gen delivers him a letter acknowledging that Hayama banished Sato from Chihara-kai. Lighting himself a cigarette, Sato mentions that when Kume first recruited him, he'd be walking down a noble path. However, Gen mentions that Kume told him he'd make money and fuck girls, and Sato mentions that Kume told him that too. Sato then notices that Gen has more on his mind, and when he asks what it is, Gen reveals that Hayama had sent men to dispose of Tozawa's men, one of them being Kaito. Gen says that a war is bound to start because of this, and Sato asks if anyone can stop Hayama, but Gen answers nobody has yet to try and that Ishida wouldn't have wanted this. He further claims that Ishida knew Hayama wasn't fit to be the leader, but nobody would know how fast the house would burn down.
Samantha contacts Erika, who asks if talking with her is all right. She softly says that she will pick up Daichi from her mom's house, and Samantha then asks if she's alright. Erika claims it's been hard because of the club incident and Sato, which Samantha apologizes for, but still asks to borrow her for an hour.
The assistant commissioner announced that Yamada would become the new superintendent, thereby replacing Shoko, and Hiroto would walk in on him as this announcement was made. Hiroto would demand answers from the assistant commissioner in his office about his recent announcement. However, the assistant commissioner argues that not only did Shoko start a war between the clans, but she also transported a witness without permission, who then got killed. Hiroto tries to refute these things, but the assistant commissioner warns him and threatens to reassign him if he doesn't comply.
Sitting at his desk, Jake receives a call from Lynn about her findings about Jake's inquiry about Tozawa. She mentions that she had to go through a few states, including Atlanta, which perplexed Jake, but in the end, she states that a patient named Spencer Tanaka did get a transplant the day he mentioned. To ensure the information was valid, Lynn had the officials in Atlanta investigate it, and as it turns out, Spencer Tanaka is a real citizen living in Atlanta, Georgia. Lynn apologizes for killing Jake's story, but Jake gives her a platitude claiming it saved him from writing a credulous story. After hanging up the phone, Jake walks over to Emi's desk and notes that he must speak to her about his story.
In a private room, Jake explains to Emi the conspiracy involving Tozawa's liver transplant and how the information that Lynn gave him was a blatant lie. Emi questions what would motivate Lynn to lie to Jake about the transplant and work with Tozawa, and Jake suspects the possibility of Tozawa bribing her. Looking at Baku speaking to a group of people, Emi allows Jake to chase it and not tell anyone about it.
At Akira's apartment, Erika knocks on his door, claiming she's a big fan. When he answers, Akira demands to know how she got his address. Samantha then barges into the place and immediately takes control of the situation. All while Akira demands that she leave, Samantha notes that his apartment is empty. However, Samantha continued searching the area, citing that Akira said on TV that he was worth a fortune. Searching through his clothes, Akira places his hand on Samantha's shoulder, and she then points her gun at him. Samantha then talks about how he stole her money under the guise of rescuing Polina. The moment Samantha lowers her gun, Akria tries to wrestle it from her, but she pistol whips her to the ground and demands her money back; however, Akira claims he doesn't have it. This prompts Samantha to kick Akira, proclaiming he said on TV that he was rich. Akira claims that he doesn't own anything and is forced to wear what he's given. Witnessing what Samantha is doing, Erika intervenes and leads her out of there.
At that same time, Jake received a call from Yabuki, who wanted to speak with him that day on Tozawa's behalf. Yabuki also threatened him that if he didn't agree to the meeting, many people would die.
At a bathing house, the members of the Chihara-kai clean themselves off, and Hayama demands that Kaito wash his back. Just then, Sato arrives and politely bows. Sato then claims that he's there to pick up his brother Kaito, but Hayama retorts that he has no brothers there. Ignoring Hayama's remark, Sato asks Kaito to return home with him, stating that Hayama would have him killed over nothing. Claiming that his patience toward Sato had run out, Hayama asks the members to deal with Sato. Right as the members get up, Kaito mentions that Hayama had killed Ota in the mountains, and Sato confirms it and explains what had occurred. Hayama then demands that Sato shut up and orders the members to deal with Sato, but pushes Sato away, triggering a fight between them.
Once Hayama had Sato in a stranglehold, Gen arrived and kicked Hayama away. This allowed Sato to hit him with a flurry of punches and then drown him to death in one of the baths there with the help of Gen and some of the other members there. Once that was settled, Sato left.
Switching over to Jake's side, he and Hiroto meet with Yabuki at the same place from the first episode, and up to that point where it left off, Jake agrees not to publish his story about Tozawa. Seemingly relieved by Jake's response, Yabuki turns his attention to Hiroto, claiming he's surprised that he's there too. He calmly states that he's only there as a friend, which Yabuki finds odd as he considered Jin a friend too. Yabuki finishes off the conversation by warning the two that he hopes Tozawa doesn't consider their actions a retaliation against their agreements with Tozawa.
Riding the elevator down, Jake asks Hiroto how they should proceed. Hiroto suggests that Jake continue searching for information on Tozawa and then publish his findings so he has no place to hide. However, Jake was concerned about his family since they were threatened, but Hiroto notes that this had happened because he had frightened him. Furthermore, Hiroto states that people now rely on him, and he's the way that it all ends. Before they part ways, Hiroto suggests that Jake swallow his fear and write quickly. Though Jake mentions he has nothing to write, Hiroto retorts that he had better find something.
Right outside their mother's house, Sato sits in a car with Kaito and gives him some money. Kaito apologizes for not listening to Sato by staying away, which Sato understands. Their mother, Rie, exits the house, and when Sato suggests that Kaito go, he asks Sato to follow him, which he agrees to do. Rie asks why Kaito was there, and he answers he wishes to return home, and she allows it. Before Sato can leave, Rie stops him and notes that he lived up to his promise. Rie notes that his father would be proud of him and offers him the opportunity to come inside and enjoy some tea. Sato, though, mentions that he has responsibilities and associating himself with people who endanger them. With that, Sato leaves.
Hiroto drops off his family at a local hotel. As they enter their room, Junko talks to Hiroto about how Tozawa brought them to the point they're at now, for which Hiroto takes responsibility. Junko demands that Hiroto end it all now, in favor of his children, and Hiroto hugs his wife and promises her that he will.
Returning home to her apartment, Samantha puts the gun away in her safe spot and enters her room; she finds Sato lying on her bed. Samantha asks what is happening, and he answers that his brother is safe. Glad to hear that, Samantha gets into bed with Sato, and when Sato asks if Samantha is alright, she asks to talk about it tomorrow. Understanding, Sato hugs Samantha.
Looking outside his apartment window with a dour look on his face, Jake decides to use a payphone to contact his family. His father, Edward, answers, and Jake starts his conversation by asking about Jessica, which Edward offers to put on the phone, but Jake denies claiming, he wants to talk with him. Jake then confesses that a man threatened to kill him and everyone over there, which Edward snaps at, but cools down when Jake asks for his help. Edward then asks what the man said to Jake, and he responds that he threatened to come after his family if he didn't stop writing. The answer confuses Edward as he considers the man to be bluffing, but Jake doesn't believe he is. Asking for his father's advice on how he should proceed, Edward tells Jake that he should finish what he started but suggests that he needs to be careful and try not to be a hero. Before ending his conversation with Jake, Edward tells him that he's proud of Jake, and Jake tells Edward he loves him, and he reciprocates the sentiment.
Jake then enters the restaurant under his apartment and greets Tanaka there, who serves him a beer. On the news, it was announced that the Prime Minister was resigning due to health concerns. Emi would watch this beside her superior Ozaki and asked him if he had any notion of this, which he denied. The newscast continues where it's announced that the Prime Minister's successor would be Jotaro Shigematsu. When he stopped to comment about the situation, Shigematsu said he was surprised, like everyone else, and expressed concern for the prime minister. Emi then comments that "he" holds the strings now. Ozaki asks who Emi is talking about, but she keeps quiet about whom she spoke of.
Watching the newscast from his place was Tozawa, who had a cheeky grin as Kazuko sat by him with a worried look on her face.
==Characters==
* Jake Adelstein
* Hiroto Katagiri
* Shoko Nagata
* Samantha Porter
* Akiro Sato
* Emi Maruyama
* Kei Maruyama
* Shingo (Mentioned)
* Trendy
* Tin-Tin
* Yabuki
* Tozawa
* Hagino
* Misaki
* Funaki
* Kazuko Tozawa
* Inaba
* Jason Aoki
* Jotaro Shigematsu
* Lynn Oberfield 
* Gen
* Kume (Mentioned)
* Hitoshi Ishida (Mentioned)
* Erika
* Daichi (Mentioned)
* Baku
* Akira
* Polina
* Naoki Hayama
* Kaito Sato
* Ota (Indirectly mentioned)
* Jin Miyamoto (Mentioned)
* Rie Sato
* Junko Katagiri
* Shino Katagiri
* Natsumi Katagiri
* Edward Adelstein
* Jessica Adelstein (Mentioned)
* Wilma Adelstein (Indirectly mentioned)
* Tanaka
* Ozaki
==Episode Images==
Episode 16 Image 1.jpg
Episode 16 Image 2.jpg
Episode 16 Image 4.jpg
Episode 16 Image 5.jpg
Episode 16 Image 6.jpg
Episode 16 Image 7.jpg
Episode 16 Image 8.jpg
Episode 16 Image 9.jpg
Episode 16 Image 10.jpg
==Trivia==
==References==
Category:Episodes