Episode 5: The choice
Prime Minister Hiraishi, who had been knifed at Hakenmura, is assassinated; and Sakiko, who had been entrusted with her ex-husband’s research data, gets involved in an accident and loses her life. At the same moment, the data on ‘God Corn’ is stolen.
Meanwhile, the mysterious man who has the usb drive approaches Kira to negotiate an exchange. He leaves Kira with words, “If the price you state is the same as the one I have in mind, we have a deal.” Kira sends Ogura to negotiate, reasoning that the man must have felt some affinity with Ogura to have defied Kira’s orders to kill him …
At that same moment, a discussion about the prime minister-elect is held by key members of the government, who come to terms with Prime Minister Hiraishi’s death. It is between Muto and Kawakubo. Will it be experience or youth that will win the day? Muto is informally appointed to be the next prime minister of Japan and carry on the late Prime Minister Hiraishi’s “dying wish” despite his reluctance. It would be a folly to jostle for leadership in such a critical time.
Suzuki pays a visit to Muto just as the latter contemplates the implications of becoming the prime minister-elect. Therefore, Suzuki’s willingness to allow the government to cultivate ‘God Corn’ is a godsend even though it comes with the conditions to set up a food production agency to oversee the cultivation of ‘God Corn’ and appoint Suzuki to head the agency. If the agency is set up within a month, they will be able to harvest and process the maize within 75 days. Muto is skeptical about the political reform required to set up a new government agency, but if nothing is done, Japan will plunge into a serious state of starvation by autumn. ‘God Corn’ will be the government’s trump card and Muto is not without ambition …
A triumphant Muto announces to the media that Suzuki has agreed to give control of the production of ‘God Corn’ to the government. Kira calls Suzuki to express his displeasure because they had a prior arrangement, but Suzuki will not have anything to do with him, and hangs up.
Shuko, who has been transferred to the Community Safety Division, locates Suzuki at his research laboratory in Nagano prefecture. She tells Suzuki that the people connected to ‘God Corn’ will meet with misfortune, but Suzuki declares that some sacrifice is inevitable to make ‘God Corn’ a practical reality. Seeing Suzuki’s transformation with her own eyes, Shuko is lost for words. “In other words, you’re saying a person who kills one person is a criminal, while a person who kills 10,000 people is a hero? Doesn’t that make you the same as a dictator?!” she asks him with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Knowing that Muto is trying overcome the food crisis with ‘God Corn’ as his trump card, the crafty Kawakubo devises a scheme to stop its development by the government. He presents the key members of the government with documents that cast doubts on the safety of genetically modified food, and bluntly informs Muto that he will not support the new cabinet if Muto presses on with the establishment of the government agency.
Muto calls Suzuki to tell him about the complications that have arisen and his suspicion that Kawakubo is brokering a deal with the Americans to hand over ‘God Corn’ in exchange for imports of grain. But this is not what Suzuki wishes to hear, and he hangs up on him …
Kira has just had his offer of 10 billion yen for the research data in the usb drive rejected by that mysterious man when Suzuki unexpectedly calls and asks to meet him alone at the research laboratory. Although Kira is unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice, he complies with the request.
Leaving Ogura with the instructions to come for him if he does not return in two hours, Kira makes his way to Nagano prefecture.
At the research laboratory, Suzuki proposes to collaborate again. Kira readily agrees for those who control food, will control the world. However, Suzuki wants the right of representation … of Kira’s company, Kira’s Holdings! “Prepare the paperwork,” Suzuki tells Kira before walking away and locking the door behind him. Realising that Suzuki intends to confine him until he agrees to his terms, Kira’s initial bemusement turns to sobriety.
On the other hand, Suzuki, who is monitoring Kira from a remote screen, notices that the words on the computer screen in front of him have grown blur. The blurred vision does not go away even though he looks elsewhere before refocusing on the screen. He gets to his feet and takes a step, but suddenly collapses on the floor …
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