Episode 14: The 10 billion yen gamble
Iki, who has returned to his post at Kinki Corporation’s Tokyo headquarters, is appointed to be the senior managing director. This means that he is Kinki Corporation’s number two man after Daimon.
Then, half a year later in December 1970, Hyodo, obtains information that an oil field in Iran is on the market, and makes a direct plea to Iki to let him work on oil development. He says there is also a possibility that the oil field on the market this time, is the Sarvestan oil field which he has had his eye on for some time. Knowing Hyodo’s strong determination to take all his chances with oil development, Iki instructs him to head to Iran at once. At the same time, Iki swings into action to introduce Iran’s liquified natural gas to Kanto Power as part of economic cooperation with Iran.
Iki visits Daimon and immediately broaches the topic of oil development. The cost of oil development is about 20 billion yen. If oil can be extracted, a profit of more than 100 billion yen is expected. Kinki Corporation can get up to fifty percent support from Japanese petroleum companies for the cost of development. Even if the development fails, Kinki Corporation will be exempt from repayment, but 10 billion yen in expenses would have gone to waste. Daimon avoids making a decision on the spot.
Meanwhile, Hyodo makes Kinki Corporation’s Tehran office his base and starts information gathering but is unable to find out which field is up for sale. Unable to curb his impatience, Hyodo communicates with an anonymous broker, whom he had been in contact with on several occasions in the past, in order to meet the head of the Iran Oil Company. However, that plan ends in failure because of Hyodo’s mistake.
In the midst of this, Iki visits the office of Takenaka, the international lobbyist whose cooperation he had enlisted during the third Middle East war. There, Iki obtains information that Habash, the former oil minister of Libya who is now an oil consultant, knows about the field which is on the market in Iran. He contacts Hyodo and orders him to travel to Paris where Habash is staying.
Arriving in Paris, Hyodo sets up an appointment with Habash and visits the hotel where he is staying. However, Habash will not meet Hyodo because he is very busy. Then, Beniko appears before Hyodo. She does not have time now because she has an appointment to go to the riding club, but spontaneously promises that she will wait for him at the hotel’s bar tonight.
That night, Hyodo meets Beniko at the hotel’s bar. Having heard that Hyodo’s performance has boosted the results of Kinki Corporation’s Petroleum Division, Beniko perceives that he has come to meet Habash. Then, the voice of a foreigner who seems to be Beniko’s acquaintance calls out to her. Hyodo gets up from his seat and is about to go back to the company when Beniko introduces that man to him. The man is actually Habash.
Hyodo discovers through Habash’s information that the Sarvestan oil field is indeed the one on the market this time and reports this to Iki. In response to this, Iki obtains Daimon’s consent and goes to meet Kaizuka, who is now the president of the state-run Japan Oil Corporation.
Meeting Kaizuka again for the first time in ten years, Iki asks him for his help in the international bid for the Sarvestan oil field. Kaizuka finds out that Iki came to meet him in person without lobbying the politicians and is put in a good mood. He promises Iki that he will see to it at his own discretion. That night, Iki calls Chisato when he returns home. Chisato seems busy with a Japanese pottery exhibition. Iki apologises for the time when Makoto came to his apartment, and tells Chisato that he wants her to contact him when she comes to Tokyo.
In the midst of this, Samejima visits Kaizuka. Tokyo Corporation has also set its sights on the Sarvestan oil field. Learning that Kaizuka’s support has already been enlisted by Kinki Corporation for the Sarvestan oil field from what Kaizuka says, Samejima calls up Kamio, the managing director of Goryo Corporation, and Arita, the managing director of Goi Trading, and appeals to them to form a consortium.
Satoi, who is recuperating at home, hears of the oil development from Kakuta. Angry that he has been told about it after the fact, Satoi makes Kakuta promise to report the details from now on.
Iki contacts Kaizuka regarding the preparations for the bid but is not able to meet him because he is out. That night, Chisato visits when Iki is having dinner. “I wanted to see you …” Chisato murmurs as Iki she is hugged by him.
The next morning, Iki is eating the breakfast that Chisato has prepared when Naoko comes by. She says she has brought offerings for her mother’s altar. Iki introduces Naoko to Chisato. “She just came,” he says, attempting to smooth over the situation. After Naoko leaves, Iki and Chisato continue with breakfast without saying a word. Then, Chisato asks Iki how he will cover up if someone comes next, and her words pierce his heart.
Several days later, Iki is contacted by Kaizuka and heads to Japan Oil Corporation. However, he sees Kamoi and Arita waiting in the meeting room. Before long, Samejima also appears. Then Kaizuka comes in and announces that Goryo Corporation, Goi Trading, Tokyo Corporation and Kinki Corporation, the four companies interested in the Sarvestan oil field, will form a consortium for the international bid. Furthermore, Kinki Corporation’s controlling share is only an insulting ten percent in contrast to the thirty percent that the other companies have. Iki is shaken with anger …
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