[SP] Harassment Game (2020)

Synopsis

One year has passed since Akitsu Wataru (Karasawa Toshiaki), the compliance director of Maruo Holdings which is an established major supermarket chain, took responsibility for the takeover of the company headquarters and assumed the position of branch manager of Maruo Supermarket’s Hakodate branch in Hokkaido. He suddenly receives a phone call from Wakita Haruo (Takashima Masahiro) who is now the CEO. Wakita has an urgent mission for him. He wants Akitsu to solve a problem that happened at the Minato Mirai branch as a temporary specially appointed compliance officer. Akitsu rushes to Yokohama and learns from the branch manager Kajikawa Masao (Tsukamoto Takashi) that an employee called Kano Hatsumi (Karata Erika) tried to kill herself by jumping off the rooftop of the store late in the night two days ago. She survived and has been hospitalised but says she did this because she was forced to work overtime by the assistant store manager Nakamura Hajime (Hagiwara Masato). Although Nakamura denies this, Hatsumi seems to have consulted Kajikawa. Akitsu determines that it is only a matter of time before the matter leaks out and heads to the headquarters to quickly announce this publicly. However, Mizutani Itsuro (Sano Shiro) has become the director of compliance. Akitsu’s former subordinate Takamura Makoto (Hirose Alice) has trouble with Mizutani’s lack of drive. Together with the legal adviser Yazawa Kotaro (Furukawa Yuki) invited by Akitsu, the former members work to settle the controversy. The press conference convened by Wakita results in stirs up a storm of criticism online and on television talk shows. There is also a drastic decline in customers at all outlets. Kajikawa declares that they should have Nakamura resign. At this juncture, the organisation that Akitsu fears the most swings into action. Known as Katoku, it is special unit of elite inspectors set up by the Tokyo and Osaka labour bureaus to eliminate overwork. Samejima Saeko (Nakama Yukie), the fearsome “man-eating shark” who busts big companies with an unusual combativeness, shows up at the Minato Mirai branch. She starts a thorough on-site inspection, suspecting poor working conditions, and soon gets to the truth hidden behind the suicide controversy that was considered to be an abuse of authority. Will Akitsu be able to save Maruo Holdings?