Tokyo Salad Bowl:Episode 5 was a much more in-depth episode. What did Takeda Rena say as "Interpreter Imai"? Which way did viewers feel?

The fifth episode of the NHK drama series "Tokyo Salad Bowl" (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring actors Nao and Ryuhei Matsuda, aired on February 4th, and became a hot topic among viewers, with comments such as "What can I say, this week really goes deep" and "This episode really makes you think."

The drama is based on the manga "Tokyo Salad Bowl - International Investigation Case File" by Kuromaru, who is also known for "Kurosagi." Set in Tokyo, where about 700,000 foreign residents live, Nao plays a green-haired police officer in an international investigation, and together with Ryo Yukino, a Chinese interpreter played by Matsuda, they work together to pick up the lives of those who are on the verge of falling out of Japanese society. It is a socially conscious entertainment drama.

The subtitle of the fifth episode is "Tien and Susumu". A tablet of a resident is stolen from a nursing home. Koda (Nao) investigates the Vietnamese care staff member, Tien (Nguyen Truong Khang), who is suspected of the theft.

Vietnamese interpreter Imai (Takeda Rena) discovers bruises on Tien's body. Imai is depressed by the harsh reality of foreign workers, but Yukino (Matsuda Ryuhei) comforts her. While searching for the truth, Koda finds Hayakawa (Kodai Kurosaki), a care staff member whom Tien called "friend".

Towards the end of the film, Tien’s colleague Betsushima (Kameda Yoshiaki), who has always treated Tien like a nuisance, says the following during questioning.

"When the number of foreigners increases, public safety deteriorates and crime increases. That's what happened in Europe with its immigration policies. And yet Japan is also saying we need to increase the number of foreigners, more and more. So what will happen then? Once minorities are no longer a minority, they'll inevitably start clamoring for more rights. And forget about your position as someone who is working in Japan!"

Imai, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, stopped Betsushima as he was leaving and began by saying, "I'm saying this for the future." He then said in a strong tone, "We are not making foreigners work for us. We are having them work for us. Japan's population is declining, the number of children is decreasing, and there is not enough labor or spending power to maintain the current society. This country can no longer survive on Japanese people alone. I'm not saying you should force yourself to love foreigners, but even if you view them as enemies and try to exclude them, you won't be able to protect your place in the world. As someone who lives in the same society, you have to at least accept them. It will only make you suffer. Japan is going to change."

On social media, viewers responded to Besshima and Imai's "true feelings" about foreign workers, which they each expressed from their own perspective. Some people commented, "Imai-san, you said it well," "That's a very critical line for today's society," and "You put into words everything I wanted to say," while others said, "But there are also people who can't accept this change at all..." and "I don't really agree with today's content. If they keep saying nice things, Japanese people will no longer be able to live safely."

Furthermore, comments such as "It's a real problem, isn't it...", "I particularly like this episode in the original, but it's difficult to translate it into film...", "This is a really in-depth episode", "The last episode was good, but this one was just too good, just too amazing, the script was just too good", "It moves me every time I watch it", and "It's a wonderful work that teaches me things and gives me new realizations every time I watch it" were also posted one after another.