Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 346 Materials Chemistry
After nearly half a year of discussions, Xinghai Group finally reached cooperation agreements with Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.

Of these, Shanghai invested US$15 billion, while Beijing and Guangzhou each invested US$5 million.

The collaborative projects are diverse, including not only the electronics manufacturing industry, which is a key focus of Xinghai Group, but also traditional industries such as food, clothing, and construction.

Such a large project naturally cannot be entrusted to the Chinese branch of Xinghai Group.

Therefore, the day after the initial negotiation agreement was reached, Masato Takeshita took his private plane to Shanghai.

The young man couldn't relax on the plane either; he pointed to the three large stacks of documents in front of him and asked a question.

"Are these all materials related to the domestic semiconductor industry?"

"Yes, it contains all the information you need."

Which report covers materials and semiconductors?

In the semiconductor industry chain, Xinghai Group lacks expertise in the upstream materials sector. Supply disruptions would severely impact Xinghai Group's semiconductor business strategy.

He cannot tolerate such a situation and must be fully prepared.

"It's the one on the far left."

"Hmm, it's very well organized. You can go and rest now."

"Yes, President!"

After speaking, Miho Uchida respectfully and slowly withdrew from her chairman's private office on the private jet.

After seeing the Secretary-General off, Masato Takeshita solemnly opened the development materials on Japan's semiconductor materials field.

He had assumed that after excluding companies affiliated with Japan's six major conglomerates, the information would only show small and medium-sized companies or industry giants.

Unexpectedly, the very first materials company that came into view gave him a big surprise.

"It's really unexpected that Shin-Etsu Chemical, a long-established chemical company, is not one of Japan's old-style large zaibatsu."

Shin-Etsu Chemical was founded before World War II. Generally speaking, such chemical companies belong to old large conglomerates such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

"But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Shin-Etsu Chemical is a chemical giant that has grown up along with the semiconductor industry."

Before World War II, Shin-Etsu Chemical had a certain degree of recognition, but it was not worth the attention of large conglomerates like Mitsubishi.

Because these large conglomerates all have their own chemical companies, and they are doing better than Shin-Etsu Chemical.

Later, with the development of the electronics and semiconductor industries, Shin-Etsu Chemical, which focuses on semiconductor materials such as photoresist and large silicon wafers, developed into a Japanese chemical giant.

Annual sales have also repeatedly reached new highs, growing from less than 5000 billion yen in 1994 to 2 trillion yen in 2020, surpassing several long-established chemical giants in Japan.

"Wow, the profit margin is so high, this is a bit tricky."

Shin-Etsu Chemical is one of the few companies that continued to grow rapidly after the bursting of Japan's bubble economy.

What's even more problematic is that this company is highly profitable, with a profit margin exceeding 20%.

Xinghai Group wants to make the acquisition, but simply throwing money at it won't be enough; they also need to ensure that the family controlling it behind the scenes gains even more benefits.

"Huh, is that even possible?"

Unwilling to give up, Takeshita Masato frowned and scrolled down, when he suddenly made an unexpected discovery.

Shin-Etsu Chemical was founded by Jusaburo Koshi, but during the company's development, the Kosaka family, to which the third president belonged, gradually became the dominant family in Shin-Etsu Chemical.

The Shin family, having lost control of the company, was extremely dissatisfied and constantly fought against the Kosaka family.

Since there is internal strife within the company, this presents an opportunity for Xinghai Group.

"Let me see, very good, the acquisition opportunity is even greater."

Besides internal strife, another major advantage for Xinghai Group in acquiring Shin-Etsu Chemical came from Inamori Valve.

Shin-Etsu Chemical experienced a period of decline in the 1960s and 70s, but eventually rose again under the leadership of President Shintaro Odagiri, a graduate of Waseda University.

Shintaro Odagiri is thus known as the revivalist of Shin-Etsu Chemical and wields enormous influence within the company.

If Masato Takeshita can persuade this senior to act as an intermediary, there is a greater chance of success.

Besides Shin-Etsu Chemical, the information also lists hundreds of other companies, large and small.

Most young people don't know much about these companies.

But that's okay, let's put the big companies aside for now and invest a little money in each of the smaller companies.

In addition, small and medium-sized companies with industry monopolies directly engage in mergers and acquisitions.

It won't cost much anyway, so it doesn't matter if I lose money later.

Of course, these are all aimed at semiconductor material companies that young people don't know much about.

He needed to handle the later-era semiconductor materials industry giants he was familiar with, such as Tokyo Ohka Kogyo and JSR Corporation, with care.

These two companies dominate the global photoresist market and must be treated with utmost care to avoid losing their innovative capabilities.

"I didn't expect there to be a company in the glass panel field. But it's still too early. Xinghai Group's LCD screens are still in the laboratory stage. It's not too late to wait."

The LCD industry experienced a major boom after the Asian financial crisis, and entering the glass materials industry at that time would have saved a lot of money.

Besides these prominent semiconductor material companies, companies involved in lithography machine components are also a focus of attention for young people.

However, many of these are well-known large Japanese companies, and the young man was powerless to help them.

After carefully reviewing all the materials, Masato Takeshita wrote down his handling opinions for each company.

He was more familiar with some companies and less familiar with others. He highlighted the companies with industry monopolies, while those with average development were left unmarked.

The young man busied himself organizing the materials for over two hours before finally putting them down. He then stretched and prepared to go for a walk.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Miho Uchida waiting respectfully at the door.

He said gently, "Thank you for your hard work, Uchida-san. How much longer until we arrive in Shanghai?"

"In another 20 minutes, the plane will arrive in Shanghai smoothly."

"Okay, let's go over there and rest for a while."

"Yes, President."

I ate something casually in the cabin and drank a Coke, and the plane landed at Shanghai Airport on time.

This time, the welcoming procession was even larger than the last one.

The two officials from Shanghai arrived at the scene together.

This is a $15 billion investment. It can both boost Shanghai's economic development and help create some jobs for the city's workforce.

Shanghai is also a major city for state-owned enterprises, and it faces the same problems that old industrial bases also need to address.

Since both sides had already reached a consensus, the investment agreement was quickly signed after both lawyers reviewed the contract.

The day after the contract was signed, Xinghai Group started construction in Shanghai.

Even Masato Takeshita, the head of the Xinghai Group, had to dig a shovel of earth to carry out a vanity project.

Of course, what matters is not the amount of soil, but the attitude.

Projects personally overseen by the chairman will be given greater attention by those in charge, and efforts will be made to reduce corruption.

As for elimination, that would require all humans to become robots.

As long as no major problems arise, that should be enough to satisfy the young people.

After finishing in Shanghai, the young man rushed to Beijing as if attending a series of events.

As usual, they arrived at the small villa in the inner ring road and checked into Lin Qingqian's home.

"You, what is this...?"

Looking at her Chinese lover who was constantly touching his belly and whose face was radiating maternal glow, Masato Takeshita had some vague guesses in her mind, but she didn't dare to be completely sure.

Seeing his hesitation, the girl decisively interjected, "Yes, it's what you think, I'm pregnant."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Masato Takeshita never expected that his girlfriend, who seemed no different from usual on the phone, would give him such a big surprise.

He was so happy that he wanted to hug his lover to celebrate, but then he took a step back, embarrassed, because he remembered that he was pregnant.

Most unborn babies are very fragile and cannot withstand much stress.

"Ah."

Seeing her lover so happy, Lin Qingqian felt much relieved. She gave her boyfriend a light hug with a smile, then continued to ask with a smile.

"When will the signing take place during this trip to Beijing?"

"No rush, let's go in a few days."

Masato Takeshita was filled with joy and completely put his work aside.

"No, you have to go tomorrow."

The girl sternly pushed away her lover's hand that was touching her stomach, not wanting to have a negative impact on Xinghai Group because of herself.

"This, okay."

Thinking that this was the capital city and that it would only take two days, the young man bit his lip and agreed.

China is the most important market for Xinghai Group outside of Japan, so it's best not to neglect it because of personal matters.

But that's all for tomorrow; no one should disturb his sweet moment with his lover today.

"Yes, during the Spring Festival, or after New Year's Day?"

"During the Spring Festival."

"It seems our child will be born in winter."

"Well, isn't that great? You were also born in winter."

"Hehe, it's all the same, it's all the same. Winter or summer is fine."

Good times always pass quickly, and the young man had to leave early the next morning.

"Go ahead, I'm fine. It'll be time soon, so don't be late."

Lin Qingqian pushed her lover's arm, not letting him linger at home.

"Okay, then I'll come back early today."

After saying that, Masato Takeshita gently kissed his girlfriend's cheek before leaving the house, turning back to look at her every step of the way.

The young man was very anxious, but some things can't be rushed.

If problems arise with the contract,

If something is in your best interest, you risk offending the other party, and the relationship between the two parties will deteriorate rapidly.

If it benefits the other side, then one will suffer a loss. A mere financial loss wouldn't be so bad; the real concern is whether it violates the rules of the Bald Eagle.

The Bald Eagle was too powerful in the 90s, and the youth worried that the Xinghai Group would be targeted.

Besides the contract, a celebratory banquet was also essential.

Fortunately, everyone knew he didn't drink alcohol, thus avoiding the possibility of him getting drunk and unconscious.

At 10 p.m., Masato Takeshita returned home and looked apologetically at his lover.

"Sorry for getting back so late."

"It's okay, work is important."

Lin Qingqian shook her head slightly, then happily took the young man's arm and walked into the house.

"Wait a moment, I'll go wash my face first."

"Okay, what kind of fruit would you like to eat?"

"Grapes, do you have any left at home?"

"Yes, I'll get it right away."

Whether in Japan or China, a variety of fruits are indispensable in every household, and they are changed daily.

"It's very sweet, would you like some?"

"Okay, then I'll eat a few."

The girl didn't particularly like grapes; she preferred apples and oranges.

After the two of them were all lovey-dovey for a while, Masato Takeshita finally asked seriously.

"Given this situation, should we still get married in June?"

"Yes, I'm fine with it."

The girl wanted to give her family an explanation and didn't want her parents and relatives to worry about her.

"Okay, then find a designer to make the wedding dress so that it doesn't show your belly. Then keep the wedding process simple and get it done quickly."

"Well, it's up to you."

After finalizing their marriage plans, the couple began discussing how to simplify the process.

After hearing his girlfriend's plan, Masato Takeshita simply said...

"I don't think it's necessary to go through all that trouble. We can just give each guest a computer."

"If you don't want it, you can get a free refund or exchange it for the equivalent cash within two weeks."

"This way, you get both prestige and substance, and it doesn't cost much."

The number of relatives in both families is unlikely to exceed a thousand at most. An expenditure of less than one million US dollars perfectly solves all the problems.

"Well, that's fine too."

Lin Qingqian also realized that spending money was the easiest way to simplify the process.

In any case, the guests who receive the expensive gifts will imagine that the couple is busy on their honeymoon abroad or wants more time alone together.

I would never think that he was trying to save money or that he looked down on the woman.

"By the way, all I know is that they get along quite well. Could you tell me more about it?"

After the Spring Festival, the two confessed the situation to their parents.

At first, both sides were naturally surprised, especially Lin's parents, but under their insistence, they had no choice but to shirk responsibility.

As children grow older, their parents' opinions can no longer be a decisive factor.

Since we've accepted everything, then let's meet each other's parents.

Feeling embarrassed, the young man left everything to his parents. They had plenty of time and could take their time.

"It's great. Although I can't quite understand what the other person is saying, we get along very well."

Both families are middle-class, with the girl's family being slightly better off. Their thinking is not very different, so they don't feel awkward getting along.

If Masato Takeshita were to marry someone from a wealthy family, his parents would feel uncomfortable.

"That's fine, that's fine."

"Yes, it's okay, don't worry."

The girl patted her boyfriend's big hand and gently comforted him, showing none of her former coldness.

Then the young man suddenly remembered something, "By the way, have you told them you're pregnant?"

Lin Qingqian couldn't help but twitch her lips. "Silly girl, if I tell them, wouldn't that be the same as telling you?"

Put Lin's parents aside for now; the young man's own parents will definitely tell him right away.

"Uh, I must have been stupid."

The young man chuckled and slapped his forehead, then asked again.

Are you planning to tell them or not?

"Let's wait a bit longer, there's no rush."

"Oh, that's how it is."

In the following period, Masato Takeshita quickly completed the cooperation with Beijing and Guangzhou, and then immediately returned to Beijing.

He planned to spend more time with his girlfriend, until she started to get a little impatient.

As for competing with Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola for Chinese soft drink factories, he left it all to the head of Xinghai Group's China operations.

I'll just spend more money. Nothing's more important than spending time with my girl these days.

(End of this chapter)