America: My Time

Chapter 1038 The Changes in Neon Lights

Chapter 1028 The Changes in Neon Lights

Has John gone mad? No one would think that. In the eyes of most people, this integration is more suitable for the development of Westinghouse Electric. Moreover, Westinghouse Electric’s side businesses have been broken up, so Westinghouse Electric’s appearance has changed dramatically. At this time, no one cares about Westinghouse Electric’s cooperation with China. What people care about more is Westinghouse Electric’s great development in the future!

Although the White House knew that Western Energy was negotiating with China on cooperation in the power sector, they did not stop it. After all, this was a civilian cooperation, and although there was also a lot of technical cooperation involved, Donkey couldn't stop it at this time. After all, they had already done a lot, and continuing would only provoke John's dissatisfaction and might even destroy the relationship that had been painstakingly improved. Under these circumstances, they simply ignored the cooperation and tacitly approved the cooperation between Western Energy and China.

At this time, the Smith family also decided to return to the United States. However, before leaving, Smith asked, "John, are you really not going back to the United States? Aren't you afraid that the integration of Westinghouse Electric will cause problems, and that the development of Western Energy will also be affected? This is no small matter. It's not a good thing that you've been staying outside the United States all this time!"

"Dad, don't worry, everything is fine. There are professionals handling it, and think tank personnel are keeping an eye on things, so there won't be too many problems. Besides, the interests in the US aren't that great, and I can't appear in front of the public too much. What I need to do now is to stay behind the scenes and leave everything to the professional management team. Compared to the US, I have more faith in China's potential and in the development of Asia."

John didn't want to go back to the US at this time because he knew the situation in the Middle East would change. The Americans had always wanted to stabilize the Middle East so that Israel and its allies could digest their previous gains. Most importantly, they wanted to give them the time and energy to target Saddam Hussein, who was the US's biggest concern.

If John were to return to the US at this time, he feared a lot of trouble would fall on him again. Those bastards, Donkey, would come after him again, along with those guys from Oil Capital. This was not a situation John wanted to see, nor could he accept it. If he returned to the US now, his previous plans would be wasted, he would be targeted by those guys again, and become the focus of media attention once more—which conflicted with John's plans!

“Alright then, with you here, we can feel more at ease!” John’s parents didn’t intend to interfere with his decision, especially since it involved business matters. John was no longer the same person he used to be; the trials and tribulations of the past decade had changed him drastically, and they knew very little about business management.

After seeing his family off, John breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. During this time, his parents had been trying to persuade him about his personal life, but John was unwilling to accept it. Now that John's status had changed, his parents were under a lot of pressure, since they often encountered similar issues themselves.

John breathed a sigh of relief, but the situation in Japan was quite different. The Japanese guys could see through John's hidden 'reminder' about the arrangements for Miho Nakayama and Yasuko Sawaguchi. Faced with this situation, many people were dissatisfied, feeling that John was too arrogant. Mitsui had already offered compensation, but this guy was still so greedy, which made them very unhappy and extremely angry.

But just as they were getting angry, news gradually came from the United States that John intended to abandon his investments in Japan, especially in real estate, because of Japan's previous betrayal. The Akihabara project would be their only project, which shocked many Japanese companies and the Japanese government.

The Akihabara project is progressing steadily, and thanks to John's large investment, the real estate around Akihabara is recovering, although the rate of increase is not high, since the transformation of Akihabara is not yet complete. However, this is already a positive change and proves that John's plan is feasible. But now John wants to give up his investment in Japan, which is hard for many people to accept. At this time, their attention is focused on those who are targeting John.

This situation immediately sparked complaints within Japan. Opportunities were clearly visible, but the foolishness of some individuals threatened to squander them, infuriating everyone, especially the struggling real estate companies. The Mandarin Oriental Group has now withdrawn, ceasing all other investments, and is once again focusing its attention on the US, China, and its Southeast Asian expansion. South Korea is also included. With the Asian financial crisis looming in a few years, John naturally needs to strategically position himself beforehand, entering these countries early and making more investments. These investments are all financed by loans, but collateral is not a concern, given John already has substantial assets in Southeast Asian countries.

This isn't just about companies like the Mandarin Oriental Group expanding; there are other businesses too, including 7-Eleven convenience stores, automobiles, entertainment, and more. And this time, because they have substantial assets in Southeast Asian countries, and even in South Korea, getting loans directly from their banks is no problem at all. Moreover, since these companies are all high-quality assets, they naturally obtained everything they wanted very quickly.

Bentley Motors quickly completed its layout in Southeast Asia. After all, in the eyes of these countries, the entry of Bentley Motors was a good thing for them. As for mine acquisitions, other acquisitions were also being carried out at a frenzy. It can be said that both Western Energy and Quantum Mining were rapidly expanding in Southeast Asia.

While some have noticed John's aggressive investments in Asia, many others feel his decisions are a bit too reckless, as they will put considerable pressure on his companies. However, the Japanese don't see it that way. In their view, many of John's investments are specifically targeted at Japan, and now that they've landed in Southeast Asian countries, it only fuels their anger.

John's investments are largely in the tourism sector, which aligns perfectly with his previous discussions in Japan. So, it's natural that they would have such ideas. However, they are powerless to change things now, because someone foolishly betrayed John, which led to this turn of events.

“Mr. Morita, we need to make changes. If things continue like this, it won't be good for us. After all, Sony also has real estate companies, and they're all in trouble. If we can't turn things around, it will be a disaster for us. According to our investigation, Mr. John's planned construction project at the Osaka Port has been suspended. This has seriously affected our development. Now that the real estate market is in a slump, we don't have many work commitments, which is a huge burden!”

Japanese companies cannot easily lay off employees, and large companies like Sony need to pay even more attention to this issue. Now that they have learned that John's other investments in Osaka and Japan are to be suspended, it has caused a significant impact on them, and many companies have been affected!
At this point, people naturally thought of the old man Akio Morita again. Among the Mitsui Group, Sony was the least affected, or even not affected at all. The 'friendship' between this old man and John played an important role, which made many people turn their attention to Akio Morita once again.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but I'm powerless to do so. It's not that I don't want to try my best, but that I really can't. As you all know, there are still many dissenting voices within our ranks. Many people feel that we shouldn't compromise and that they want to continue to insist. Some even think that John's proposed tourism development is the wrong path and is aimed at Japan's manufacturing industry. But everyone knows the current state of the manufacturing industry, so I can't help you!"

"Mr. Morita is right. Those bastards are short-sighted and all think they know everything. Japan's tourism industry used to be very developed, and it benefited a lot from its cooperation with Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment. However, with the deterioration of relations between the two sides, especially the betrayal of those Chaos, this development has been affected. This has forced Mr. John to shift his investments to Southeast Asia and other Asian countries, especially South Korea and China, where he has received tremendous help. We must change all of this, after all, we need to make those guys bow their heads and admit their mistakes."

"That's right, those guys must admit their mistakes. They have to take responsibility and pay the price for their mistakes. We can't let them affect us too. Besides, we don't see a recovery in the manufacturing industry in the short term. If we don't develop tourism to stabilize the economy, Japan will fall into an even bigger predicament!"

These guys in Japan aren't stupid. They naturally understand that John's suggestion is right. The development of tourism will allow Japan to reverse its current predicament without paying a heavy price. Moreover, the development of tourism will reduce the unemployment rate and stabilize the current situation in Japan. After all, Japan has become incredibly chaotic, which makes many people uneasy!
Sony is keenly aware of all this, as the entertainment industry is constantly evolving with more people entering it. Karaoke, nightclubs, pachinko parlors, internet cafes, and other entertainment venues have all undergone significant changes, and these changes have had a considerable impact on Sony as well!
(End of this chapter)