America: My Time

Chapter 1066 Neon Lights That Move the Heart
Chapter 1056 Neon Lights Stir My Heart
Faced with John's enticing offer, the Japanese were in a dilemma. They all knew that once they agreed, they couldn't tamper with John's exchange anymore. Moreover, if so many supplies were transferred to Japan, it would indeed benefit them, at least alleviating their current burden.

Japan is well aware of John's crude oil reserves in various Asian countries. At least Japan's crude oil reserves have been rapidly recovering, and most of the crude oil comes from Russia, as does South Korea. The largest crude oil reserves are in China, which are astonishingly large and continue to expand, leaving many people wondering what John is trying to do.

If they had John's foresight, knowing the future surge in oil prices, they would have made similar reserves. After all, having crude oil on hand would recoup their investment many times over. It's important to understand that commodities like crude oil aren't readily available; you can't just buy them whenever you want, nor can you acquire them directly. John's crude oil reserves are minimal in the Middle East because he finds it difficult to obtain larger quantities.

John is now expanding his crude oil reserves not only in Asia, but also in Europe and the United States. His early entry into the market is aimed at completing his own cycle without alerting anyone or causing significant market fluctuations.

Many people believe that John has a lot of crude oil stored in China, but with China's rapid development, that amount of crude oil is insignificant. Moreover, John is well aware that this amount of reserves is far from enough, otherwise why would he continue to expand crude oil storage? Major refineries are all carrying out second-phase expansions because of China's huge demand.

Where did all that Russian steel production go? Most of it ended up in John's hands, bartering it for food and other products. Now, most of that steel is stored in China, South Korea, and Taiwan. As for Japan, after that unpleasant incident with John, most of their trade with them was cut off.

For ordinary businessmen who only engage in trade, getting these guys from Japan to compromise is not an easy task. But John is different. Quantum Mining is a mining giant and a smelting giant, and Western Energy is an energy giant. Moreover, they have their own mines and oil fields all over the world, which can guarantee that the exchange has a sufficient share of resources!

John didn't rush to get the Japanese to agree to his terms; he needed time to consider. Seeing their expressions, he steered the conversation back to loans, discussing them with the Japanese banking tycoons. These men were all incredibly shocked when they learned of John's development plan. However, despite their shock, they were even more convinced that John's loans would be secure, and they all assured them that he would offer the lowest possible interest rate.

After negotiating the loan with the banks, John then spoke with other people. If some had previously worried that John's expansion was too reckless, that he shouldn't be rushing into the food industry and acquiring giants like Cargill, their concerns vanished once they learned about John's well-established farms worldwide.

None of the Japanese had imagined that John's farms would now be spread across the globe, far exceeding their initial understanding. When John first began his deal with the Russians, many focused on his global meat and grain distribution network, but now it was clear they were wrong. The land John controlled far surpassed the Japanese imagination. Once John completed his agricultural consolidation, his power would exceed their wildest expectations!
The low price could supply some of the food and meat to Japan, which was quite tempting for them. Faced with the temptation offered by John, how could these greedy Japanese not be tempted? They could buy from anyone else, so why not buy from John? It would also bring the two sides closer together, and most importantly, they could make a profit!
John quickly reached a verbal agreement with the Japanese guys, and now all he needed to do was have his subordinates carry it out. In the eyes of the Japanese guys, John was still a very 'friendly' person to them, even though so many things had happened in between, their relationship had not completely deteriorated to an adversarial one.

"It was a bit of a surprise. We didn't expect things to go so smoothly. We thought he would take the opportunity to make more demands on us, but things didn't turn out as we feared!"

"I don't think so. Don't forget that he made a demand, and that demand has a significant impact on us. I admit that accepting the demand will bring us considerable benefits in the short term and alleviate our own pressure, but in the long run, the price we pay will be very high. If we are dependent on the other side for food, meat, and raw materials, it will affect our security!"

“Yes, you see danger in everything, but we can't do nothing just because there is danger. If we let Japan's economy continue to deteriorate, it won't be good for anyone. Moreover, if we can get the crude steel from them, it will be of great help to us, and it might even be able to revive our manufacturing industry. And that mysterious cooperation is also something we can look forward to; after all, Mr. John's integrity is guaranteed!” At this point, the bigwigs of the Japanese bank didn't participate in the argument. It wasn't really their concern; they had already obtained the benefits they wanted. Now it was up to them to decide how to divide the spoils. This reminded them of their cooperation with John years ago. This time, they had to take on even more loans, but they were full of confidence!
The fact that John requested a loan in Japanese yen, not US dollars, made them even happier. Did they lack money? Not really. Although they had a number of bad debts, it didn't affect their cooperation with John or the loan itself. Everything was guaranteed, and all of it was backed by high-quality assets.

As for the conditions John proposed, they didn't see any problem with them. They had signed similar agreements before without any issues; it was a normal cooperation. John was naturally wary of their schemes, so they didn't think John's demands were excessive. In their eyes, such a loan was the safest option, and they could also earn an extra handling fee.

Faced with John's violent and direct temptation, the Japanese banks readily compromised. Little did they know that John had far more ulterior motives, even placing orders for materials needed after the Great Hanshin Earthquake. At that time, they would realize how much John could extract from them. Then, when the Asian financial crisis arrived, they would pay an even greater price, discovering just how much John could profit from the financial storm.

Akio Morita, that old guy, didn't participate in this debate. After all, it wasn't really his business. Besides, he had gotten enough benefits from those guys in Japan, especially from the banks, which gave him a lot of kickbacks. Otherwise, why would he have been so dedicated?
"John, do you really think it's feasible for Japan to develop tourism? Many people have already accepted your proposal and think it's indeed a good direction, but there are still people who oppose it, believing that manufacturing should be the focus!"

John didn't see anything wrong with Akio Morita's words. Such changes would also have an impact on Japan itself. The bursting of Japan's economic bubble directly boosted their sex industry, and the social environment became more chaotic. If this continued, the impact on Japan would be even greater.

"It's feasible. If Japan can provide strong support, it's certainly feasible, provided that you make more arrangements. To be honest, if the tourism industry develops, it will benefit Japan's wine and catering industries, and even the retail industry will undergo significant changes. Didn't our initial cooperation have a very good result? Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the cooperation gradually ended! If this cooperation hadn't ended, Japan might be doing better now with the support of the tourism industry. At least the hotels and retail industries wouldn't be in such a bad situation, the overall environment wouldn't be so chaotic, and Mossard wouldn't have had this opportunity."

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita couldn't help but sigh. Initially, the collaboration between Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment had indeed brought significant growth to Japan's tourism industry. However, things changed when the government stopped providing direct support. After all, some people had set their greedy eyes on John's business, but they didn't benefit either—a double loss!

Of all the hotels in Japan right now, Mandarin Oriental is doing the best. If you're talking about the least affected, it's their resort hotels. Even though those ordinary family hotels are in trouble, they're doing quite well. It's not that no one is envious, but they simply can't learn from them. At least they don't get that much help. Moreover, those resort hotels are supported by employee benefits from other companies under John's umbrella.

If Japan wants to develop tourism, the best partners are Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment, these two media giants. Akio Morita asked John on behalf of the Japanese government officials, trying to gauge John's opinion. After all, these guys are too proud and worried that John might refuse them.

(End of this chapter)