America: My Time

Chapter 1126 'Win-Win' Cooperation
Chapter 1116 A Win-Win Cooperation
After a moment's thought, John nodded and said, "I personally have no objection to this request. Moreover, this cooperation shouldn't involve Asian Energy, to avoid putting everyone in a difficult position. I've already mentioned the difficulties Asian Energy will face, so this time the shares will still be borne by a company from Japan. I wonder what everyone thinks about which investment company should take over this 30% stake!"

John didn't see any problem with the cooperation proposed by Japan. Although 30% was a bit low, it was not low from the perspective of the pipeline company as a whole. In fact, Japan and its ilk had already paid a considerable price. From the perspective of the cooperation as a whole, it was a fair exchange.

Everyone present was well aware of John's investment company in Japan. It was established by John in the name of the beautiful women around him, and he had always kept a low profile. Now, having it take over the shares of this pipeline company was a good choice, and it would not affect Asian energy.

The Sakhalin Pipeline Company of Asia Energy is just the beginning. With the rapid development of Asia Energy, more projects will soon emerge. If it can bring huge profits to Japan and provide Asia Energy with sufficient funds to continue its next stage of development, how could John refuse such a good deal?

"We have no problem with that, Mr. John can accept it, so we have no reason to refuse. It's just that we need energy supplies, and we don't know how much help Asian energy can give us!" Soon these guys changed the topic to energy supplies, since it was a fairly cheap energy supply, and also the closest energy source to Japan.

"Regarding energy supply, Asian Energy will not impose any restrictions on you. As long as you raise the issue, it will not be a problem within Sakhalin Island's capabilities." John's answer was straightforward and without much hesitation. Sakhalin Island had no pressure regarding energy supply, since South Korea had been abandoned, so there was no pressure on supply. As long as Japan's demands were not excessive, it would not be a problem!
At this moment, a faint smile appeared on the faces of these Japanese guys. This was the result they wanted. It seemed that this cooperation was indeed very good for them. Sakhalin Island had a lot of resources, and if they were used to supply Japan, it would be a rare good thing for them!
“Mr. John, we need a lot of energy. If possible, we hope that Asian Energy can give priority to supplying us with our energy!” Although John had already agreed, these guys still wanted more confirmation. After all, this was no small matter, and Asian Energy didn’t just have assets on Sakhalin Island. They had many investments and assets such as oil and gas fields in Southeast Asia and China!

"Sure, Asia Energy isn't a problem. After meeting our own needs, we'll prioritize Japan. We can offer preferential prices for supplies from Sakhalin Island! However, we need to secure the loan from Asia Energy as soon as possible. The Sakhalin Island project requires a significant amount of funding, and we'll need Japan's strong support for that! As for repayment, we can use energy to pay it off, but not openly. We still need to follow the proper procedures to avoid future problems."

In order to swindle Japan, John didn't want to sign such a contract directly; the energy loan repayments had to be kept secret. This way, Asian energy could avoid many 'risks' and reap greater profits.

Although we need to offer Japan a low price for energy supplies, once Asian energy sources obtain sufficient loans from Japanese banks, and once the Asian economic crisis erupts, Japan will pay a heavy price!
The Japanese didn't expect things to go so smoothly, nor did they expect John to be so easy to talk to. If they didn't know that the Koreans were already desperate and eager to restart negotiations with Asian Energy, they would have doubted that it was all a hoax. This shows how much this event has impacted them.

It's understandable why these guys had such thoughts; it all happened so suddenly. In contrast, John's reaction was quite calm. In the eyes of these Japanese guys, John was intentionally trying to interfere in Japan's gas and electricity market, but in reality, John didn't just want their market share; he had more ulterior motives.

In their view, a 30% stake and a cheap energy supply would infuriate John, as Asian energy was unacceptable. However, the outcome exceeded their expectations. John readily agreed and even took the opportunity to make further arrangements, which had a huge impact on them.

Although they were incredibly shocked, these guys couldn't show it too much, as that would only make them more worried and afraid that Asian Energy might do something underhanded during the negotiations, causing even the slightest change in the outcome they reached with John. That was not an outcome they wanted to accept, and it would make them regret it immensely!
"Mr. John, what are your thoughts on Japan's gas and electricity industry these days? The changes in Japan are leaving us quite confused!" Soon, the Japanese changed the subject, no longer discussing the cooperation, but instead asking John for his opinion on Japan's electricity and gas, and his overall view of Japan!
“I do have some thoughts on Japan’s electricity problem. I think Japan should change its current power supply situation, reducing its demand for nuclear power and its development as much as possible. It should increase investment in thermal power, which is safer. After all, Japan is located in an earthquake zone; if something goes wrong, the consequences would be severe. You all know what happened to Russia back then, and this was partly why they fell into such a predicament. Japan’s environment is very unfriendly to nuclear power, and Japan’s land area is very small!” At this point, John wanted to take the opportunity to persuade the Japanese to abandon their investment in nuclear power to prevent future crises. “We also know that nuclear power is dangerous, but as Mr. John has said, Japan’s land area is small and resources are scarce, so it’s difficult for us to give up nuclear power!” In the eyes of the Japanese, John’s view was seriously flawed. Although nuclear power was dangerous, it could lower Japan’s electricity prices and greatly reduce their demand for resources. If they completely abandoned nuclear power, Japan would have a huge energy gap, which would be a disaster for them!
"Mr. John is not optimistic about the development of nuclear power?" Someone quickly asked, feeling that John's words had a hidden meaning and that there were issues behind the proposal that they were unaware of.

John smiled calmly and said, "It's not that I'm pessimistic about the development of nuclear power, but I'm worried about its safety!"

Japan is located in an earthquake zone and is prone to disasters. If something happens, the problem will be huge. Moreover, many subsequent experiences have shown that nuclear power is quite dangerous. The British covered up their accidents, the Americans did the same, and Japan was even more outrageous!
Soon after reaching an agreement with the Japanese, John got up and left, returning to the party. While cooperation on Asian energy was important, the development of entertainment in Japan was equally crucial, as entertainment would become a major pillar of the Japanese economy in the future, and John naturally wanted to secure the largest share.

With the frenzied efforts of those with a keen interest, the global entertainment industry is developing at a fever pitch. It would be foolish not to accelerate investment at this point, especially since John now holds an advantage and naturally wants to further expand it. As for the Y2K problem and semiconductor issues, John didn't discuss them further with the Japanese. The Japanese side has already begun addressing these matters.

This wave of profit-taking didn't affect Japan too much. After all, Japan's development of personal computers was completely different from that of Europe, so they didn't benefit much. Even if they did, it was all taken by Japan's semiconductor companies!

John and the Japanese have always maintained a tacit understanding regarding his investments in Japan, ensuring that his interests are not excessively impacted. The Japanese are well aware of this, and John's current development in Japan is entirely focused on retail and entertainment. Even after acquiring Nissan, there hasn't been much activity.

Although Bentley Motors has now taken over Nissan, it will take time to completely turn around the losses, and changing everything in such a short period is difficult. However, with the takeover, many purchases have been cancelled, putting even more pressure on many Japanese auto parts manufacturers.

However, the reduction in staff at Nissan Japan was not significant, and most of the employees were reassigned overseas. Therefore, this acquisition and change did not cause a major impact in Japan, which was unexpected by many Japanese people. It should be noted that with the collapse of the Japanese economy, many companies were cutting staff, but Nissan did not do so!
It's important to understand that when Japan relinquished Nissan, they had already made preparations. However, they had overthought things, and the worst-case scenario did not materialize, which relieved those involved. This also made the Japanese government more confident in John's credibility; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to persuade John to agree to such a cooperation agreement with Japan so easily!

(End of this chapter)