America: My Time

Chapter 1372 The Temptation of Profit

Chapter 1362 The Temptation of Profit
The Japanese tea ceremony was performed by Momoko Kikuchi. This was a meeting between friends, something that would never happen in a normal business negotiation. This situation also made these Japanese guys have some other thoughts in their minds, causing some changes in their hearts. However, they didn't have much time to think about it right now.

"Mr. John has this idea, and I believe Mr. Morita would be very happy to know. It's not that he doesn't want to see you, but his health doesn't allow him to travel back and forth like this right now; he can only rest. But do you have the time? Won't it affect your upcoming schedule?" It has to be said that these guys really know how to seize every opportunity; even at this time, they don't forget to probe John and try to find out about his situation!
Upon hearing this, John smiled calmly and shook his head, saying, "It's not much of an impact. After all, if I don't even have time to see old friends, I'd be a failure as a person. I still have that much time! However, I need your help to prevent some people from bothering me. This is just a private meeting, and I don't want to get involved in other matters, as that would only make things difficult for others."

This request wouldn't normally need to be made in Japan, since such disturbances are unheard of there. The principle of not disturbing others is ingrained in the Japanese psyche. But John's mention of it suggests that if left unchecked, it would inevitably happen; after all, people can become incredibly greedy when faced with profit.

"Don't worry, that will absolutely not happen. We won't let anyone disturb your private visit!" Under these circumstances, the Japanese officials immediately spoke up. They needed to give John a guarantee, otherwise there would be no way to discuss the rest. If even his private space wasn't guaranteed, what else could they talk about?

"Alright, I'm relieved to hear your words. I've come to Japan this time to take care of some matters. I believe you are all aware of the situation in the United States, so I won't go into too much detail. At the end of the year, some internet companies will be going public. If any of you are interested, we can sit down and discuss it. If there are any other issues in the United States, it's not impossible that Nvidia and Dreamworld will eventually acquire shares."

When John threw out this bait, the Japanese present couldn't help but gasp. Although they had suspected something was amiss, John's words still stirred their excitement. They were well aware of the rapid development of the internet in the United States, and it was also developing rapidly in Japan. However, they couldn't get their hands on the portion controlled by John. They had originally planned to share the profits in Japan with John, but they hadn't expected him to offer such a huge piece of meat. Compared to the internet companies in the United States, Japan's were insignificant!
"Of course we won't refuse your kindness. Don't worry, we will definitely stand by your side and won't let anyone threaten your interests!" When talking to smart people, you don't have to worry about them not understanding. The Japanese guys instantly understood John's intention. They were using John to wage a price war against those old guys in the US, preventing them from harming John's interests.

John nodded and said, “Alright, I knew my friends in Japan were the most trustworthy, so I thought of you all immediately. But you all need to be prepared. Although we won't be selling many shares initially, once it starts, it won't stop. Almost all the internet companies I own will go public. My agreement with Morgan is to complete the full listing before 2000. Only a few entertainment companies will not go public. If you have any plans, you should prepare your funds in advance so you don't get caught off guard! Of course, it won't just be you participating in the end; the Europeans will also be involved. After all, we have to give them face, otherwise they will have complaints. There are already quite a few guys who are dissatisfied with me, otherwise there wouldn't have been the HSBC-Standard Chartered incident!”

When John mentioned the conflict between HSBC and Standard Chartered, they were taken aback. They weren't fools; they understood that John was warning them against targeting New Life Bank, as it would trigger a financial war that would benefit no one. Japan couldn't afford such turmoil.

"Yes, it's best if this doesn't happen. We don't want to see it either. Such a conflict is bad for everyone! We understand your predicament and have no objections. Everything is up to you." At this point, the Japanese guys dared not say anything, much less offer any opinions. They understood their own pressure. It was already difficult enough that John was willing to share the profits with them, especially since there were already some negative voices in the US. If they wanted to ask for more at this point, it would only be considered arrogant!
Seeing the behavior of these guys from Japan, John was also impressed. At least these guys knew better than those old guys in the US. Although they were also greedy, they had a sense of propriety, and even if they were being tested, it was within their acceptable range.

Faced with John's questions, the Japanese guys were very cooperative, leaving everything to John's decision without any objections. Their behavior surprised Zeng Li and Yang Gongru, who found it too weak and spineless, which they couldn't understand.

It can only be said that they haven't yet witnessed the cruelty of this society, nor the fierce competition in the business world. Who would willingly give up a guaranteed profit opportunity, even if it means lowering their stance? Not to mention that John is a tycoon of an American conglomerate, someone the Japanese can't afford to offend. Despite their numerous probing attempts, they couldn't bear the severe consequences of truly angering John. They didn't even mention the issue of Shinsei Bank shorting the yen, and could only acquiesce.

After seeing those guys off, John breathed a sigh of relief. The problem on the Japanese side wasn't too big, so the negotiations would be much simpler. With this communication, the general framework was in place, and the next step was just the distribution of profits. However, John didn't plan to get involved. After all, now that old guy Akio Morita was gone, John didn't need to make any preparations. He just needed to see what kind of sincerity those Japanese guys could show.

There has to be give and take to make things right. If John is the only one making sacrifices, there won't be any good results. If these guys from Japan want to share the profits with John, they have to pay some price and show some appreciation. John doesn't mention this, but they understand it in their hearts. It's just that things are different now than before, and they are in a dilemma!
John was relieved and under no pressure, but the Japanese were a different story. They needed to analyze John's words in depth. They didn't believe that John's every move was without purpose. If they thought that way, they would suffer a great loss in the end. For them, it was essential to figure out John's thoughts.

"John seems to have no ill intentions towards us, only offering to share profits. However, he's also issuing a warning, especially by mentioning HSBC and Standard Chartered. This is a warning that those guys went a bit too far! Although he didn't mention Oil Capital or the scheme at the wedding, we need to give him an explanation." "How can we explain? Even betraying Oil Capital won't help. Things have changed. John knows everything now. What we need is sincerity, an explanation, and someone having to pay the price."

"Then let them pay the price, let those who were arranged before take responsibility. This matter must be resolved quickly, as it relates to the sharing of benefits. Their sacrifice is worthwhile if it brings us benefits. Do you really think those two women are just decorations, without any problems? They are a blatant threat. John hasn't decided to settle accounts with us yet, but if it really develops to that point, the consequences will be uncontrollable. The necessary sacrifices must be made. Why do you think John didn't let Naoko, Kuroki Hitomi, and the others return to Japan? It's because he doesn't want to give us a chance. Now there's only Kikuchi Momoko, so even if we have any ideas, it's useless."

"At this point, this is the only way. I've said before not to use these tricks; they'll only bring unnecessary trouble. John isn't stupid; he understands everything behind this. Think about the relationship between Akio Morita and John. He did have his calculations, but they were all harmless and within acceptable limits. Moreover, he always appeared very sincere. For someone like John, sincerity is the surest weapon. Those guys always think that Akio Morita and John's friendship was obtained through beautiful female escorts, but that's just their foolishness. Naoko's role wasn't as significant as people imagine."

"Do you think it'll be useful to say all this now? Do you think they'll listen? Taking too many shortcuts will only make them forget what the right path is. They only saw the beginning of Akio Morita's relationship with John, and the initial changes in John, but they forgot that John is no longer the same person he was back then. Moreover, Akio Morita did a lot of help for John back then, which led to their later friendship. These guys now only think about how to share the benefits, but they don't want to give anything in return. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If they really think John is easy to talk to, they can act recklessly. They will definitely suffer a great loss."

"It's useless for us to say all this. Those guys in the conglomerates need to understand it themselves, but when it comes to profit, they don't want to make any preparations. They only want to reap the benefits, not pay the price, and just want us to clean up their messes. We're willing but powerless right now, and we don't have that much capability!"

The Japanese officials were very dissatisfied with the Japanese conglomerates' behavior. These guys only wanted to reap the benefits while leaving the government with the trouble, which was obviously not going to work. Time was of the essence, and they didn't have much time left. They didn't know how long John would stay in Japan. John's current behavior was calm and showed no malice, but if he didn't get the 'sincerity' he wanted, everything would change. Just as John said, Japan wasn't the only option; there were also the Europeans. If the situation in South Korea hadn't been more dangerous, they would have already been severely weakened, and those Koreans might also be on John's list.

"Look at all these years, how many opportunities have we wasted because of these guys? It's not that beautiful PR girls haven't had an impact, it's just that they're too eager for quick success. From Yasuko Sawaguchi, the Nakayama sisters, and Norika Fujiwara, all we see is their madness, not a shred of sincerity. It was only because of our past relationship and Akio Morita's mediation that things didn't end so easily. But this time, everything is different. The moment John handed over the dollars, it meant the end of all our relationship. And those words he said this time were truly a veiled barb, a warning to us."

“Those guys won’t listen to us. All they care about is their own interests. We can arrange for someone to make a sacrifice to give John an explanation, but this situation can’t continue again and again. It won’t be enough to just make those shady characters take the blame. Someone else needs to make a sacrifice.”

"Let those guys handle it. If all else fails, let Sony and Panasonic take responsibility. It's their fault for not being able to control their own men and letting those Japanese scheme against them. If it weren't for their stupidity, there wouldn't be so much trouble. Just because John didn't mention it doesn't mean it didn't exist. We can forget about it."

“Okay, I’ll have someone arrange it and inform them right away. However, John’s request to visit Akio Morita and ask us not to disturb him is not simple! It seems like we’re just friends with Akio Morita, but his warning to us isn’t just about verbal intrusion; it has something else to it. We need to make arrangements as well!”

"It's all because of those greedy guys. They only ever look at others and never look for problems within themselves. Seeing Nissan's revival, these guys got tempted again and started having ideas. They also got interested in John's development in entertainment media, and then there's the energy and mineral sector. It's just that they're overthinking it. These are all impossible things. If John were willing to share, he would have done it already, instead of resorting to such methods to threaten him."

"Forget it, we don't need to worry about these things. Let those guys handle it themselves. We just need to take care of ourselves. Everything else is none of our business. If Sony and Panasonic still don't realize this, it's good to make them pay a price. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll never understand their stupidity or realize how terrible their mistake was!"

(End of this chapter)