America: My Time

Chapter 1448 Taking Action Once Again

Chapter 1438 Taking Action Once Again

Before the Koreans could even react, John had already arrived in Japan. After all, the two countries are too close. Compared to the Koreans' stupidity and arrogance, the Japanese were quite clever. Even if some of them were incited by the Americans, they didn't dare to act rashly. John's deterrent power was not just for show. They all understood what they should do in this situation to their own advantage. Don't be fooled by the few who were misled; only they themselves knew whether things were really like that. Others didn't know about the deal behind it.

Time was limited, and John had no interest in engaging in much conversation with these Japanese guys. Besides, no Japanese person was foolish enough to cause trouble. Everyone understood the danger of the current situation. Even those familiar with John didn't intend to have a deep conversation with him. Partly, their relationship wasn't close enough, and partly, they had their own reservations. Not everyone could reach the level of Akio Morita, nor could anyone replace the friendship between Akio Morita and John.

This is precisely why John has such a strong public image in Japan. Everyone acknowledges that John is a loyal and trustworthy person; no one would be foolish enough to refuse such a good friend, someone you don't have to worry about betraying you. A strong public image plays a crucial role in the business world as well. John's level of success gives him a significant advantage in many transactions. Only those from South Korea would be foolish enough to insist on maximizing profits, while the Japanese aren't as greedy. It's not that they don't want to maximize profits; they know when to advance and when to retreat.

Excessive pursuit of profit will only drive many people away. The Japanese clearly understand this, but the Koreans don't—that's the difference between them. This difference has directly caused significant losses for the Koreans. They could have made a 'win-win' deal with John, but they chose not to, opting instead to wait for Western conglomerates to intervene and plunder them. Once that plunder begins, John can naturally complete his plans at a lower price. Regarding profit sharing, those guys dare not abandon John; at least outwardly, they must show some commitment. Most importantly, John didn't compete with them, so they need to give John an explanation.

It wasn't like no one in Japan had no intention of talking to John; they all wanted to speak with him, but unfortunately, they were either warned or directly rejected. Kikuchi Momoko wouldn't dare to make decisions for John; she knew when to advance and when to retreat, and she was aware of her own position. She wouldn't risk her future, not to mention she had an assistant like Riko by her side.

Those guys who harbored illusions had absolutely no chance, so all their schemes were doomed to fail. And no matter how angry they were, it was useless; they didn't dare to cause trouble. After all, many of their comrades had already been dealt with, even at the cost of blood. As for targeting Kikuchi Momoko or anyone else, that would be tantamount to courting death. They might be killed before they even had a chance to make a move, and then used to curry favor with John.

This time, John's communication with the Japanese officials was also very pleasant. No one jumped out to cause trouble. As long as John asked, these guys would quickly meet his requirements to expedite the restructuring of Japan's assets. This was not because they were afraid of John; it was also beneficial to them. They wanted to take this opportunity to revive their own economy. However, the power of John's conglomerate alone was not enough, since John's assets here were not particularly strong.

Some people thought of Akio Morita, but Akio Morita's condition wasn't very good at the moment. If he were to show up, it would only leave a bad impression on John. After all, it would be too embarrassing to bring out such an old guy, and it would also make John doubt their intentions. After all, everyone in Japan knew that Akio Morita was in poor health, and Momoko Kikuchi had also visited him on behalf of John. So, these voices were directly suppressed!

"Is it too early to unleash a new generation of Saint Cloths? Is the market not saturated yet?"

When John proposed re-issuing new Saint Seiya Cloths, the Phoenix Group staff were shocked. They knew that Saint Seiya Cloths accounted for a significant share of the toy market, and they were unwilling to release new Cloths before the market was saturated, as this would affect their own interests and prevent them from maximizing profits!

"You're still too focused on profits. Releasing a new generation of Saint Cloths before the market is saturated might seem to have a significant impact on our profits, but have you considered that this is how we can stabilize ourselves? Don't forget that this is during the Asian financial crisis, and Japan has also been affected. If we still focus on market saturation, it will only reduce our income. What we need to do now is ensure that profits don't decrease, not so-called profit maximization. Also, the release of the new generation of Saint Cloths means that the first generation of Saint Cloths are now out of print, and we will no longer release them. You must know how much this will boost the market. The collectible value will be maximized, especially for the high-end items!"

As soon as John finished speaking, the guys from Japan gasped. They instantly understood John's intention. In this environment, the first consideration was not maximizing profits, but ensuring profits. The development of a company should not be affected by maximizing profits, especially in the current environment. Only in this way can a company quickly break through the predicament and develop rapidly.

"But this also puts a lot of pressure on us. Releasing the new generation of Saint Cloths takes time, and changing the production line also takes time. If the market response is not good, we will face an even greater crisis!"

It's not fair to blame these guys for being overly cautious. After all, the market is risky, especially in this environment. The Asian financial crisis had a huge impact, severely affecting the entire Asian region, which would seriously impact toy sales.

“No, you’re wrong. It’s precisely at times like these that we need to make changes. Do you think the profits in the low-end market are that great, or how much of a difference they make compared to high-end sales? What we need now is the high-end market, and the European and American markets. The high-end market isn’t a big problem. I contacted the Middle Eastern tycoons before I came here, and they’re all interested. Besides, with the current drop in gold prices, focusing on the high-end market will put less pressure on us and yield greater profits. As for the low-end market, let’s not invest too much energy in Asia for now. Europe and America are our targets.” John’s words were met with nods from everyone, quickly accepting his point. They weren’t fools; once the underlying logic was established, they understood John’s plan and the reasoning behind it. As long as the Middle Eastern market remained unaffected, it would provide an absolute advantage for the company’s development, not to mention the European and American markets, since these guys were more willing to collect such valuable items.

"Okay, boss, we'll complete the transformation as quickly as possible!"

"Don't rush it. Just finish it before Christmas. After all, the Christmas season is the biggest sales season in Europe and America! What we need to do now is not just develop this one area, but also develop more and increase our control over the European and American markets. Compared with the Asian market, the European and American markets have higher profits. It would be too foolish to miss it! After so many years of development, we have already gained a considerable share in the European and American markets, so we need to increase our efforts!"

John believes that the Asian market will be affected to some extent in the short term. In contrast, focusing on the European and American markets is the right way to go. Only by gaining market share in Europe and America can the company accelerate its growth and development.

Are there any risks involved? Of course there are. To say there are no risks would be a lie. However, the success rate of this plan is higher. After all, the European and American markets were not affected by the financial crisis, and their purchasing power was not greatly affected. Therefore, focusing on developing the European and American markets is the right way!
"Boss, if we increase our development of the high-end market, the demand for precious metals will be considerable. These are not easy to obtain. Even if we are willing to acquire them, we may not be able to succeed!" It has to be said that these guys from Japan have a good eye. If the demand for precious metals such as gold and silver is too large, it will be difficult to obtain them. After all, such large-scale transactions are not simple and cannot be acquired at will!
“I understand your concerns. If we buy from the market at this time, there will definitely be people who try to sabotage us. After all, those guys are not good people. Since I brought up this suggestion, I was prepared. You can buy from the market normally, and Quantum Mining will sell some of the gold and silver to you.” As he said this, a glint of light flashed in John’s eyes. This was not a decision made on a whim, but the result of John’s careful consideration.

Although there haven't been any major problems in Japan, the enemies lurking in the shadows have never given up their schemes against him. With the Asian financial crisis coming to an end, many will once again turn their attention to him, and some greedy individuals will even try to take advantage of him. At this time, John wants to create an opportunity for them to see who will jump out and cause trouble, and to see who is the enemy and who is the friend.

For most people, obtaining enough precious metals like gold and silver is no easy feat, but for John, it's not a problem. Quantum Mining isn't just a figurehead; even though it's been split up, does Quantum Mining really have no gold reserves at all? Anyone who believes that is a fool. John is doing this to test the reactions of those guys, to understand the mindset of those in the mining industry!
"With your arrangements, boss, we have nothing to worry about. However, it's not easy to complete a large number of orders in a short period of time. After all, the experienced craftsmen all have unfinished orders, so we are also under pressure!"

To put it simply, these high-end garments are all handcrafted by the masters, making them unique and not machine-made products. It is precisely because of this that these garments have enormous potential in the high-end market.

"Set aside a small group of people to start creating the new generation of Saint Cloths, and the rest of you will complete the orders for the first generation. There's not as much pressure on the industrial products, do you understand? The last set will be the company's crown jewel!"

How could these guys not understand? If they didn't, they would be incredibly foolish. The first set was collected by John, and the last set was collected by the company. The value of these sets is self-evident, and they will also become a valuable asset for the company!
Why didn't John have Copper Industries supply precious metals this time? What was John's plan? The guys in Japan didn't know, nor did they ask. It wasn't something they were supposed to know. But when Phoenix Group made its move, it had a significant impact on Japan.

Although John's gold and silver haven't arrived yet, the news itself has a huge impact. For the Japanese officials, this is good news; they're not fools and understand the immense boost and enormous profits this will bring to Japan. They have no doubts about John's plan; they are well aware of the Middle Eastern tycoons' reactions and John's close relationship with them.

Whether it's the Middle Eastern tycoons' fondness for gold or the assistance brought by personal connections, this new generation of Saint Cloth is bound to be incredibly popular, especially in the high-end market, where it will definitely create a storm. However, some people don't understand why John would choose Quantum Mining instead of Copper America, which has led some to speculate and harbor inappropriate thoughts. After all, profit is a powerful motivator, and John's sudden and seemingly unreasonable arrangement will naturally raise different opinions among them, stirring up greed within them!

Many ambitious figures in Japan had ideas, but none dared to act rashly. They didn't want to be the first to act and wanted to continue observing. However, this didn't mean they would do nothing. They immediately informed their backers—the old guys in the US and the oil capital—and learned of John's first move in Japan. They hadn't expected John to make a move in this area, let alone such a crazy one. This made some people frown, their instincts telling them that there must be a big problem behind it, but for a moment they didn't know what the problem was. After all, this was no small matter!

(End of this chapter)