America: My Time

Chapter 1612 Distribution of Benefits
Chapter 1102 Distribution of Profits
In neon-lit Tokyo, once John and Russia reached an agreement, Asian Energy set off for Russia to negotiate, as there were still many things they needed to do. Asian Energy's departure attracted considerable attention, even from the Americans. Although they had John's promise, no one could guarantee that John wouldn't renege on his promise or secretly cause them trouble.

This is judging others by one's own petty standards. John has no such thoughts, nor would he do such a thing. To scheme against them and completely ruin one's reputation is something only a fool would do. Reputation is far more important to John than they think. John would never do something so foolish!

In Russia, John wasn't being overly cautious. After all, it wasn't a safe place. Despite Russia's excellent security, his trip had affected the interests of some people, inevitably causing dissatisfaction. John dared not risk his life; he knew how ruthless those oligarchs were, and there was nothing they wouldn't do for profit. So, better safe than sorry, after reaching a consensus, John left Russia immediately, his private jet flying directly to Tokyo, Japan, to communicate with those guys there.

This negotiation with Russia was a little different from his previous plan, so he still had to give Japan face and let them know as soon as possible, otherwise how could he reap the benefits from them? In contrast, he didn't need to worry about China, since his cooperation with China was far superior to that of Japan. As for South Korea, John completely forgot about them and didn't take them seriously at all!

When they learned that John had gone to Tokyo immediately, the Japanese were all excited. They saw hope and profit, and they were all incredibly excited and eager to get what they wanted. However, they did not know that the consensus between John and the Russian had changed this time.

"Aren't you all getting too excited? Although Mr. John's arrival in Tokyo at the first opportunity is good news for us, haven't you considered whether there might be problems behind it? Mr. John did say that he couldn't guarantee everything would go smoothly, so I think it's best if everyone is mentally prepared!"

"Mitsui, what do you mean by that? Are you doubting Mr. John's abilities? Given his relationship with Da Mao, there shouldn't be any obstacles. If you're afraid, then make preparations!"

"There may be no resistance, but the conditions may change. After all, that was just Mr. John's idea and Asian Energy's idea. It's hard to say whether Russia will agree. We need to be prepared, and even be ready to change our plans. More preparation means more opportunities. If it weren't for the fact that we need to face the pressure from Russia together, I wouldn't have reminded you at all. After all, you are my competitors."

Mitsui is right. These Japanese conglomerates are competitors. After all, they don't want to cooperate. They all want to operate Asia Energy's oil fields on Sakhalin Island independently. They don't know how many oil fields Asia Energy can sell. So they are in competition with each other!

“I think Mitsui-san makes a good point. We do need to be prepared, at least until we have communicated with Mr. John and until there are results from Asian energy. Being prepared will allow us to respond promptly to any minor changes and avoid being caught off guard, which could affect our plans!”

"We also need to keep a close eye on the Koreans. We can't let them ruin our plans. These lunatics are all clueless about right and wrong. If they ruin our plans, we'll be in big trouble. After all, such opportunities don't come around often, and they won't give up such a chance. So they will do everything they can to compete with us!"

Why don't these guys in Japan mention China? Because they all know that the cooperation between John and China will not be affected. The biggest impact will be on Japan and South Korea, and South Korea is the most ignorant.

"No matter how much we keep an eye on the Koreans, it won't change anything. As long as we can't change their minds, we'll have to face their challenge. And we all know that Mr. John can't really kick them out. Samsung will definitely have one spot. As for how much benefit they'll get, we don't know!"

"Unfortunately, we didn't get any information from the Russian side, otherwise we could have made preparations in advance. Now we can only take it one step at a time and hope that the worst will not happen. As for the gains and losses this time, they are not important. As long as the connection is established, there will still be opportunities in the future. There is no need for everyone to be so nervous!"

"You make it sound so easy. With such a huge investment and such a great opportunity, how can we not be nervous? Everyone's relationship is crystal clear. The worst-case scenario is impossible, since Asian Energy has already set off, which means Mr. John and Russia have reached a preliminary consensus. Next comes detailed negotiations. What we get depends on the outcome, and Mr. John is the one who decides everything." These guys from Japan are all scheming and plotting. They all seem to be thinking of everyone's interests, but their words reveal their own calculations; they all want to influence others' decisions and gain the upper hand.

When the private jet landed at Tokyo Airport, the Japanese conglomerates all stared intently, trying to glean information from John's expression. To their delight, John looked relaxed and without a trace of worry, which relieved them of a huge weight. The next step was to discuss cooperation between the two sides.

Formal occasions are obviously not suitable, since John represents only himself, not Asian Energy. Therefore, overly formal occasions are not appropriate for them to communicate with John. They also need to understand John's thoughts; otherwise, taking action without knowing anything could bring trouble upon themselves!
Looking at the changes in Tokyo, John sighed softly. 9/11 affected not only the United States, but also Japan. Japan's exports would inevitably be affected, and the more this was the case, the more the Japanese conglomerates would crave a ticket to Sakhalin Island, since it would be good news for them.

Although Japan's economy is sluggish, its entertainment industry is developing rapidly, just as John planned. Japan's entertainment market is expanding, the record market is recovering, while the manufacturing industry is not developing as well!
Seeing the beautiful women who had been waiting for him in the residence for a long time, John knew that the Japanese guys couldn't sit still and wanted to communicate with him as soon as possible. John couldn't help but shake his head at their reaction. They were too eager. If he didn't take advantage of them, he would be letting them down!
"Alright, sit down, don't be so tense. I know you're under pressure. Peach, tell them I'll be free tomorrow night. See if they have any plans!" John didn't want to play any tricks or schemes with these guys from Japan. After all, at this point, getting straight to the point was the best option, and leaving everything to Japan was the most appropriate thing to do.

If John were to make the arrangements, inviting people would be a big problem. But if Neon were to make the arrangements, none of that would be a problem. Neon would make the best preparations and invite everyone who could participate!

Kikuchi Momoko quickly left to inform the Japanese authorities. After all, it was best to communicate with the authorities first and let them handle the matter. If the conglomerate were to arrange it, then who would be the best person to entrust it to?
A day was enough time for the Japanese to prepare. With the official intervention, the conglomerates breathed a sigh of relief and began to look forward to the event. However, who would host the reception depended on the official decision. If Akio Morita were still alive, it could naturally be entrusted to the old man, but he was gone, and there was no longer anyone in Japan who could truly sit down and talk with John.

Every conglomerate in Japan wanted to host the party to gain an advantage and take the initiative. After much competition, the Mitsui Group ultimately won the bid, securing the hosting rights, though their only advantage was location. As for personnel, the other conglomerates deployed their own, fearing Mitsui might secretly plot against them, given the vital energy implications of the event – ​​they couldn't afford to be careless!
The appointed time arrived quickly. When John arrived at the venue, a slight change appeared in his eyes. This was the place where Akio Morita had held a party, but now Akio Morita was gone. John couldn't help but sigh. Just from this one point, he could see Mitsui's intention: to use the dead old man Akio Morita to influence his decision!
Although John understood Mitsui's intentions, he wouldn't let them lead him by the nose. Moreover, he had made preparations before coming and wouldn't let these guys take advantage of him. At least this time, he wouldn't give them any chance!
"Go ahead, this place isn't suitable for you. I can wait for them myself!" John waved his hand gently, telling Kikuchi Momoko to go about her business and not stay by his side. After all, it wouldn't be long before those old guys invited him to the conference room. Such an important matter couldn't be discussed at a cocktail party; that would lead to leaks and cause many hidden dangers!
Just as Kikuchi Momoko left, someone approached John and invited him to the conference room. This person was not from Mitsui, but rather an official from the Japanese government. Other conglomerates did not want to give Mitsui the opportunity to meet John alone, fearing that Mitsui would take advantage of the situation and put them in unfair competition.

John didn't care about the Japanese people's reactions or their thoughts. He calmly walked into the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar conference room. It wasn't his first time here, and it wasn't the first time he had interacted with these old guys face to face. It was just that there were fewer familiar people and more strangers now.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, John began, “Ladies and gentlemen, I recently visited Russia and had a brief discussion with the Russian government regarding energy cooperation on Sakhalin Island. We reached a consensus, but the conditions set by Russia this time have changed somewhat from what I had envisioned, which will have some impact on you all. That’s why I made this trip.”

When they heard John's words, the Japanese guys all sighed inwardly. As expected, Mitsui hadn't been wrong. Although Russia hadn't rejected the cooperation with Sakhalin Island, they had their own demands.

“Mr. John, we understand. This is to be expected, since the initiative is in Russia’s hands. We just don’t know what Russia’s demands are, how the whole plan has been affected, and what preparations we need to make.” The Japanese official spoke first, as it was better for them to handle such matters to avoid embarrassing the conglomerate and reduce obstacles to the conglomerate’s cooperation with Asian energy.
"The Russian side is demanding that Asia Energy sell 30% of its total oil field assets. They do not accept the proposal to acquire the undersea pipeline company, but instead demand 10% of the oil field assets. As for the payment issue, that needs to be discussed between Asia Energy and them. As for the 20% of assets, my idea is to give half of it, or 10% of the total oil field assets, to Japan. It's just a matter of distribution; I won't interfere. Everything is up to you to decide."

As soon as John said this, the meeting room fell silent. These guys were all considering the gains and losses. If John didn't get involved in the allocation, they would have to fight for it themselves. How many oil fields they could get would depend on their compromises and negotiations. But this would make their struggle more intense, while John and Asia Energy could just watch from the sidelines!
This is good for Asian Energy and John, but not for these guys in Japan. They originally hoped that Asian Energy and John would distribute the resources so that they could reduce some trouble. But now John has blocked that path, forcing them to face everything on their own!
The idea of ​​the Japanese government distributing the funds is out of the question; the Japanese conglomerates would never accept that. Moreover, if the Japanese government were secretly taken care of, others would be affected. However, having the conglomerates negotiate among themselves would involve numerous problems, requiring a long period of communication and compromise. This wouldn't be good for the conglomerates either, as it would inevitably involve many issues and require corresponding promises and benefits. But John's decision is something they cannot change. Therefore, these guys are all calculating how to maximize their profits and how to persuade the others.

(End of this chapter)