America: My Time

Chapter 187 Neon's Worries

Chapter 187 Neon's Worries
Riko, who had followed Akio Morita for many years, naturally understood the purpose of her staying behind. After Akio Morita left, she intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation toward gossip in the Japanese entertainment industry, which helped to ease the originally tense atmosphere.

Without the pressure from Akio Morita and the serious topics from before, and with Riko's deliberate guidance, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal. The women became completely engrossed in gossip about the Japanese entertainment industry, seemingly forgetting John's earlier conversation with Akio Morita and the tense atmosphere. Perhaps this is just women's nature; for them, business matters are not important.

John was unconcerned about these changes and had no intention of causing a major uproar in Japan. Although Phoenix Group was doing well in Japan, that was not a reason for arrogance or for him to offend the entire Japanese entertainment industry. Even if he had a valid reason, he would have to consider the opinions of many people. His interests in Japan were not in entertainment, but in real estate.

Now he needed to be even more cautious, and John was even more confident that Akio Morita would give him a satisfactory explanation. Whoever was behind the obstruction of TV Tokyo and his plans would pay a heavy price. As for the Japanese companies involved in this struggle, they would be settled in due time. John had no intention of pursuing the matter now, at least not in Japan, as he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could confront them head-on in Japan.

The United States is his battlefield, the place where he can retaliate. This time, John needs to show all Japanese companies the power of media giants, let them know the consequences of angering him, and who will become his enemy and Legendary Entertainment. This is easy to investigate; anyone with a little effort can find out!

John had some understanding of this enemy. Warner's largest partner in Japan was Pioneer Corporation, and they were definitely involved in the obstruction. Whether there were others involved needed to be investigated. However, the fact that they could obstruct TV Tokyo for so long meant that Pioneer couldn't have been the only company involved. Of course, it was also more likely that this was a test, a test by the Japanese companies against him, and that everything Akio Morita had shown in front of him was just a facade.

John didn't believe those bastards in Japan were unaware of the situation in the United States. It was understandable that they chose to test him at this time, but he wouldn't accept it. He could compromise in Japan, but this wasn't his home turf. However, he would remember this incident!
The business world is like a battlefield. Now, every step must be taken with caution and carelessness, or we will fall into the trap set by the enemy. Is TV Tokyo important? It is important in some ways and not important in others. The enemy has chosen to block us in the television program field, and there may be other television stations involved. TV Tokyo has developed too fast, making other private television stations feel threatened and pressured.

Television broadcasting is a winner-takes-all industry; the quality of a program directly impacts viewership. It's understandable that someone would jump out to obstruct TV Tokyo. Through the TV Tokyo incident, those lurking behind the scenes can test your strength and intentions. So, what appears to be a minor incident targeting TV Tokyo is actually far more complex, concealing a much larger conspiracy and calculation!

Going to war with Warner Bros. is not only a counterattack against Warner Bros., but also a warning to all parties in Japan. It is also John's attitude: if anyone dares to cross his bottom line, they should be prepared to go to war with him. I believe Akio Morita understands his intentions, and I also believe that those hiding behind the scenes will give him a satisfactory answer.

It was precisely because John had made all the preparations and seen through the other party's true intentions, and even the calculations of all parties in Japan, that he was able to sit here so calmly, watching this group of beautiful women gossip about the Japanese entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, all the bigwigs from various sectors of Japan had gathered. When Akio Morita entered, everyone's expressions became extremely solemn as they awaited his report. Almost all the business leaders associated with John were present, along with other bigwigs. This was no small matter! The First Industrial Bank, which was in charge of the overall situation, was under even greater pressure. They had originally thought that hosting a cocktail party would be a good opportunity, but they never expected things to turn out this way!

"Mr. Morita, is there any result? What was his reaction?" Although reluctant, the bigwig of the First Industrial Group had no choice but to step forward and ask, since he was the person in charge and should bear this responsibility.

"Gentlemen, things are more dangerous than we imagined. I've said it before, he's a cunning fox, and it's impossible to outsmart him. Doing so would come at a great cost. But you insist on doing it. Now John has decided to go to war with Warner, a full-scale war, and he said it to my face. I believe you all understand what this means."

"A full-scale war? It seems he saw through our actions and knew we were testing him. But that's fine; at least we can understand his character. At most, Vanguard will pay a small price, which shouldn't be a big deal. His opponent isn't us, but Warner Bros., Hollywood, and the hidden giants behind the scenes. This storm in the US is enough to distract him. Even if he's dissatisfied, it won't have a significant impact on Japan!" "That's right. At most, Vanguard will only pay a small price. Besides, we're not without a shield. With Warner Bros. involved, we can easily shift the blame onto them. Vanguard has a significant partnership with Warner Bros., so being affected by them is inevitable!"

"Gentlemen, I advise you not to have such thoughts, and don't underestimate him. Although he is young, it doesn't mean he's easy to fool. If you try to do that, you will only fail in the end! I'll say it again: we should win him over, not keep testing his bottom line. That will easily anger him and cause us great harm. Don't forget, he is the most suitable partner among all the entrepreneurs we've contacted, and he's also someone who's willing to share profits. I don't want to give up the profits I've already gained. I believe Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank don't want to lose such a trustworthy friend. To be honest, in my interactions with John, he proactively offered me new cooperation in real estate. It would be unwise to make an enemy of someone who is willing to share profits!"

When Akio Morita finished speaking, everyone present changed their expressions, especially the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank side, who were even more embarrassed. The party was hosted by Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, but the benefits were taken away by an outsider like Akio Morita!

"Does Sony even have the capability to handle real estate? It would be better to focus on your electronics business!" There was no shortage of internal strife in Japan, and soon someone, dissatisfied with the outcome, began to mock Sony.

"Sony has indeed never been involved in real estate, but that doesn't mean Sony can't do it well!" Akio Morita retorted without holding back in the face of ridicule.

Just as John had guessed, these people were behind the Tokyo TV incident. Many people were hoping to gain more benefits from John, thinking that the storm in the United States would affect John himself, but they did not expect that things would not be as good as they thought.

"Enough! Don't argue over such trivial matters! Morita-san, what's his stance on the bank loan?" As the host, the head of the First Industrial Bank stepped forward to stop the farce from escalating and to avoid making everyone lose face!
“John will not use the proceeds from the sale of the mines to repay the loans, so there’s no need to worry about that. I’ve also inquired about the mines, and he has no intention of operating the three mines in the United States. His mining focus is not in the United States, so there are no problems with the mines. Anyone who needs them can confidently make an offer to acquire them!”

"Good, that's good. As long as he doesn't intend to repay the loan early, that's fine. Everyone here has a lot of money on hand right now. If he repays the loan early at this time, the loss to our bank will be too great. As for other matters, we can sit down and discuss them! I wonder what benefits Mr. Morita got from him this time?"

Akio Morita smiled calmly and said, "There wasn't much profit, just some cooperation with them on shopping malls, and new cooperation on advertising in the United States!"

"The shopping mall partnership is indeed a good project. It seems that Sony has another profitable project. As for advertising in the United States, it is something that cannot be ignored, especially now. We need to pay more attention to it. Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi's advertising in the United States has been fully promoted by Legendary Entertainment. This is something we should all learn from! However, Sony cannot only think about itself. It must also consider the interests of everyone. To conquer the North American market, Sony alone cannot succeed."

Akio Morita sneered inwardly at these words. These bastards were thinking of Sony and him now. He had repeatedly tried to stop them from probing John, but they hadn't taken it seriously. Moreover, these bastards hadn't informed him before making their decision. Now that they saw the benefits, they wanted to share them. How ridiculous.

Akio Morita was the last to know about these people's scheme, and he only found out when these bastards were about to launch their operation. The reason was simply that he was closest to John, and they didn't want to inform him in case of any accidents! In short, they didn't trust him and were afraid that he would tip them off!

(End of this chapter)