America: My Time

Chapter 211 The U.S. Turmoil Begins

Chapter 211 The Turbulence in the United States
Everyone's making their moves now—the US, Japan, and John. Ultimately, who will emerge victorious depends on their abilities. Right now, it seems the Japanese aren't very capable; they're already caught in the middle. If he were to kick them while they're down, they'd pay a heavy price. However, John doesn't want to act now. This isn't the most opportune time. Besides, his current enemy isn't these guys, but the Americans. That's why he had this conversation with Akio Morita and issued his earlier warning.

Of course, things aren't always absolute. A kind person is often bullied, and a good horse is often ridden. It was precisely because he was too 'friendly' to these Japanese bastards that they thought he was easy to bully. This time, John was determined to teach them a lesson and make them pay the price. Only by inflicting pain on these Japanese bastards could he teach them a lesson, a lesson in fear.

Is it awkward? Akio Morita doesn't feel awkward at all; it has little to do with him. But now he has to persuade John not to stand on the opposite side of Japan, and not to let Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media stand on the opposite side of Japan. As a media giant, Legendary Entertainment's influence is too great.

"Japan is indeed not peaceful. As trade relations with the United States become increasingly tense, some people have failed to see the problem clearly and have made some foolish moves. But no one expected these bastards to be so arrogant and dare to disregard everyone's agreements, which has led to the current situation. It is precisely because of the existence of these people that we need to sit down and discuss countermeasures. We cannot let their stupidity ruin everyone's interests."

"Mr. Morita, do you really think this will be effective? Instead of wasting time on those people, we should focus on Sony's development. Once the advertising plan starts, I believe Sony's crisis will be resolved in no time! I really don't think Sony needs to care about those bastards. Helping them won't earn you their gratitude, and you might even incur their hatred. So there's no need to care about their lives or deaths. It has nothing to do with you or Sony."

When he saw John's expression soften, Akio Morita secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried that John might break with Japan in a fit of anger, which would have uncontrollable consequences. If it really came to that, Japan's situation in the United States would be very difficult. With a media giant watching Japanese companies all the time and constantly smearing them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Okay, we can sit down and talk, but there’s a condition. I need an explanation. I want to know who is plotting against me, and who is behind Toshiba. I believe this request won’t be too difficult, and you should be able to do it!”

"Yes, I can agree on behalf of Toshiba, and since all of this was caused by Toshiba, they must pay the price!"

“Okay, that’s good. Actually, even if Toshiba hadn’t said anything, I had my suspicions, but I just didn’t have any evidence. I hope we can really resolve this issue this time. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t want to give up the investment in Japan, after all, I’ve put in a lot of effort!” John sighed as he said this.

"Don't worry, John. After this incident, I believe no one in Japan will stand up to stop you. This time, whoever it is will pay the price. This is not only Mitsui's explanation, but also Dai-ichi Kangye's explanation!"

Although the First Industrial Bank remained hidden throughout the entire crisis, their efforts to conceal their involvement ultimately proved futile; they were required to provide an explanation. No one believed the previous reception was legitimate, and as the organizer, they couldn't afford to fail to deliver a satisfactory account. Many believed the reception was the root cause of the crisis, and that the First Industrial Bank bore primary responsibility, being the ones who created it.

To be honest, John hadn't expected this sudden turn of events. These Japanese guys are no better than the British; they're a bunch of ungrateful bastards who will betray you once they've served their purpose. Believing their promises will definitely cost you dearly. Luckily, he reacted quickly and retaliated in time; otherwise, the situation would have spiraled out of control. If these bastards thought they were easy to bully, all his investments in Japan would be in trouble, and all sorts of problems would arise. None of those Japanese bastards are good people.

It was this incident that solidified John's belief that his decision was correct: the semiconductor industry couldn't rely on these Japanese guys, or they'd easily be strangled by them. He just didn't know how long these bastards would behave after this incident, or what impact it would have on him. John didn't believe they would genuinely cooperate with him, because sincerity was nonexistent in these bastards; expecting it from them was a huge joke.

This incident created a rift in John's relationship with Japan, especially with the two major conglomerates, Dai-Ichi Kangyo and Mitsui. They would undoubtedly be more wary, and a return to normalcy would be impossible. If cooperation were to occur again, John would certainly not immediately consider Mitsui and Dai-Ichi Kangyo. Just as John predicted, the United States was now unleashing a massive wave of malice towards Japanese companies. Those who had been preparing for this were launching a siege against Japan, with media giants one after another targeting Japan, causing American resentment towards Japanese businesses, who were accused of stealing their jobs.

In the midst of this storm, Legendary Entertainment was also taking action, but its targets were not all Japanese companies, but rather those bastards who were its enemies. Toshiba was the company that Legendary Entertainment attacked the most. At this moment, the power of America's number one media giant was fully revealed, showing people how terrifying and frightening its power was.

Good heavens, whenever there's malicious reporting targeting Japan, Toshiba is never left out. Legendary Entertainment has completely smeared Toshiba, seemingly determined to destroy it. This has also shown everyone John's crazy side, letting them know how petty he is and how ruthless he will be once he gets the chance.

At this time, none of the promises made by the United States to Toshiba and Pioneer had been fulfilled. Faced with the surging storm, those media giants dared not speak up for Toshiba and Pioneer, fearing that they would be targeted at the next moment, or be targeted by Legendary Entertainment.

Of course, a small number of tabloids were paid by the Japanese to speak on their behalf, but unfortunately, their power was negligible in the face of media giants. They were quickly crushed and were not even able to make a ripple before being swept away by the giant wave.

The storm in the United States put pressure on the Japanese, making them realize how dangerous their situation was without their "own people." Faced with the overwhelming malice, they were all furious. The Americans were truly despicable, breaking their promises and offering no help whatsoever. Some bastards were even kicking them while they were down.

Of course, whether they were truly angry, whether they had truly been schemed against, only they themselves know. Because it all happened so suddenly, and there were far too many hidden forces behind it all, too many schemes and conspiracies—only they themselves know the full story.

Although Legendary Entertainment was also involved in this storm, it only targeted the companies that had plotted against John, not the entire Japanese business community. This relieved many, but they quickly turned against the scoundrels who created the storm, blaming their ignorance, stupidity, and greed for such severe consequences. Legendary Entertainment also showed no intention of helping Japanese companies this time, only offering support to its "allies" like Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi, ignoring the pressure faced by other Japanese companies.

Legendary Entertainment's behavior was restrained; at least it didn't target the entire Japanese corporate sector, and it even extended a helping hand to its 'allies.' This behavior made some people regret not having cultivated relationships earlier, especially Japanese car manufacturers, who were having the hardest time because the endless car-smashing incidents were happening wildly in the United States, and they were getting more and more intense, causing them headaches and making it difficult for them to withstand such crazy pressure.

In this storm, the Japanese car manufacturers suffered the most, but they were not the ones who started it. This made them all hate those who caused the trouble. Toyota was the most unfortunate, because it had the best sales in the United States, so it was under the most pressure. The one who caused the trouble was a member of its own conglomerate, Toshiba, that bastard.

At this moment, Toyota truly understood the feelings of Akio Morita of Sony. No one wanted to accept this outcome, yet they were helpless and could only hope that the storm would end soon and that John's advertising plan would begin soon. At the same time, they increased their publicity in the United States. Otherwise, in this situation, they could easily be swept away in one fell swoop. Those damned American car companies were tearing Toyota apart like crazy, and if this continued, Toyota would fall into an even more unfavorable situation.

Unlike electronics, if a car's reputation is truly damaged, it takes a much greater effort to recover. So, even knowing how hostile the US is towards Japanese companies, Japanese automakers like Toyota have no choice but to increase their advertising spending in the US in an attempt to salvage their reputation and avoid being outmaneuvered by US automotive giants and losing the US as their largest market. Without the US market, these Japanese car companies will face a difficult period and a harsh winter.

(End of this chapter)