America: My Time

Chapter 212 The Mastermind Behind It All

Chapter 212 The Mastermind Behind It All
"This is the result you wanted. If we hadn't sent Akio Morita to persuade that kid in time, the situation in the United States would have been even more dangerous. Now you have nothing to say, right? You actually trusted the Americans. How foolish! From beginning to end, you were just their pawns, used by those Americans. Now we've offended that kid John for nothing, and even caused a rift in the relationship between the two sides. How do you plan to explain this to everyone!"

At this moment, within the Mitsui Group, Toshiba is bearing the brunt of everyone's anger. This time, Mitsui has been met with hostility from many people because Toshiba was involved in the scheme against John and triggered this major storm, affecting all Japanese companies. They cannot fail to give everyone an explanation!

"It was indeed our carelessness this time, and we were outmaneuvered by those damn Americans. But we didn't come away empty-handed. At least we know that Americans are unreliable and untrustworthy. And John, that little guy, is no good either. I don't believe he wouldn't know about the situation in the US beforehand, or that he wouldn't understand their plans. And he didn't even inform us! His cooperation with us was just mutual exploitation. All the so-called friendship was fake. He's not our friend."

Friends, can there be true friends in the business world? No, there isn't. Everyone is only united by interests, coming together for the sake of profit. The only thing on each other's minds is profit. Besides, John has no obligation to inform them, because these bastards didn't consider John one of their own. Now that something's happened, they want John to act as a friend? How is that possible?

"Enough! This isn't the time for you to defend yourself. We need to give the other side an explanation. I want to know who's behind all this. Don't tell me it's just Warner. Warner doesn't have that kind of power, and Warner isn't a shield. Now we need to know the truth!"

"Hearst Corporation, News Corporation, The New York Times! Warner is just a pawn in the open. They made promises to us in secret, guaranteeing that Toshiba's interests in the United States would not be affected!" Toshiba quickly betrayed these three media giants without feeling any psychological pressure, since these three media giants had not given Toshiba the protection it deserved.

Did Mitsui really know nothing about all this? Only they themselves know the answer. Perhaps this was just an explanation they were giving everyone, a way to put an end to the matter and give John an explanation. But how useful could such an explanation be? No one knew. At least, all of this left Akio Morita somewhat frustrated.

Although he was extremely annoyed by all of this, Akio Morita had no choice but to accept the explanation. Now was not the time to dwell on Toshiba's problems, but to figure out how to solve and deal with them. Regardless of whether there were more reasons or scheming behind it, he could only accept it and pretend not to know the deeper secrets hidden behind it.

How Mitsui would explain itself to John was beyond Akio Morita's control, and it wasn't entirely up to him. He had done all he could; now it all depended on Mitsui's performance. However, Morita believed that this situation wasn't unique to Mitsui; other conglomerates were facing similar troubles. Anyone involved in this scheme would have to give John an explanation, because the situation in the United States was becoming increasingly unfavorable for them, and the consequences of continuing would be unimaginable.

Were the Japanese guys just too stupid, getting outmaneuvered by the Americans? Only they themselves know the answer. This time, they seem to be under considerable pressure, facing attacks from their American counterparts, but whether they have more ulterior motives is another question. Was Toshiba's covert operation truly just their own decision? Were there no other hidden forces or forces driving it from behind? That's impossible, unrealistic; everyone's just pretending not to know.

The storm in Japan came quickly and went quickly. In just a few days, the matter originally targeting Naoko was resolved. Although Weekly Bunshun did not compromise or apologize, it dared not continue reporting under pressure from the conglomerates. They did not expect that their actions would bring such a terrible storm and cause such a shocking impact on Japan. If Japanese companies were to be besieged by their American counterparts because of them, the price would be unbearable.

In normal times, these conglomerates might tolerate their provocations and existence, but when their interests are truly threatened, a heavy price will be paid. The conglomerates are not benevolent; they have plenty of ways to deal with them. Of course, such a dramatic change also has a huge impact on Japan itself. If the Americans seize the opportunity, they could be wiped out in one fell swoop. The Americans are not good people either; there are significant disputes over trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Through the concerted efforts of all parties, everyone sat down to talk again. This time, all sides in Japan felt John's anger and understood the seriousness of the situation. No one wanted to see the worst happen, and even those who were unwilling had to endure it and compromise. After this incident, anyone who dared to underestimate John was a fool. They had never truly felt the wrath of a media giant before, but now they knew how terrible the consequences of opposing them were. Unless they were willing to give up the US market, they couldn't afford to provoke a media giant like John. Although this incident seemed to be driven by Vanguard, Toshiba, and Weekly Bunshun, they were only the visible forces. No one knew how many hidden hands were at play, and no one wanted to investigate further, because one wrong move could trigger an even bigger storm and make things spiral out of control.

It would be best if someone could take responsibility openly. Of course, the most wronged person in this situation is 'Weekly Bunshun', because Naoko's case was not uncovered by their reporters, but rather by someone else who leaked the information. Now, however, they have to take responsibility for it, pay the price, and face pressure from major conglomerates.

This was a small gathering, more of a negotiation than a formal event! This time, it was hosted by Mitsui, who also contacted various parties in Japan. There were no female companions or mid-level executives present; all the attendees were bigwigs from various sectors of Japan, all there to resolve the current crisis.

The media and entertainment industry are among the biggest victims in Japan. This storm has terrified them. Not only 'Weekly Bunshun' has suffered, but also some agencies. Anyone who participates in comments about Naoko and John will pay the price. They will not be given any chance to explain, let alone apologize. They will be directly suppressed by all sides.

Those foolish people, or those who intentionally wanted to suppress Naoko, were suppressed by forces from all sides, without any chance to explain. This incident showed the difference between having a powerful backer and not having one in the entertainment industry. Those with a powerful backer are not afraid of any storms, while those without one will be suppressed.

Johnny's Entertainment was also at the center of this storm. The reason was simple: because of the scumbag Masahiko Kondo's conflict with Hitomi Kuroki, Johnny's had to pay the price. They didn't even have the right to apologize; that's the tyranny of a conglomerate. Sanwa didn't care what Johnny's thoughts were, and they wouldn't give them any face—that was nonexistent. At this moment, they were more than willing to sacrifice Johnny's to gain John's approval. As for what Johnny's thoughts were, that was unimportant and not worth Sanwa's concern.

Because of this scandal, Johnny & Associates suffered heavy losses. Endorsements from all sides were affected, not to mention publicity. Faced with the power of conglomerates, Johnny & Associates was nothing more than an ant; all media outlets blacklisted them. This sudden outbreak terrified everyone in the Japanese entertainment industry, and even idols familiar with Naoko were shocked. This was the power behind Naoko; this was Japan's explanation to Johnny.

To show their sincerity, the idols from Elite Agency, as well as other singers and actors, received goodwill from various parties. This was also a gesture of goodwill from all sides in Japan towards John, and it was a statement they made before the party began.

“John, although time is a bit tight, Mitsui has done in-depth research. Behind this turmoil, there are not only Warner, but also Hearst Corporation, News Corporation, and The New York Times. They are the ones driving all of this. This storm was planned by them!” Akio Morita gave John on behalf of Mitsui.

"Hearst Corporation, interesting. It seems this old media giant is also getting impatient and wants to jump out and make an enemy of me and Legendary Entertainment. News Corporation, that old guy Murdoch dares to cause trouble. It seems this matter is not simple. He has people behind him. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll think I'm easy to bully. The New York Times, this is probably the work of those old guys. At least it's inseparable from Rockefeller. These old guys are really persistent!" After hearing the information given by Akio Morita, John couldn't help but sneer, and he was calculating how to deal with these troubles.

These three individuals are all powerful figures, each representing a different force. It seems the desired outcome has materialized, with the hidden forces gradually revealing themselves. However, Morgan is still trustworthy; at least he wasn't involved in this scheme, which is the best possible result. John doesn't want to antagonize Morgan at this time; he still needs Morgan's power.

(End of this chapter)