America: My Time

Chapter 262 Invitation to Cooperation

"John, what do you think about us working together to promote Dream World's online system in Japan?"

As soon as Akio Morita finished speaking, John's eyes lit up. This was exactly the result he wanted. Now that the layout in the United States was complete, Global Online needed to go further, which naturally meant expanding overseas. If Japan could join Global Online's layout, everything would be different.

“Mr. Morita, this is no small matter. Even if Dream World and Universal Online are willing to cooperate, can you persuade them in Japan? This is communications, not a trivial matter. If you're hoping to obtain Dream World and Universal Online's patents, that's impossible. Even if I could agree, the US wouldn't!” At this moment, John felt a little worried. The Japanese had always been wary of the US, and now Akio Morita wanted to cooperate with him. Would this be a problem? Could this guy really do all this? John knew how chaotic Japan's communications would become in the future. With Sony alone, it would be difficult to achieve his goals!

Akio Morita was well aware of the situation in the United States in this regard. It was unrealistic to expect to obtain the patents he desired from Dream World and Universal Online. It was precisely because he understood this that he impulsively decided to cooperate with them to jointly develop the Japanese market and share sufficient profits. Without participation, there would be no profit to be made.

Akio Morita smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry, I believe this won't be a big problem. If you are interested in cooperating, we can find a time to talk it over properly. We can even negotiate with the Japanese authorities. Dream World and Universal Online have such patents, and I believe they will compromise with us!"

“Alright, since Mr. Morita has this idea, let’s give it a try. However, since you’ve brought up this idea, Bell Labs actually has a pretty good communications patent, a mobile communications patent. If we’re going to cooperate, I think this is a good opportunity.” At this moment, John’s mind raced as he thought of the PHS (Personal Handyphone System) project at Bell Labs. For the United States, this patent has been affected because those old guys won’t give him the opportunity to continue expanding. Therefore, he needs to avoid their sharp edge and won’t be able to develop mobile phone projects in the United States in the short term, lest he be outmaneuvered by these old guys. But after what Akio Morita said earlier, John felt that this might be a chance to break the deadlock.

"Oh, Mr. John, do you have other ideas for collaboration? What are they?"

"I wonder if Mr. Morita is familiar with Bell Labs' cellular mobile communication system?"

“I understand. As an electronics company, how could Sony not know about Bell Labs’ system? This is technology that Bell Labs had back in 1978. Does that mean you want to cooperate in this area, John?” At this moment, Akio Morita’s face showed a hint of anticipation. This was cutting-edge technology, which was extremely important to Japan!
“That’s right, that’s exactly what I meant. Bell Labs wants to promote this technology, but I don’t have any telecommunications companies in the US that can do that. The biggest telecommunications company in the US is Bell Labs, which is beyond my reach. Smaller companies can’t support Bell Labs’ plan either. But Japan can, and the technology is already very mature. Bell Labs is conducting comprehensive testing of this technology at Hong Kong Telecom, and I believe we’ll have results soon!”

"Hiss!" At this moment, Akio Morita couldn't help but gasp, shocked by John's plan! However, he understood that this was Sony's opportunity. If Sony didn't agree, there were plenty of companies in Japan willing to cooperate with John.

“No problem, Sony has no problem at all. However, if we want the Japanese government to agree and give us their approval, we need to establish a joint venture. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get any results!” At this time, Akio Morita also put forward his own requirements. He was worried that John would ask for too much and demand more benefits.

"That's natural. If there are no problems on the Japanese side, there won't be any problems for me either. Since it's based in Japan, it's only natural for us to establish a joint venture. Each side will hold 50% of the shares. I will provide the technology through Global Online, while you will invest capital. Together, we will establish Japan Global Online and focus on developing mobile communications and the internet. What do you think, Mr. Morita?"

John demanded 50% of the shares, which relieved Akio Morita. Thankfully, the guy didn't ask for more; everything was the same as their previous collaboration with Universal Studios. However, this partnership was something Sony couldn't afford on its own; it would be difficult for Sony to accomplish all of this on its own.

“John, I have no problem with that, but you understand I need time to persuade all parties in Japan, otherwise the plan will face resistance!” Akio Morita pondered for a moment before expressing his concerns. “I understand. You need time, and I need time to prepare. If necessary, I can go to Japan and sit down with everyone to talk!” Faced with such huge profits and global expansion, John felt he could sacrifice some time to go to Japan and meet with those guys again.

"That would be best. With you involved, I believe everyone will accept it. After all, our cooperation with Universal Studios is even better!" Akio Morita felt that if John could personally go to Japan and sit down with the various factions to discuss things, everything would be much easier. Sony couldn't hog such a major issue. Not only could it not withstand external pressure, but even within Mitsui itself, Sony couldn't bear such pressure and had no choice but to compromise.

"Then let's set a time for everyone to sit down and talk. If everything goes smoothly, Sony also needs to be prepared. Some of the production tasks will fall on your shoulders. Can Sony meet all of this now? Arcade machines, workstation monitors, plus mobile communications—do you have the capability?"

When John expressed doubts about Sony's production, Akio Morita decisively said, "You can rest assured about that. Even if we have to put aside other aspects of production, Sony will absolutely ensure that all production tasks will not affect the company's development."

At this moment, Akio Morita dared not hesitate in the slightest. He understood that this was a golden opportunity that would not come again. If he hesitated, he would easily lose this opportunity. The shares of the joint venture could be shared with all parties in Japan, but Sony would not give up on production. Therefore, he had to make a decisive decision.

John nodded and said, "Okay, as long as Sony is fine, I believe everything will be fine. Morgan's network system will be installed soon, and it won't be long before it's connected to the internet. If Mr. Morita is interested, he can take a look. Given my relationship with Morgan, it's not a problem. Of course, if you're in a hurry to learn more, you can visit Hurricane Investment first, but compared to Morgan, Hurricane Investment is still slightly inferior!"

“John, I’m here for financing and advertising, so I’m afraid I don’t have much time to wait. Why don’t we visit Hurricane Investment first?” At this point, Akio Morita chose to visit Hurricane Investment instead of waiting for Morgan’s installation and testing to finish. He wanted to understand the network system sooner so he could make better preparations.

It's just that Akio Morita acted quickly. If he had arrived later, this collaboration might not have gone to Sony. After all, John's preferred partners weren't necessarily Sony. Hitachi and Panasonic were capable of handling both monitors and mobile communications.

"That's good. The sooner we settle the dispute, the sooner we can prepare. As for the advertising, we can handle that this time too. The advertising plan around Times Square is nearing completion. As long as there are no problems on your side, it can be implemented soon. You don't need to worry about any unexpected events. No matter how much pressure there is, I will stick to it to the end!"

John understood Akio Morita's concerns. Under the influence of those old guys and various forces, the United States was constantly targeting Japan. Sony and other Japanese companies were all suffering considerable impacts. Sony was in a hurry to discuss the advertising plan because it was worried that Sony's situation would become increasingly dangerous and that its market in the United States would be affected, causing huge losses to Sony's interests.

Not only Sony, but Toyota is also very anxious. Compared to home appliances, Japanese cars are facing a more dangerous situation in the United States. All sorts of methods are being used frantically. In particular, after failing to outmaneuver John and the Bentley Motors Group, they are venting their anger on the major Japanese car companies.

Akio Morita wasn't just there for Sony; he was also there representing the interests of various Mitsui parties, especially Toyota. Toyota was under immense pressure and desperately needed to change its situation. Relying solely on its existing methods was no longer sufficient. Even with Legendary Entertainment's strong support, Toyota still faced numerous difficulties. Therefore, it had to focus its efforts on this advertising collaboration. The more critical the situation, the more they needed to invest heavily in advertising, otherwise the consequences would be even more dire, and they could be easily swept away by the other party.

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita breathed a sigh of relief. Sony's personnel in the United States had been closely monitoring John's advertising plan in Times Square, New York, and were aware of the scale of John's investment and the astonishing scale of the Cultural Oriental Group's spending. Therefore, he was eager to start investing in advertising and reverse Sony's situation!
(End of this chapter)