America: My Time

Chapter 35 Old Fox

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Old Fox

Time flew by, and before they knew it, Akio Morita and John had been talking for half an hour. After leaving the hot spring, they were led to a restaurant by a beautiful woman.

After the conversation ended, John kept thinking about what had just happened, savoring every word Akio Morita had said, trying to figure out his scheme and Sony's plan.

"Sony couldn't possibly be so generous in supporting me. There must be some unspeakable secret behind this. For Akio Morita to personally come forward to test me, and for Sony to pay such a high price, what exactly do they want to gain? It's definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface!"

Even though a cooperation agreement had been reached, John remained cautious, wanting to find out Sony's true intentions and what exactly Columbia Pictures had that Sony valued. If it was just about entering Hollywood, there was no need to pay such a high price!
"Records, merging Columbia Records and Columbia Records Neon? No, while the record industry is good, Sony wouldn't go to such lengths for something so small. This pre-planning must have a deeper purpose! Film, is Sony acquiring Columbia Pictures just for self-promotion?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through John's mind. It was the standard, the videotape standard. Sony wanted to acquire Columbia Pictures to get its vast film library. Hollywood has the world's largest film library.

"What a cunning old fox! If I didn't have so much information to rely on, I would never have guessed your true purpose: to win me over and make me an ally. Although there will be some cost at the beginning, bringing Legendary Entertainment to Sony's side will expand Sony's film library. What a clever scheme!"

Thinking about the video recorder standard and Columbia's vast film library, John also thought about VCD. Video recorders would eventually disappear, and the era of VCD and DVD would come. He needed to speed up his planning, conduct corresponding research in advance, and seize the VCD patent. He couldn't let this patent fall into the hands of some bastards!
VCD patents cannot avoid audio-visual standards, and ChaCha MP3 also needs this standard. In an instant, John saw a huge market beckoning to him, and all of this is inseparable from resources; music and film resources are the foundation supporting everything.

"It seems Sony is planning to develop a CD player this year. No wonder that old fox would intentionally help Legendary Records in Japan. It's still preparing for the standard. What a brilliant calculation!"

The more John thought about it carefully and analyzed Sony's plan bit by bit, the more he realized how terrifying Akio Morita was. When talking to such an old fox, one cannot be careless or careless, or one will unknowingly fall into his trap!

When John and Akio Morita appeared, Naoko Kawai and the beautiful woman who had served Akio Morita earlier quickly prepared a high-class kaiseki meal, which surprised John. It was interesting that an American like him was being treated to a Japanese kaiseki meal!
Kaiseki cuisine originated in Kyoto and is also known as Kyoto Kaiseki. It is the origin of Japanese cuisine and considered one of the most Zen-like culinary traditions. The overall architectural style is predominantly traditional Japanese, with some high-end kaiseki restaurants choosing extremely quiet and mysterious locations, hidden away in the city, deliberately creating a sense of suspense.

Among various traditional Japanese cuisines, kaiseki cuisine is considered to be of high quality, price, and status. Many Japanese believe that enjoying light and delicious seasonal kaiseki cuisine can provide a transcendent state of mind.

At this time and under these circumstances, Akio Morita invited me to a kaiseki meal. If I weren't familiar with Japanese culture, I probably wouldn't have thought much of it. But Akio Morita knew that I was well-versed in Japanese culture, which is quite interesting!
Under the hospitality of Naoko Kawai, John savored the kaiseki cuisine and also felt Akio Morita's constant probing during the dinner. This old man was really no good; he even played such a treacherous game during dinner. What was supposed to be a good kaiseki meal made him suffer, as he had to distract himself from dealing with the old man's probing.

During this dinner, Akio Morita seemed to transform into a Chinese person, constantly testing John, showing no signs of being a Japanese person at all.

After a kaiseki meal, John and Akio Morita seemed to have become very close and harmonious. However, this was only on the surface. They were both very wary, but they did a good job of putting on a show. In particular, the old fox Akio Morita had started calling John by his first name without any formalities!

“John, it was my fault that I didn’t treat you well when you first came to Japan. Naoko is still a virgin, so you can enjoy her without worry!” Akio Morita said slowly while sipping his matcha, presenting Naoko Kawai to John. John glanced at Naoko Kawai, whose face was slightly flushed, and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Morita. I am very satisfied with Naoko!” But inwardly, he was cursing, “What a cunning old fox! He’s trying to use a honey trap on me. Does he think I don’t understand Chinese culture? Watch how I win over this beauty and make you lose both your wife and your money!”

As for Naoko, the goddess in the hearts of many Japanese boys, why not take advantage of her? It would be a way to bring glory to the country. Akio Morita has offered such a kind offer; wouldn't it be foolish not to accept?

"John, I'm glad you like it, hahaha!" Akio Morita was very pleased that John accepted his gift, so he started chatting with John again. From business management to technological development, the two talked happily. Akio Morita had been in the business world for decades, so he must have some expertise. The conversation with him was very enlightening for John, at least he learned some things about the Japanese business world, which would be helpful for his future development.

John was cautious in his attempts to probe Akio Morita, only discussing his plans for the entertainment industry and perhaps a few fashion ideas. He avoided any mention of technology, as he didn't want his old friend Morita to know his thoughts and plans. Whenever the topic turned to the game world and the dream world, John made it clear that he didn't want to build a factory, only conduct research and development.
Akio Morita looked at the sky; it was getting late. He said, “John, it’s getting late. Get some rest and leave tomorrow. Naoko, you must take good care of John.”

John nodded, and Naoko Kawai responded with a "Hi!" before helping John towards the next room. Akio Morita watched John leave speechlessly, feeling a mix of emotions towards this little fox!
"What a clever little fox! He's incredibly cunning and discreet. The future belongs to the young generation! Fortunately, he doesn't seem interested in getting involved in manufacturing, otherwise it would have been a huge blow to Sony. The gaming world has immense potential!"

Akio Morita didn't want to get involved in the game market? He did, but making game consoles isn't something you can just do on a whim. You need high-quality games to rely on, as well as technological patents, which Sony doesn't have. Right now, they can only do OEM manufacturing for the game industry and learn from experience bit by bit.

Game World was prepared for all of this, binding Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi with contracts that made it difficult for them to break free. Not to mention, Game World's research had not stopped; they continued to develop new game consoles. This gave Akio Morita a lot to consider. If Sony rashly invested a large amount of money in developing game consoles and failed to gain market acceptance, the losses would be incalculable.

Don't be fooled by the deal and alliance between Akio Morita and John; it's merely a strategic maneuver. Sony can't continue being an OEM for the gaming industry forever. This cunning old fox, Akio Morita, has been plotting how to enter the massive game console market! Morita is well aware of the astonishing profits in the gaming market. If Sony can break free from the constraints of the gaming industry, it will have a new pillar industry and a flagship product!

As for Legendary Records and Phoenix Comics, Akio Morita didn't take them seriously. Even though Phoenix Comics had extraordinary potential, it didn't attract his attention. Only the game world and the dream world were Akio Morita's focus.

After talking with John, Akio Morita became even more certain that Dream World would not only be involved in software, but would also participate in the hardware market. He believed that Dream World was currently inconspicuous and lacked depth, but it would not be long before it would make a name for itself and shine brightly!

This is an era of great change, an era of rapid technological development, and especially an era of semiconductors. After Apple Computer went public, Sony began its research and development of personal computers, hoping to catch up with Apple! The sudden emergence of Dream World immediately attracted the attention of Akio Morita, and with the advent of the game world, today's meeting has come about!

"Perhaps this little fox will be a formidable rival to Sony in the future!" For some reason, Akio Morita suddenly had this thought! Neither Dream World nor Game World currently possessed sufficient foundation, yet Akio Morita still felt the pressure from them! If he could acquire them, Akio Morita would very much like to acquire these two companies, but unfortunately, that was destined to be impossible. If acquisitions were easy, Sony wouldn't stand a chance!

While Akio Morita was still pondering their previous exchange, John had already put aside his concerns and devoured the beauty Naoko Kawai. A young man full of vigor encountering a beautiful woman is naturally a cause for great excitement. A beauty offered to one's doorstep is a free lunch; taking advantage of her is a sure win!
John was overthinking it. There was no honey trap involved. Akio Morita had never even considered it that way. It was just a normal transaction, a public relations pact with a beautiful woman—perfectly normal in Japan. If a honey trap could succeed, what use would a CEO like him be?

(End of this chapter)