America: My Time

Chapter 413 Temptation
Chapter 413 Temptation

How high were the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show's ratings? John was also very curious to know. Unlike last year's broadcast, this time it was held directly in Tokyo and broadcast live on television. The advertising fees alone for the TV station were an astonishing figure. When he saw the results, John couldn't help but gasp. The Japanese hadn't disappointed him at all. A show featuring beautiful women with long legs guaranteed a 58% viewership rating, which even shocked John; he hadn't expected it.

John wasn't the only one shocked; the entire nation of Japan was stunned. Although everyone had guessed that such a live show would have amazing viewership, no one expected it to be this high. Sure enough, no one could resist the allure of beautiful women with long legs. It was truly a feast for the eyes and ears. However, what made the Japanese a little dissatisfied was that the only performers were Akina Nakamori and Naoko Kawai, and they were singing English songs. Those members of the "Saint Son Party" were complaining.

Victoria's Secret has a total of six themes, and John was able to come up with two of them, which is quite remarkable. If Akina and Naoko hadn't been practicing their songs for months in advance, John wouldn't have dared to do this. Because Victoria's Secret doesn't just want the Japanese market; it can't afford to abandon its core customer base. If its core customer base is affected, Victoria's Secret will suffer a huge loss.

No one cared about the complaints of the Holy Son Party. Being able to appear on the Victoria's Secret stage was the best result. This was not an ordinary TV program, but would be broadcast in the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Its influence was something that their own Japanese TV station could not achieve. Moreover, after the TV broadcast, there would be a high-quality VCD released worldwide.

Of course, some people believe that Akina Nakamori and Naoko Kawai were able to perform at Victoria's Secret not because of their own talent, but because they had powerful connections. Unfortunately, no one seems to care about their opinions. In the entertainment industry, top stars all have powerful backers; those with resources naturally want to enjoy the benefits of those resources and wouldn't hand them over to others.

At this moment, Seiko Matsuda couldn't help but feel a little resentful. Because her own company was not capable enough, she couldn't enjoy such a good opportunity. This made her realize even more the importance of resources and how important a powerful company was for her development. She looked at the idols from elite agencies and solo singers, and the resources and treatment they received were far beyond what even a top idol like herself could enjoy. This made her think of leaving.

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. In the Japanese entertainment industry, there are many ambitious individuals like Seiko Matsuda. Many agencies and record companies simply use them as money-making tools, completely disregarding their thoughts. The intense work puts immense pressure on these idols. If the entire Japanese entertainment industry were like this, they would have no choice but to accept it. However, elite agencies are different. They don't exert as much pressure on their artists. Although there may be no difference in the contracts signed, there is a fundamental difference in the compensation.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and the further development of Naoko Kawai and Akina Nakamori have sparked ideas in many people's minds, making them start thinking about their future. Those who want to enter the entertainment industry regard Elite Entertainment as their first goal. However, not many people can be accepted by Elite Entertainment because Elite Entertainment follows an elite route and does not want to cultivate ordinary idols. If you're going to do it, do it the best.

Of course, the main reason for doing this is to avoid dissatisfaction from other agencies in Japan. The positioning of Elite Agency is to ensure the safety of its own personnel and not be held hostage by others. It doesn't care about how much money it makes. That's why other agencies in Japan don't care about the existence of Elite Agency at all. An agency that has no intention of growing and expanding has little impact on them. Moreover, there are very few artists in Elite Agency to date.

Under normal circumstances, Elite Entertainment would have been frantically recruiting new idols long after gaining recognition. However, Elite Entertainment has only recruited a few in a year, and this year they only recruited two idols, Miho Nakayama and Yui Asaka, which is the fewest they have ever recruited, shocking the Japanese entertainment industry.

Who would care about an agency with just over ten artists? Even if they were all trained to become elites, no one would care, because this goes against the development path of Japanese agencies. Moreover, many people find it unbelievable that such an agency could make so much money, but instead, it throws it away for the sake of so-called 'conscience,' which makes many people even more puzzled.

John's 'conscience' was evident not only in his elite firm but also in his other investments. His companies in Japan were frantically investing in real estate, ostensibly to provide housing for their employees. However, there were simply too many such properties; throughout Japan, major companies owned numerous newly constructed apartment buildings and other high-rises. At least in terms of living conditions, the employees of these companies faced far less pressure than those of other companies.

The attraction wasn't as great as expected because these companies hardly competed for Japanese university students; they preferred to cultivate their own talent. This resulted in stronger team cohesion, making lower- and middle-level employees eager to join John's companies in Japan. Many considered John's companies somewhat foolish, investing almost all profits in such ventures, constantly acquiring apartments and commercial buildings under various pretexts. John's real estate holdings in Japan were unimaginable, yet this didn't attract much attention from the Japanese government. Instead, it earned John the label of a 'conscientious' businessman. Because of this development strategy, John's profits in Japan were reinvested in company improvement, resulting in a vast and diverse portfolio of real estate.

That's right, it really has everything: nightclubs, karaoke bars, restaurants. And yes, that's right, it's Hu Restaurant. Various companies have joined together to establish their own restaurants, taking on the responsibility of providing meals for their employees. The existence of nightclubs and karaoke bars is for the employees' "happy life" after get off work. These investments are not entirely for their own employees, but for making money, because these nightclubs and karaoke bars are always packed.

In an industry that many look down upon, John is steadily growing, acquiring substantial real estate holdings. He himself is continuously expanding his private real estate portfolio, a task overseen by Hitomi Kuroki. In short, John's plan is to invest all the money he earns in Japan in real estate.

Since John entered Japan, all of his corporate and personal income has been invested in the country's expansion. This kind of investment naturally pleased the Japanese government; not a single penny flowed out of Japan, leading many to believe John was somewhat reckless. However, these properties are appreciating in value, so if someone were to conduct a thorough inventory of John's assets in Japan, they would find that his current real estate holdings could offset a significant portion of his loans.

Unfortunately, no one noticed this problem. Even though many people knew about John's company's development in real estate, they thought it was just to improve itself and did not realize that it was an investment in real estate.

John's development in Japan has been a bit too slow, especially in terms of luxury brand development. However, he doesn't have much time left. The Plaza Accord bubble is about to burst, and the cost of further development will be much higher. This is the last major expansion for the Eternal Group in Japan, and they must seize the time and the opportunity. That's why John and Jung Hen-han will be in Japan.

"Our plan this time is very simple: to complete a comprehensive layout in ten major Japanese cities and acquire more stores. Land prices and real estate in Japan are steadily increasing, so this time we need to abandon our expansion plans in Europe and devote all our efforts to expansion in Japan. The requirements are also very simple: all self-operated stores must be located in the most prosperous areas!"

John's request sounds crazy: abandoning expansion in Europe and choosing to establish a presence in Japan. Is Japan really necessary? Many people do not agree with this proposal, but Andrea Jung sees the value of such an investment in the changes in real estate in Japan. According to the current development trend in Japan, even if the self-operated stores do not earn much money, the company will still have good returns as real estate appreciates. Rather than investing in luxury goods, it is more about investing in real estate.

During this time, Zhong Binxian also learned that none of her boss's investments in Japan had ever flowed out of the company. Instead, all of it was used to "improve" the company's real estate and provide employees with numerous benefits. However, behind these benefits was the crazy expansion of real estate, which controlled unimaginable real estate resources.

The boss's strategy wasn't about expanding luxury brands, but rather about investing in real estate. This was Andrea Jung's idea, and it wasn't wrong; John did indeed have this intention. However, Andrea Jung was also mistaken. The investment in luxury brands was real, and it wouldn't be long before the entire country of Japan was engulfed in a buying frenzy. Luxury goods would dominate Japan, and it would be a golden opportunity for luxury brands to make a fortune.

Many luxury brands didn't pay attention to Japan; they focused more on the United States. However, John's Eternal Group had a deeper presence in Japan. By the time those other companies realized what was happening, it was too late. The Eternal Group would dominate the entire Japanese luxury brand market.

(End of this chapter)