America: My Time

Chapter 476 Hidden Dangers
Chapter 476 Hidden Dangers Abound

What John is doing now is learning more about Japan and doing more analysis. Many people only see that John is focusing his energy on the Japanese entertainment industry, learning about the Japanese entertainment market, and understanding many high-end consumption patterns in Japan, but they don't see the much more he is learning behind the scenes.

The more John learned about the Japanese entertainment industry and Tokyo, the more convinced he became that Japan's bubble economy was entirely their own fault, not entirely the Americans' doing. John couldn't understand why those large corporations would go to such lengths to compete for graduates. In his view, it was completely unnecessary. Perhaps some were talented, but many more had limited abilities and lacked real-world experience. Paying such a high price for these university students was simply not worthwhile. It just showed how chaotic Japan was. The companies hadn't considered their own problems or needs; they were only focused on vying for university graduates.

It is precisely this frenzied competition that has led to the rapid development of Japan's 'entertainment' industry, with various high-end consumption sectors growing at an astounding pace. This has led Japan down a path of no return, a path of madness. While there is certainly pressure from the Americans, the root cause lies within the Americans themselves. Driven by profit, these Americans are frantically pushing up real estate prices, fueling Japan's bubble. More importantly, Japan itself is intentionally driving all of this forward.

Of course, there is an even more important reason: Japanese companies are now neglecting research and development and instead focusing on real estate investment. This situation will inevitably deal a heavy blow to the Japanese economy. Not to mention that with the appreciation of the yen, Japanese companies will also start to engage in rampant counterfeiting. This situation is also affecting all aspects of Japan.

What shocked John most was the rapid change in Japanese women, so rapid it was unbelievable to him. A beautiful Japanese woman could have multiple boyfriends. This change made John lose hope for Japan's economy; at least with such frenzied development, Japan would fall into crisis without any external push. Of course, ultimately, only ordinary Japanese people would be affected. The conglomerates would be minimally impacted because those who were prepared had already begun expanding overseas, transferring Japanese production abroad.

The more John learned about the overall situation in Japan, the more shocked he became by the Japan during the bubble era. It was far beyond what he could have imagined. Japan was now entering a crazy period, a chaotic period. These guys were simply insane beyond imagination. Getting rich made them even crazier. At this time, nightclubs, bars, dance halls and other venues were making a fortune. It could be said that such investments were no less profitable than real estate.

The appreciation of the yen has affected all aspects of life in Japan. The situation in factories is deteriorating, as the yen's appreciation has increased their burden and affected their profits. Therefore, at this time, major factories in Japan are increasing their control over costs, and have begun to frantically produce counterfeit products in research and development.

The more John learned about all aspects of Japan, the more he realized how terrifying this storm was. He only knew about the madness of Japan during the bubble era from various materials from later generations, and he also knew how terrible the crisis in Japan would be after the bubble burst. But the present world was even crazier than the materials showed.

Fortunately, John's companies have a policy of not participating in the competition for college students. Instead, they choose employees who are suitable for them and would rather spend time training their own employees than waste money on competing for college students. This unconventional behavior makes John an anomaly in the Japanese companies and shocks many people.

In many people's eyes, John is just stingy and doesn't respect high-end talent. However, they can't change the decisions of John's companies. Moreover, there are no problems or conflicts in John's various companies in Japan. On the contrary, these companies are developing steadily and are very harmonious internally.

Instead of spending huge sums of money competing for college graduates, it would be better to give some benefits to long-term employees so that they can gain more recognition. After all, the situation in Japan is different, and the company I run in Japan is also different. It doesn't need so many high-end talents. Whether it's comics, animation, or even film, record, etc., they can all be promoted from within.

However, wherever there are people, there is a social dynamic. As the competition for talent in Japan intensifies, Japan has embarked on a path of no return. This is only a short period of time, yet Japan has undergone such astonishing changes. If they were given a few more years, the situation in Japan would become uncontrollable.

"We absolutely cannot wait for Japan's economic crisis to occur before making a move. We must get out in advance. It's best to withdraw from Japan's real estate market before the stock market crashes, and get out before others can react!" John didn't know what these guys in Japan thought, but in his opinion, Japan was already moving towards an extreme.

While the bigwigs in Japan didn't seem to care much about John's focus on entertainment, and some even didn't understand it, the Japanese entertainment industry was different. They all took it very seriously and were gaining a deeper understanding of the changes at Elite Entertainment. When it was learned that Elite Entertainment would be shifting its focus to bands, temporarily setting aside its expansion into idols, many were surprised and found it hard to comprehend. The idol market was still booming, with female idols like Akina Nakamori still enjoying phenomenal popularity and enormous profits.

However, judging from Elite Agency's situation, it's clear that they don't need to continue developing their idol careers. Elite Agency already has many top idols, such as Momoko Kikuchi, Yoko Minamino, Minako Honda, Miho Nakayama, Yui Asaka, and Chisato Moritaka, who could easily secure a place in the Japanese idol market.

In contrast, Elite Entertainment has limited capabilities in other areas, so many people feel that this is a change and a responsible approach to the company. After all, an agency cannot rely entirely on idols for its success, especially since Elite Entertainment has such a large amount of resources. It would be a waste to squander these resources. Developing in other areas would also be more conducive to the growth and expansion of Elite Entertainment.

Of course, some people feel threatened because the increasing number of scandals in the idol market is affecting its development. Kashiwabara Yoshie, a close friend of Naoko Kawai, is currently in a difficult situation. Last year's scandal transformed her from an innocent girl into a sex symbol, causing her reputation to plummet.

Yoshie Kashiwabara's situation is just the tip of the iceberg in the Japanese idol market. There are countless other idol scandals. The reports only cover a small portion, which is also due to the limited capabilities of the agencies. Agencies with strong power will protect their idols and prevent scandals from being exposed.

Those with powerful connections naturally don't need to worry too much, while those without become targets. This is the Japanese entertainment industry, and it's far more insane and terrifying than you can imagine. The more you understand it, the more you realize the terrifying pressure behind it; in the struggle for resources, any means are acceptable.

"We need to talk to that old guy Akio Morita. The trade deficit between the US and Japan is now impacting the automotive industry, and the situation in the US is becoming increasingly dangerous. We need to join forces with him, otherwise Toyota will be severely damaged. Toshiba is already in a precarious situation; if we run into trouble, the consequences will be dire." As the chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, Eiji Toyoda was losing patience. The news from the US was increasingly dangerous; if things continued like this, Toyota would definitely become a target of the Americans.

"It's not very useful for us to find that old guy Akio Morita. Although he has a good friendship with Mr. John, he can only play a limited role in this kind of matter. Moreover, it's not just a matter for Toyota now; Toshiba is also in a troublesome situation. The semiconductor agreement has a great impact on them. If possible, we need to unite with more of our peers and increase our investment in the United States. If Toyota acts alone, the impact it can have is limited. Even if we have already taken action, it will take time for the United States to start production, and what we lack most right now is time."

As another storm swept through the United States, this time stirred up by semiconductor manufacturers, Japan's crisis in the US was expanding, starting with semiconductors and spreading to the automotive industry. Toyota, which holds the largest market share in the US, naturally wouldn't sit idly by. They wanted to turn the situation around, so they thought of Akio Morita and John.

"No, Akio Morita's methods are the most shrewd. Sony is currently facing the least pressure in the US because everyone knows that Columbia Pictures, which he acquired, has been losing money. Their profits in the US have been wiped out by Columbia Pictures. But we all know that this is not true. Sony's profits in North America are astonishing. Perhaps we should also consider learning from Sony and making such an 'investment'."

"It's difficult, almost impossible. Sony paid a considerable price to acquire Columbia Pictures and faced enormous resistance. If it weren't for Morgan's intervention, the acquisition would have been impossible. Most importantly, we can't do it either. Our understanding of Hollywood is limited, and we can't reach Sony's level. Instead of focusing our energy on this, we should choose to cooperate with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media to get their support and assistance."

(End of this chapter)