America: My Time

Chapter 56 Clearing Hidden Dangers
Chapter 56 Eliminating Hidden Dangers

"Don't push yourself too hard. Pursuing your ideals is important, but don't overwork yourself. You've lost a lot of weight, and this can't go on for long. It will cause serious damage to your health. I don't want to see you collapse because of work. Working like this is very bad for your physical and mental health!"

At this point, John shook his head slightly and sighed, "You idols have to face such crazy work. Those with strong will and broad minds will be fine and won't have any major problems. They can persevere. But for some weak-willed people, it will cause fatal damage and may even drive them to extremes. Perhaps only when tragedy strikes will those agencies know what pain is!"

John found it hard to accept and understand the phenomenon of Japan's ruthless exploitation of its idols. Even cash cows need to be cared for. After gaining a deeper understanding of the Japanese idol market, he was deeply shocked. Almost all the agencies were ruthlessly exploiting their idols, treating them like they were made of iron, and relentlessly squeezing out their potential.

If such a situation occurred in the United States, those companies would have been sued into bankruptcy long ago and would have been targeted by labor unions. Only in a country like Japan could such a situation be ignored and regarded as normal.

"No way, this is the case all over Japan, and I haven't heard of anything bad happening!" Naoko didn't think there was anything wrong with her busy work schedule; this was the case all over Japan.

This situation wasn't limited to idols; it was the case in almost all Japanese companies. Overtime was not considered a big deal by Japanese people. During this period, Japanese companies had a lifetime employment relationship with their employees, and employees were paid according to their seniority.

Japanese idols don't earn much money in their early years, receiving only the minimum wage. Only after gaining enough seniority will their income gradually increase, and only later will they be eligible to share profits with the company. This is the case for newcomers like Naoko.

"Just because it doesn't happen now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. In short, you need to be more careful. I don't want to see you under mental pressure. Don't worry about those gains and losses. Even if your ideal is to become a top singer, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I don't want to see you get hurt. I won't stop you from pursuing your career, but I also don't want you to affect your health for the sake of your career!"

John paused for a moment, then gently patted Naoko's shoulder and continued, "Not only you, but I don't want to see anyone signed to the company under this kind of pressure. It's not a good thing. If something goes wrong, the entire company's reputation will be completely ruined, and it will be extremely difficult to develop further. People have their limits. I've ordered four RVs in the US, which will be transported to Japan soon to serve as transportation for you artists, so you can have a more comfortable resting environment while working!"

Naoko didn't know how serious the consequences of an artist's accident were, but John knew that the biggest artist incident in Japan was the suicide of Yukiko Okada. What was terrifying after her suicide was that within 10 days of the news spreading, more than 20 people followed Okada Yukiko and committed suicide by jumping off buildings. Within two months, a total of 114 young people jumped to their deaths, many of whom chose the same location as Okada Yukiko's company.

Although many rumors circulated about Yukiko Okada's suicide—some saying it was due to a failed relationship, others that she was pregnant, still others that it was a scandal within the entertainment industry, and still others that she felt guilty—Okada's mother did not believe that a failed relationship was the main reason for her daughter's death. Her mother believed that her daughter's entry into the entertainment industry before she was a minor, coupled with immense pressure and an overly demanding work schedule, led to her mental and physical breakdown. Her mother once said, "I have never heard her speak in such a weak voice."

After entering the entertainment industry, Yukiko Okada, like Naoko Naoko today, could only sleep three to four hours a day and endured the pain of separation from her family. Even when she finally met her mother, she only spoke a few words before immediately going to sleep. Naturally competitive and demanding of herself, she never made a mistake in any dance move on stage. Just four days before her suicide, she was photographed attending a dance class, making it reasonable to believe that the excessive pressure led to her mental and physical breakdown. Knowing this, it was precisely because of this that she provided her management company with RVs to alleviate their stress, ensuring they had a comfortable resting environment and sufficient sleep, thus preventing such suicides.

In Japan, it's not uncommon for people to commit suicide, fall ill, or experience other problems due to unbearable pressure, especially later on. John wanted to eliminate this hidden danger in his company and prevent such things from happening, causing a huge public opinion crisis and affecting the company's development!
Making money is important in Japan, and that's my goal in coming here, but I'm not willing to earn just any kind of money. This kind of ill-gotten gain is not my objective. Earning such bloody money makes me uneasy. Perhaps the Japanese don't care, but I care deeply. There needs to be a bottom line, and one shouldn't cross it in their actions!

The Japanese entertainment industry in the 1980s was very dark, especially the agencies, which ruthlessly exploited their artists. This was because almost all of these agencies had ties to organized crime. Naoko's previous company was like that. If it weren't for John's appearance, Naoko would have been exploited terribly!
John was so concerned about Naoko not because she was pretty—there were other actresses prettier than her—but because of her personality. Even though her company had ruined her life, she remained grateful and never left. Moreover, Naoko was a very good person and friendly to everyone. In his memory, Naoko had no bad reputations and no one had ever criticized her.

"Alright, let's not talk about such heavy topics. Let's talk about something lighter. Last time, I didn't consider things thoroughly and forgot about your work environment. I only considered a quiet and elegant setting. Those two properties are a bit far from your workplace. They're fine for normal living, but not suitable for when you're busy with work. This time, we're buying a property in the port area so you won't have to commute so much when you're busy with work. What kind of house do you prefer, an apartment or a villa? Don't worry about my opinion; everything is up to you!"

Real estate development is one of the main focuses of this trip to Japan. Acquiring apartments and other residences in Tokyo to provide housing for their artists is a good option, at least ensuring their stable lives. Apartments are also easier to manage, preventing talent loss.

If you want to sell it, you can easily resell it when the housing prices soar during the bubble era. It's a decent investment, but the profit might not be too great, since it's just residential property, not commercial real estate! John didn't intend to profit from this; he just wanted to make things convenient.

Naoko was taken aback at first, then came to her senses, gently shook her head and said, "There's no need for that. I'm quite comfortable here, there's no need to buy a new property!"

Looking into Naoko's eyes, John could see right through her. She truly thought that way; perhaps she didn't care about the fatigue from her daily commutes. In Naoko's heart, this was her and John's home, a place that held her love for him. Even when she was exhausted from her busy work, returning here would bring her a sense of warmth.

"Okay, whatever you say! But we can't let the company's artists live in the company's office building forever. That's not good. It will cause unnecessary trouble in the long run. With so many people and so many things, problems might arise at any time. How about we acquire an apartment building in Roppongi so that they can have a more comfortable living environment and their privacy can be guaranteed!"

John doesn't need to be frugal with the arrangements for his artists, nor is it necessary. Acquiring a small low-rise apartment building with about a dozen or twenty units in Roppongi isn't too expensive right now, and the company can afford it. Moreover, as a physical investment, it can be recouped many times over in the future!
In Naoko's eyes, John was too generous and too good to his artists. Although in many agencies, the artists they value most live in the president's house and with the president's children, and on the surface they seem to live a good life, it is not actually like that for these children. They are under tremendous pressure, and this life of living under someone else's roof is not as wonderful as it seems on the surface.

As they talked, the topic turned to company matters again, which made John feel a little helpless. Perhaps he really didn't know how to coax girls, or perhaps he was under too much pressure. He was always scheming about how to make more money from Japan during the bubble era, and how to rip off Japan badly during the bubble era!
(End of this chapter)