America: My Time

Chapter 61: The Acquisition Begins
Chapter Sixty-One: Launching the Acquisition
TV Tokyo underwent a complete transformation, focusing primarily on animation while supplementing it with entertainment programs and dramas. Such a change is rare in this era. Precisely because of this transformation, the acquisition of TV Tokyo did not cause any turmoil. No one jumped out to cause trouble, as a purely entertainment-oriented television station did not pose much of a threat!

TV Tokyo did not tie John's attention down too much. After completing the acquisition, it quickly turned its attention to the development of Tsutaya and commercial real estate, while also acquiring Nikkatsu, a long-established film studio.

The acquisition of Nikkatsu proceeded without resistance, as if the entire Japanese market was indifferent to its acquisition. Nikkatsu quickly adjusted its strategy; while the pink-themed movies were good, they negatively impacted its reputation, and movie theaters were the foundation of Nikkatsu!

This acquisition was made possible by Phoenix Comics and Animation being the parent company of Nikkatsu. With such a powerful backer, Nikkatsu's situation began to change, and it began to adjust itself. Some cinemas in remote areas were gradually sold off, and it focused on expanding in major cities and increasing its real estate holdings.

The results of Phoenix Comics' advertising campaign this time were astonishing. The sales of tens of millions of weekly magazines have forced all companies to take notice. The advertising revenue of one hundred million US dollars from this single campaign is a huge boost for Phoenix Comics and Animation as a whole.

Phoenix Media also has a television station and film studio in Hong Kong. Nikkatsu Pictures lacks sufficient production capabilities, so a collaboration with Phoenix Pictures in Hong Kong to co-produce films is possible. The Japanese market cannot be ignored when it comes to Hong Kong films. To help Nikkatsu move beyond pink films as soon as possible, John personally called Huang Xizhao to facilitate the collaboration between Phoenix Pictures and Nikkatsu Pictures.

Phoenix Films is just starting out, but with RTV as its backer, it is gradually gaining a foothold in the vibrant Hong Kong film market. John has to admire the speed of film production in Hong Kong. It is precisely because Hong Kong films are produced so quickly that Phoenix Cinemas has enough film sources.

Now, with the addition of Nikkatsu Pictures to Phoenix Media Group's portfolio, the company has gained access to the Japanese film market, which will greatly boost Phoenix Pictures' development. The Japanese film market is not to be underestimated; even Hollywood attaches great importance to it. Phoenix Pictures naturally needs to pay attention to it as well, strengthening its cooperation with Nikkatsu and promoting joint productions and resource sharing.

Because Phoenix Group is divided into two parts, Hong Kong and Japan, each part is not very large, but when combined, its size is completely different. The separate Phoenix Group is just a local entertainment company, but when combined, it is a multinational entertainment group that can distribute films in both places and expand the revenue of both film companies.

With the acquisition of Nikkatsu completed, Japan's entertainment strategy is now fully in place. All that remains is to proceed step by step; there shouldn't be any major problems.

At this time, John also shifted his focus and began acquiring other industries. With the help of Akio Morita, he first acquired a small Wagyu cattle farm, which only raised about a hundred Wagyu cattle a year. It was impossible to make a lot of money, after all, the breeding capacity was limited!
I never intended to make a lot of money from the cattle farm. Acquiring this farm was simply to meet my own needs. Next, I will invest in real estate, with hotels being the top priority. Having my own Wagyu cattle farm means I won't have to worry about the supply of top-quality beef.

With the fish farm in place, natural mineral water was also put on the agenda. In the entire beverage market, what's the most profitable? Naturally, it's selling water, and mineral water is a good investment choice. When making this decision, John had already set his sights on Shibushi Natural Mineral Water, which was established in Kagoshima in 1986. The investment had been secured; building the factory would take time, but not too long.

The final investment was in apparel. A clothing company called 'Uniqlo' was established in Tokyo, Japan, to enter the clothing market. However, this Uniqlo is different from the original Uniqlo. Although this clothing company has ordinary clothing, it is not the main focus now. Instead, it focuses on fashionable and professional women, making mid-to-high-end clothing. The main target market is women with low individuality, high education, and who want to create office lady and heiress outfits that combine elegance, grace, and femininity.

To avoid future issues arising from different brand positioning, Uniqlo initially adopted a multi-brand strategy. Regular clothing was sold directly under the Uniqlo brand, while the younger women's clothing was divided into two categories: Cecil McBee, which focused on a cute, bright, and feminine style; and Snidel, which embraced a sweet and individualistic style. SLY, on the other hand, focused on a fashionable and professional style, exuding a romantic and elegant femininity, and is currently the core of Uniqlo's development.
Before they knew it, it was already late July. By this time, the plans in Japan were all on track, although there were still some shortcomings. The investment in cosmetics had not been completed. Cosmetics is different from clothing; it requires technology and cannot be invested in at will. They needed to acquire a cosmetics company first and then return to Japan to invest and seize the market.

July 24th was Naoko's birthday. After celebrating with her, John prepared to leave Japan. He now had a large sum of money at his disposal and needed to invest it; he couldn't let it remain in his hands. He had invested heavily in commercial real estate in Japan, but such a large sum couldn't be poured into real estate all at once. Even investing in the Japanese stock market wouldn't fully absorb the money. He needed to be cautious with the Japanese stock market and couldn't afford to be careless, as Japan's financial market was regulated.

At this point, he needed to leave Japan with the remaining funds and find a new way out, and Hong Kong Land, a long-established British-owned company, became his target!
At this time, Hongkong Land possessed a vast and enviable portfolio of assets, but previously, lacking sufficient funds, they had to abandon their expectations. Now, things are different; with substantial funds at their disposal, their immediate goal is to carve out a lucrative piece of Hongkong Land and bleed these British investors dry!

John most wanted to acquire the Hong Kong Electric Lights Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Although now wasn't the best time, as Hong Kong's property market was still sluggish and continuing to decline, he didn't have time to wait. Development in Japan couldn't stop, and owning a long-established hotel was essential.

There's not much of a problem with Hong Kong Electric; it just depends on what Hongkong Land chooses. If Hongkong Land is willing to make the deal, I'll take it directly. If they're not willing, there will still be opportunities next year, and at a lower cost! However, John isn't planning to make a move this year; he's waiting for the right opportunity.

It's not that I don't want to acquire hotels in Japan, but rather that my funds don't allow it. Acquiring well-known hotels is extremely difficult; the owners are simply unwilling to sell. The best option is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel under Hong Kong Land Development. I've also considered acquiring the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, but the situation is the same as in Japan—the Kadoorie family is unwilling to let go. As for hotels in Europe, I haven't even considered it. The cost is too high and not worth the investment. With the money to acquire European hotels, I could build a new, even better, hotel myself; the effort and the reward would be severely disproportionate.

Like Hong Kong Land, Hong Kong Telecom is also a target. It is also a British-owned asset and is among the top acquisition projects for him, given that the long-established British company has a huge amount of assets in Hong Kong!

John had considered investing the remaining funds in the semiconductor industry, but ultimately decided against it. The semiconductor industry is tough these days; the US semiconductor industry is practically being crushed by Japan. He doesn't have enough researchers, and getting involved in the first few years would mean huge losses—he can't afford that now. Perhaps after a major clash between the US and Japan's semiconductor industries, he can get everything he wants from Japan.

Semiconductor research can be put on hold for now, but semiconductor foundry services cannot be neglected. In the past, we lacked funds and could only rely on Japan, which was a major hidden danger. In the short term, the problems might not be apparent, but in the long run, once all our production is concentrated in Japan, the issues will become much bigger. Even the slightest mistake will result in a heavy price to pay.

For semiconductor foundry services, Taiwan is the best choice. Taiwan is currently developing its semiconductor industry vigorously, so investing in and building a factory there would be a good option. However, this still requires talent, and the lack of talent is hindering development.

The biggest problem is the lack of talent. It is precisely because of this that I am always busy. Otherwise, I would not need to get involved in many things; my managers could handle it.

With only a month left before the start of the new school year, my time is still very tight, but I haven't relaxed my monitoring of gold futures. Even during my time in Japan, I've been keeping an eye on the gold futures market to make sure that it hasn't changed because of my involvement!
John had high hopes for this gold futures trading, which would mark the beginning of his foray into the financial market and his exploration of the financial market of this era. Although the amount of money was not large, it was of great significance and he could not afford to be careless.

(End of this chapter)