America: My Time

Chapter 791 The Great Changes in the Middle East
Chapter 781 The Dramatic Changes in the Middle East

"Mr. Morita, I'm counting on you to handle the party. Japan's manufacturing industry is being affected more and more, and rising costs are making it increasingly difficult. We need cheap raw materials, and Quantum Mining is something we can't avoid!"

"I understand, but getting cheap raw materials from that little fox John is difficult. We could have gotten cheap materials from the Russians, but some people's stupidity angered him, causing us to lose that opportunity. Now, even if we wanted to make up for it, it's too late. Also, as far as I know, the Australian shipbuilding industry has placed an order for four container ships in South Korea. Judging from the current situation, our shipyard has lost another major customer. The Australian shipbuilding industry is developing very rapidly, and its fleet is constantly expanding. Not to mention, South Korean cars are already being exported to North America. Next, we're afraid we'll face the impact of the home appliance industry. This is what I'm most worried about. Not only does Taiwan have manufacturing plants, but South Korea and China also have them. If they join the competition in the US home appliance market, it will also affect our interests!"

It has to be said that Akio Morita's vigilance towards John was truly remarkable. He saw John's plans in the home appliance sector and Bentley Motors' plans in the automotive industry. With the addition of South Korean car manufacturing plants, Bentley's production capacity was significantly enhanced. The South Koreans are not like those Mexicans; they are very willing to contribute to their companies, and overtime is not a problem. Therefore, as South Korea's car manufacturing capabilities improved, Bentley Motors' market share in North America continued to expand, making many people uneasy, yet they were powerless to do anything about it because the South Koreans had their own sales channels and could not be held hostage. This is why Akio Morita was worried that the home appliance sector would also be impacted.

John now controls the largest home appliance retailer in the United States. As long as he owns his own appliances and the quality is up to standard, he doesn't need to worry about retail issues, at least not in the United States. John has perfected the art of channel control, mastering retail channels even before entering the home appliance industry.

Is worrying useful? Absolutely not. Although they can see through John's scheme, they are powerless to do anything about it. This is what is most painful for Akio Morita. Now he is finally under pressure from John. In his view, the reason why this situation has occurred is because of the ignorance of some people in Japan.

John had no idea what that old guy Akio Morita and those bastards in Japan were thinking, but even if he did, he wouldn't care. He had already completed his retail layout and had his own channels, so he didn't care what those guys in Japan thought or what they did. Normal business competition was perfectly fine. If they wanted to play dirty tricks, they would have to face John's retaliation, and the price would be something they couldn't afford.

"What did you say? John didn't go to Phoenix Comics, but went to the oil refinery instead?" When Akio Morita learned of John's itinerary, he was taken aback. John usually went to Phoenix Comics first, but this time he didn't do that and chose the oil refinery instead. Could it be that his trip was related to petrochemicals?
At this moment, not only Akio Morita was surprised and shocked, but the Japanese government was also surprised by John's itinerary. In the field of chemical engineering, Western Energy still has great shortcomings. After all, Western Energy does not have a strong foundation. Even if it had the technology of the Russians, it would not be enough. It is because Western Energy's scientific research capabilities are insufficient.

Although John had done his best to help in the United States, there were no results in many research projects. When he saw that there was not much progress in Japan either, John couldn't help but sigh. The competition for talent in Japan was even more intense. During the bubble era, Japanese companies were incredibly crazy, waving their money to compete for talent.

However, this era will soon come to an end. When the Japanese stock market crashes and the Japanese real estate market collapses, there will be many talented people to choose from in the market. That will be the time for you to make your move.

"We've found out why John went to the oil refinery." All sides in Japan are trying to find out the true purpose of John's trip, as his actions this time have surprised them greatly.

"It's about understanding the chemical industry. Western Energy wants to increase its investment and research in the chemical industry, and has already given instructions to recruit more talent to increase R&D efforts in the chemical field."

"It seems that Western Energy is shifting its development direction and increasing its R&D investment in the chemical field due to the split of its gas-fired power plant. It seems we were overthinking it. However, with the split of the gas-fired power plant, it seems that it has stopped expanding. It seems that the split has had a significant impact on both Western Energy and the gas-fired power plant, disrupting their development plans and requiring time to recover."

In the eyes of the Japanese, John's increased investment in chemicals was a move to shift the development direction of Western Energy. However, they were mistaken. While John did intend to increase investment in research and development, it wasn't about changing Western Energy's direction; it was simply a preemptive move to prepare for the future of Japanese technical personnel—nothing more. When the bubble bursts, Japan will be plunged into a massive crisis, with countless people laid off and forced to find new jobs. That will be the perfect time for Western Energy to expand and accelerate its own research and development.

After learning about the oil refinery, John then looked into 7-Eleven convenience stores. Although a considerable amount of time had passed, 7-Eleven hadn't seen much development due to labor shortages. It had merely restored its layout in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but it was vastly different from the original 7-Eleven. Because of the high land prices in Tokyo, franchising was the only option, and 7-Eleven couldn't invest its own capital. Under these circumstances, 7-Eleven's development had fallen into a predicament.

John didn't find anything wrong with the current state of 7-Eleven convenience stores, nor did he find it unacceptable. This was the best-case scenario; at least 7-Eleven was still profitable. After understanding the situation, John made arrangements and began expansion, gradually moving outwards from the Tokyo metropolitan area.

While it's still quite some time before the Japanese real estate market collapses, now is the perfect time to lay the groundwork. Establish the framework now, and once the Japanese bubble bursts, it will be time for rapid expansion. At that time, 7-Eleven convenience stores will experience rapid growth because they offer the cheapest prices!
With the end of the bubble economy, Japan's economy will stagnate. Cheap goods will become popular, as people will be less financially secure and more frugal, especially those burdened with mortgages. Many businesses will also go bankrupt. Some might think the yen would depreciate when the bubble bursts, but this is a misconception. The yen did not depreciate, so the economic situation in Japan is predictable, and the plight of small businesses is equally uncertain.

The Japanese stock market is currently in a continuous decline, but the foolish Japanese people still believe in so-called experts, thinking that the stock market will definitely recover and rise again. However, they do not know that disaster is about to strike, and these guys will soon be in trouble.

August arrived quickly, and the situation in the Middle East underwent a rapid and dramatic change. Saddam Hussein made his move, attacking Kuwait, a move that shocked the entire world. Of course, the most frightened were the Middle Eastern tycoons, as they lacked the strength to confront Saddam. After all, the army under his command was battle-hardened, far superior to their child soldiers. Naturally, these tycoons panicked.

Fortunately, due to their previously amicable relationship with John, the wealthy individuals purchased a large quantity of weaponry. Most importantly, they quickly learned of Saddam's movements using the global satellite positioning system, which reassured them somewhat. After their initial panic, they promptly received the prototype Lockheed was testing there and placed a large order – after all, they had such a 'good neighbor' as Saddam. Although comprehensive testing wasn't completed, the results were still satisfactory, as Lockheed had equipped the machine with a significant amount of high technology.

The threat from Saddam Hussein intensified their fear of insufficient firepower, leading them to place even larger orders with Gulfstream Aerospace and Bentley Group. The two well-prepared companies quickly delivered the goods to the wealthy tycoon, making them deeply appreciate John's 'goodwill' and allowing their fear to subside.

Of course, John's plans in the Middle East were well-prepared, not something that happened overnight, but rather a long-term strategy. Before August 1st, Jaguar Security was ready to seize Kuwait's spoils—its wealth—from Saddam Hussein. With such a calculated move, there were naturally no problems. And it was impossible for anything to go wrong, since everything had been planned in advance. If something were to go wrong, the strength of Jaguar Security would be questionable.

For John, Jaguar Security Company offered no profit whatsoever; all profits were invested in these guys. Their equipment surpassed that of the US military, making their combat capabilities formidable. Most importantly, they had satellite surveillance, allowing them to monitor enemy movements and actions in real time. Knowing your enemy and yourself, you will never be defeated. Without any surprises, they snatched most of the spoils from Saddam's soldiers and made their escape, leaving Saddam completely unaware of their attackers. Saddam assumed it was due to his soldiers' carelessness and subsequent enemy retaliation, which resulted in the loss of most of the spoils.

(End of this chapter)