America: My Time

Chapter 83 Acquisition
Chapter 83 Acquisition

John also had his own considerations regarding the loan from the Bank of Japan. Originally, he only wanted to borrow from Mitsui Bank and Sumitomo Bank, but because the Japanese government had previously allowed him to acquire TV Tokyo, he had to respond. This time, John chose Mitsui and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, which can be considered a semi-official bank!
Before acquiring TV Tokyo, John had little dealings with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, but now he needed to extend an olive branch. In the long run, it would be advantageous for him to borrow from either bank; once the Plaza Accord came, his debts would be significantly reduced.

Upon receiving John's invitation, Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank was somewhat surprised. However, after seeing the plan John provided, they were intrigued. They had always wanted to establish a relationship with John, but most of John's loans had been taken over by the Mitsui Group. Now that the opportunity had come, how could they not be tempted?

A $20 billion loan is no small sum, and the collateral is not an issue. Although it's a leveraged buyout, from First Bank's perspective, both Universal and NBC are excellent collateral. Even if John's business fails and he can't repay the loan, they won't lose out. The allure of the media is irresistible to them, and Japan desperately wants this kind of power—the opportunity to change America's perception of them!
Why would such a huge windfall suddenly fall from the sky? Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank was also pondering this, and they soon realized that a large part of the reason was the acquisition by TV Tokyo. In this acquisition, the Japanese government did not stop it, and now the other party was reciprocating.

John could enjoy a quiet vacation with Naoko, but Morgan, Mitsui, and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank were all working overtime, especially Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, which was determined to get its share from John! In the written materials John sent to them, he had already told the two banks that Morgan would be the representative for this acquisition!
Morgan was well aware of the strength of Mitsui and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank. With Morgan involved, they saw no possibility of failure for Universal and NBC. All they needed to do was ensure the safety of the loan.

There are indeed risks involved; no loan is without risk. They cannot give up just because there are risks. Currently, many banks in Japan are willing to lend to John. If they disagree, someone else will naturally take over.

To show respect for the First Industrial Bank, the negotiations were to be held at the First Industrial Bank itself. John had communicated with Jimmy about this, as well as with Mitsui Bank!
With no objections from any party, the time for the negotiations was set. John, Morgan, Mitsui, and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank all wanted to avoid delays, fearing that unforeseen events might occur. The time was quickly set for the morning of the following day!

John's loan amount with the Japanese bank was not a problem, nor was the interest rate. Both Mitsui and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank offered the lowest possible rates. The negotiations proceeded smoothly, and as long as the contract was in order, everything was fine. In just one day, John accomplished the feat of raising funds in Japan, much to the astonishment of Morgan's representative, Jimmy.

Such a large loan would take far too long in the United States, almost a month, but in Japan, John completed the loan in just one day. With no issues with the contract, everyone was satisfied. Morgan didn't need to worry about John's funding; the Japanese bank had found a major client, and the contract clearly stipulated that the acquisition would begin and the funds would enter Morgan's account once Morgan fulfilled its commitments!
A $40 billion deal was completed so easily, and this is just the beginning. Once the news spreads, a storm will rage, and Hollywood will be thrown into turmoil. This is the transfer of ownership of one of Hollywood's giants, not to mention NBC. With such an acquisition, Legendary Entertainment will instantly become the largest media group in the United States, and Warner Bros. will be instantly overshadowed, falling from number one to number two.

Although Morgan had already taken control of the two companies, for security reasons, they still signed a confidentiality agreement to ensure that the acquisition would not be known to outsiders, giving Morgan as much time as possible to purge the top executives of the two companies!

From the moment the contract was signed, the purge of these two major American companies began. Time was of the essence, and Morgan didn't want to drag it out for too long. If this matter couldn't be completed smoothly, how could they continue to sell Bell Labs and Motorola Semiconductor to John?
When the Wall Street giants opened their mouths wide, no one could stop them. No matter how unwilling or reluctant the top executives of the two companies were to accept the outcome, it was useless. They were purged by Morgan through various means. From small to large, the purge of the two companies proceeded smoothly.

Although the purge had a significant impact on both companies, they did not experience a business crisis under pressure from Morgan. Both companies were able to operate normally and were not affected by the purge of senior management.
Morgan's plan was to complete the purge within two months, handing over the two companies to Legendary Entertainment by the beginning of the year, thus finalizing the acquisition. Although Morgan was trying its best to cover everything up, some information still leaked out as the purge progressed.

Who is acquiring Universal and NBC? This has become a hot topic in the United States. Everyone wants to know who Morgan is doing this acquisition for. Only a few people know the inside story. Morgan is being very cautious about this transaction to ensure that no surprises will occur.

The changes in the United States did not affect John, who was in Tokyo, Japan. This collaboration established a connection between Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and John. As a semi-official bank, John had to take its existence seriously. He had substantial investments in Japan, and using Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank as a channel to communicate with the Japanese government was a valuable asset.

Although John was young, no one dared underestimate his abilities. Americans were unaware of the extent of John's wealth in Japan, and they were well aware of the potential of Japanese banks! After successfully completing the loan, John, accompanied by Naoko, visited Akio Morita again to discuss financing for the game world and contract manufacturing. The most important Christmas season of the year was fast approaching, the peak sales period in the US, and John didn't want to see any production shortages!

After a polite exchange, John and Akio Morita sat down in the living room. Before John could even bring up the issue of contract manufacturing, Akio Morita spoke first, saying, "Congratulations! This time, Legendary Entertainment will become one of the giants in Hollywood!"

John knew he couldn't hide this news from an old hand like Akio Morita, so he smiled calmly and said, "It's not a giant. Universal's foundation is there. The film studio's performance is not ideal and it needs a lot of time to reorganize. However, Sony should do some preparatory work in advance and not rush to make a move when the acquisition opportunity comes!"

John reminded Akio Morita once again at Columbia Pictures to prepare early, but unfortunately Morita didn't take it to heart. At present, Americans have a very bad impression of Japan, and there are many trade disputes between the two countries. This is not the time for Sony to make a move.

"John, you came to Japan this time not only for the loan, but also for the game world, right?"

"That's right, that's exactly right. The gaming world needs to prepare for the Christmas sales season, which is inseparable from the manufacturing of Japanese products. I hope Sony can focus its efforts on supplying the North American market, which is the best sales period of the year. If we miss it, we'll have to wait until next year!"

"Sony is fine. They've been expanding production and will fully support the expansion of the gaming world, no matter how difficult things get!"

John also knew that Sony was fine. Lured by the profits, Sony was working overtime to produce arcade machines one after another. In particular, Mahjong was extremely popular in Japan, with orders pouring in, making Sony a fortune and giving Akio Morita even more confidence. Of course, the gaming industry also made a lot of money.

"The next issue is financing. If nothing unexpected happens, we will start financing in early December. Sony is interested and should prepare in advance. There are many competitors this time. The potential of the gaming world has attracted many investment banks, and the market value may exceed everyone's imagination. Of course, the financing time may also be brought forward!"

Akio Morita was well aware of the booming gaming world; the phenomenal sales of his own arcade machines demonstrated just how terrifying and astonishing its potential was. Within this massive market, the gaming world had already reached the top, and everyone understood the crucial importance of a stake in it.

With more people wanting to invest, the market value of the game world naturally soared. Initially, everyone was wary of the game world, worried that such prosperity wouldn't last long. Now, all investors have dispelled such thoughts, and the game world's financing has become a focus of attention on Wall Street.

John's series of actions further demonstrated the immense potential of the gaming world to these investment banks. Ambitious Wall Street tycoons were secretly assessing the potential of the gaming world and the size of the gaming market. The results shocked them greatly; it was a huge market, and in just a few months, it had repeatedly refreshed their understanding of the market!
(End of this chapter)