America: My Time

Chapter 902 Trying to take advantage? Don't even think about it!
Chapter 872 Trying to take advantage? Don't even think about it!

Faced with John's response, Akio Morita sighed inwardly. Those Japanese who had been closely watching John were also sighing; John's slippery nature was causing them considerable trouble, leaving them unsure how to deal with him. The more they wanted to know about John's investment direction in Japan, the more perplexing he became.

John was now sneering at Akio Morita's probing. Asking him to invest in Japanese real estate at this time was nothing short of a trap. Japanese real estate was going to continue to fall, and he would be a fool to make a move now. Moreover, mentioning the convenience store guy was just a way to change the subject.

Neither side gained an advantage in their probing each other; it was a close contest. John could accept this outcome, but Akio Morita could not, as he still had a mission to complete and other considerations.

“John, you see, the factories over there in Taiwan can’t meet the market demand. Do you have any ideas about having other companies do the manufacturing? I think Sony can do it!” Goodness, that old fox Akio Morita finally revealed his true intentions, wanting to get such a manufacturing opportunity from John.

"Impossible, this simply won't work. It's the same with building the factory. You know, the US also has contract manufacturers. If I let Sony manufacture for me, they'll target me. I'm already having a headache. Otherwise, I would have found a contract manufacturer long ago. I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble, and I wouldn't have to face this kind of pressure. I've even come to Japan to take refuge because I don't want to be bothered by those guys. I'm sure you know about the situation in the Middle East. Those guys have been targeting me all along!"

To think they could benefit from me is simply wishful thinking. How could I possibly aid the enemy? Besides, if Sony were to manufacture the cars, what would I use to suppress the Japanese automakers? What chance would I have to deliver a fatal blow to Japanese car companies, or even put pressure on European car companies? Anyone who wants to take advantage of me is just overthinking things.

At this moment, John suddenly felt that having these guys from the oilfield capital as enemies wasn't such a bad thing. At least he could pin a lot of things on them and use them as his shields. Besides, the situation in the United States was indeed very chaotic.

"John, haven't you thought of a way to solve this problem? If we can't meet market demand, it will have a significant impact on the company!" Akio Morita, that old guy, was still unwilling to give up and probed again.

“It’s not that I don’t want to solve it, but that I can’t. They have powerful backers. Even though Morgan has always stood by my side, I can’t deliver a fatal blow to them. You should understand that, and those guys understand that too, which is why they keep provoking me. Now even Phoenix Group has been affected, and Paramount is in chaos. And all of this is caused by those guys. But I can’t take action against them. After all, everyone has to follow the rules!”

Akio Morita was certainly aware of the situation at Paramount Pictures. After all, Sony was also part of Hollywood, and it would be problematic if he didn't know about such a major event. Phoenix Media was indeed in disarray in North America, given the significant impact of the CEO's departure. It would take time to sort things out!

"John, Hollywood can't be allowed to fall apart, or it will have a significant impact on us!" Speaking of which, Sony's situation isn't much better. Columbia Pictures has been losing money year after year, never making a profit. This naturally made Akio Morita wary, since Sony can't afford too much loss right now. If things continue like this, Sony will also be affected!
“I understand, but things are out of our control right now. I believe the situation at Columbia Pictures isn’t ideal either, and it’s even worse on my end. Some guys are even challenging the rules of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll really think I’m easy to bully. But right now I don’t have time to deal with it. Just the navigator issue alone has forced me to put up with it!” John sighed again, as if he was very unwilling.

John's behavior left Akio Morita somewhat bewildered. He wondered if John was truly forced into this situation, or if he had other plans and was waiting for another opportunity, or if he was simply fishing for a chance.

After his attempts to probe failed, Akio Morita got up to take his leave. After all, he was the host of the party and had many things to take care of. He also needed to tell those who were waiting for news.

Watching Akio Morita's departing figure, John smiled calmly, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. How laughable that they wanted to test him! Did they really think he was completely unprepared? These guys probably thought they were too young and easily manipulated. Although it was only a short time, John learned quite a bit. He had initially thought that Norika Fujiwara was Mitsui's doing, but he was wrong. It wasn't Mitsui's doing at all; it was the work of the Japanese government. This surprised John, because since he had invested in Japan, the government hadn't made any underhanded moves. Now, however, they were doing something like this, which made John think even more deeply.

Turning his gaze away from Akio Morita and towards the venue, John saw Momoko Kikuchi chatting with Norika Fujiwara and some old friends from their circle. Hitomi Kuroki, on the other hand, seemed relaxed and at ease, chatting and laughing with Mao Daichi. The others also had their own small circles.

John didn't bother with their thoughts. He wasn't the same as before and couldn't be too casual. Besides, it was easy to give some people bad ideas. Just when John was getting a little bored, Suoh Ikuo appeared. With the bursting of the Japanese real estate bubble, it had also had a significant impact on the Burning Group. Moreover, the expansion of the Phoenix Group made him feel that there should be more opportunities.

"Sit down, let's talk about it. We've met before, there's no need for such formalities!" John smiled calmly when he saw Suoh Ikuo, not caring about the man's identity at all. Moreover, the fact that this man was here showed his courage. Being from the darkness, he naturally had extraordinary courage!
"I'm bothering Mr. John this time because of the company's artists. Now that there's this crisis in Japan, all the major TV stations and film companies are shrinking their capital, while Phoenix Group is expanding. So I'd like to ask Mr. John to help mediate!"

Today, Phoenix Media Group is the largest media group in Japan, controlling a wealth of resources. TV Tokyo is no longer what it was when John acquired it; it now stands at the top of the five major television networks. After abandoning news, it has devoted all its energy to entertainment, producing amazing dramas and programs. Most importantly, with Phoenix Media Group as its backing, it has developed rapidly, achieving good results in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, while also having a good market in Southeast Asia—something other television stations cannot do.

"I've heard that your agency is expanding rapidly and has collaborations with Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment, especially in the record industry. This isn't a problem, since record companies can make money if records are released well; it's a win-win situation! You can talk to Peach if you have any issues; she will gradually take over things here."

Momoko Kikuchi was John's protégé in Japan. She was more ambitious than Hitomi Kuroki, so John intended for her to represent him and understand many things in Japan. Although she didn't need to be involved in too many things, she at least needed to understand the situation of these companies in Japan and the interpersonal relationships.

In comparison, Momoko Kikuchi has an advantage over Hitomi Kuroki and Naoko because she has no connection with conglomerates, making her the most suitable person to handle social obligations. Moreover, Hitomi Kuroki no longer has the same idea she had before!

Suo Ikuo was quite surprised by John's quick agreement, and also somewhat shocked that Kikuchi Momoko had replaced Kuroki Hitomi. Although he knew that Kuroki Hitomi was gradually becoming less involved, she had worked at TV Tokyo for quite some time and had considerable influence within TV Tokyo and even Phoenix Media Group. He never expected her to retire so suddenly!

However, Suoh Ikuo wasn't stupid; he wouldn't sever his friendship with Kuroki Hitomi. Furthermore, he didn't believe Kuroki Hitomi had no influence whatsoever; to think so would be utterly foolish. The necessary interactions still needed to be maintained!
"Okay, thank you for your help, Mr. John. I've also been under a lot of pressure lately. With the bursting of the real estate bubble, the firm has so much to handle, and we could easily get into trouble if we're not careful!"

John didn't believe Suoh Ikuo's words at all. He knew all too well that these dark forces in Japan were incredibly wealthy, possessing astonishing financial resources. After all, these guys had amassed enormous fortunes through shady means during the bubble economy. Of course, they had also suffered losses, as they controlled a significant amount of real estate, and it was normal for them to be affected by the bursting of the bubble. This was precisely why they had become so frantic, trying to recoup their losses, and as a result, the environment in Japan was deteriorating. However, John didn't care about any of that. No matter how bad the environment in Japan became, those guys wouldn't dare target him, much less the people around him. What he needed to guard against wasn't them, but rather those abnormal, insane individuals!

(End of this chapter)