America: My Time

Chapter 970 John's Temptation

Chapter 940 John's Temptation

"John, when do you think Japan's commercial real estate will recover, and when will the entire real estate industry recover? More and more real estate companies are going bankrupt. If this continues, there is no hope for Japan's real estate market. What are the chances of your plan succeeding?" At this moment, even the old man Akio Morita couldn't help but ask. After all, he had taken over a lot of John's real estate, and now he was losing so much that he was about to lose his shirt!
"I don't know. We don't know when the situation in Japan will change. After all, this real estate bubble was too crazy, and you chose a hard landing. The impact on the Japanese people is too great, and the shock is too terrifying. According to my current research in Japan, 99% of the Japanese people are cutting back on spending to cope with the crisis. Moreover, in my opinion, this bubble burst has dealt a heavy blow to the psychology of a generation. They will go from one extreme to another. People who were originally very keen on consumption will tighten their belts. Whether it is commercial real estate or other things, there will be no change for a long time. Without consumption, how can there be a recovery!"

"Mr. John, given that Japan's real estate industry has reached this point, why are you still investing in Akihabara Electric Town? Do you have a better way to stimulate the recovery of the real estate market?"

"I can't say there's a better way; I can only say we're trying. After all, Japan's economy hasn't been impacted by this economic crisis, so I think it's necessary to give it a shot. Even if it fails, the losses won't be too great. Of course, if it succeeds, there will be good returns, since many things require trying."

"A trial? Mr. John isn't entirely confident either?" A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Japanese official representative. Such a large project was just a trial, which they found hard to understand and made them somewhat skeptical!
"Given the current situation in Japan, this can only be described as an experiment, and there is no hope in the short term. Such large projects pursue long-term benefits, not short-term gains. Perhaps there will be no changes in the first few years, but in the long run, there may be good results. After all, the market needs to be cultivated!"

“That makes sense, but not everyone has that kind of patience, especially in the current situation where direct change is needed!” At this point, Akio Morita couldn’t help but sigh. He could understand and agree with John’s point of view, but many people couldn’t accept it; they all wanted to see quick money emerge!
"Yes, everyone needs to see direct change, but no one is sure. If no one takes action, there is no hope for Japan's real estate market. I am not optimistic about relying on the Japanese people to change. That's why I chose a path that will shock everyone, a path that is unprecedented. There is hope only with change. Without any change, it is a dead end. I believe you all understand my plan. My plan is based on my own development."

"John, does the animation industry have that capability? If animation is feasible, is the game industry also a possibility?" Akio Morita asked, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes. After all, Sony is world-class in entertainment and games, and he certainly didn't want to give up if there was any change!
"It depends on external changes and the influence of each party. I can't guarantee anything for others, but the cooperation between Phoenix Group and Mandarin Oriental Group shouldn't be a big problem. I've already started this in China, and we also want to try it out in Japan. As for other projects, I can't guarantee anything. You know that my plan is being promoted with the full support of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group. This requires a huge publicity force, just like our cooperation with Japan Tourism back then!"

It's obvious that it would be difficult for others to copy John's ideas because they don't have the capability. Success is only possible with the full support of two world-class media groups, as evidenced by their past tourism collaborations with Japan. It's not that others haven't tried to promote their own projects, but none have come close to those promoted by John, let alone the resort hotels and estates built by the Mandarin Oriental Group!
“It seems this project is only suitable for you, and only you can drive it. No one else could do it. The investment required for publicity alone is a huge sum of money!” Akio Morita sighed. He knew how powerful the two media groups were, so he believed that John’s project was beyond the capabilities of anyone else.

"Even with the promotion from two major media groups, it still takes time and there's a possibility of failure. That's why I chose to focus on anime and wanted to try taking over the Akihabara electronics district. If the acquisition isn't completed, this plan can't be promoted at all, and I'll have to make a new choice!"

The Japanese official representative understood the immense risks of such an investment and stated, "We will do everything in our power to cooperate with the acquisition!" Faced with John's statement, these guys had no choice but to compromise, as they couldn't afford the consequences of refusal. They knew that many real estate companies in Japan were on the verge of bankruptcy, and quite a few had already gone bankrupt. If they refused now, the consequences would be far too severe for them to bear. They would face the wrath of numerous real estate companies, and it could even become a pretext for others to attack them!
"That's good. Once the plan here is underway, I will encourage the Mandarin Oriental Group and the two major media groups to make more attempts. After all, if the real estate market in Japan recovers, it will be very beneficial to my investment."

“John, we need to find a time to sit down and talk about this. After the automotive cooperation is finalized, we can then discuss the development of real estate and entertainment!” Akio Morita was intrigued. If John's project succeeded, it would offer Sony many valuable lessons. Moreover, if everyone sat down to discuss it together, perhaps even more promising projects could emerge. In Morita's mind, if the real estate market recovered, Sony's pressure would be greatly reduced, allowing it to overcome its current predicament. And it wasn't just Sony; other Japanese real estate companies, including Mitsui, were also interested in collaborating with John in real estate. They believed John had a greater chance of success.

"Sure, I have no problem with that. I came to Japan to resolve the issues here and improve my investments. However, the most important thing right now is to finalize the cooperation in the automotive sector. This will allow me to focus my energy on countering the Europeans. I've been utterly screwed over by those guys this time. I've lost not only money but also time and development. The Europeans are completely unreliable and have no integrity whatsoever. First it was the British, and now it's those bastards from the Netherlands. To be honest, I'm even considering transferring our R&D in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I'm worried those guys might come up with another crazy idea."

“That’s true, those Europeans are indeed dishonest, and it’s a wise decision for you to consider relocating him! But where do you plan to relocate him?” At this moment, seeing the signal from the Japanese official representative, Akio Morita had no choice but to ask!

"Taiwan, South Korea, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia are all options, but a decision hasn't been made yet. This requires thorough investigation, and it's no small matter. If a mistake is made, it could easily affect future development."

"John, haven't you considered the United States? Do you have similar research and development there?"

"No, the research I'm doing in the US is focused on mining, in Europe it's focused on chemicals, and the same goes for Taiwan. Even the research throughout Asia is all about chemicals. But we still need to do some research, because such a research lab requires a lot of resources. South Korea and Taiwan are both good options, and China is also an option, since there's a lot of investment in oil refineries in China."

“John, you could consider Japan. They have a lot of talent here, and as you know, with this economic crisis, many companies have had to lay off employees, and even more are cutting R&D projects. Your research institute has been rapidly improved, hasn’t it? If you transfer your research from Europe to Japan, wouldn’t that combine the two and create even greater R&D capabilities?” Akio Morita was extending an invitation to John. This wasn’t his idea, but rather the idea of ​​the Japanese official representative. If they could get John to transfer his research to Japan, it would demonstrate their capabilities and be a political achievement for them!
"It's not impossible, after all, there are oil refineries here. But do we still have researchers in this field in Japan? This is no joke. Without enough manpower, the impact would be huge. After all, Western Energy has a significant presence in Europe. If something goes wrong, it will affect my overall layout in the chemical industry!"

Although John was laughing inwardly, he didn't show it. At this moment, he had to be cautious and not agree directly. Instead, he had to raise questions. Only in this way would the Japanese guys give him more benefits, and his plan could proceed smoothly. After all, the Japanese guys were top-notch in the chemical industry!
“John, you should probably look into the current graduate employment situation. It’s completely different from a few years ago. Many graduates are struggling to find suitable jobs, so having more researchers won’t be a problem. As long as we continue to expand our research institute in Japan and increase research projects, everything will be fine!”

(End of this chapter)