America: My Time

Chapter 972 Conflict of Interests

Chapter 942 Conflict of Interests
In just one exchange, John once again sensed the greed of these Japanese guys. However, this was all expected. If these bastards weren't greedy, why would they have so many problems and be in such a hurry to come to him? He originally thought there would be some gains, but now it seems he overestimated these guys. These greedy bastards only care about themselves and don't consider the feelings of others at all.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. These bastards will be crazy and stupid in the future, so John wasn't angry. There was no need to be angry at these greedy and crazy guys. He wouldn't do anything without benefit. If you don't want to give anything, you won't gain anything. An exchange of benefits is normal cooperation. These guys only think about their own benefit and don't consider John's situation, so there won't be any results.

It's not John begging them to cooperate now; they're begging John. Most importantly, the navigation devices are in high demand and short supply. It's a seller's market, and these guys from Japan need to make some sacrifices. But John didn't see that attitude from them during this exchange; all they showed was greed and impatience.

"Alright, don't worry about these little things, go and rest. It looks like we'll be staying here for a while, otherwise we won't be able to resolve all the problems here!" John said to Sachiko Kamachi, Chisato Moritaka, and Momoko Kikuchi. Only the three of them accompanied John back to Tokyo this time; the others stayed in China. Neither Hitomi Kuroki nor Akina Nakamori wanted to return to Tokyo. They knew how much trouble awaited them upon their return, so they preferred to stay in China to avoid affecting their mood.
As for Sachiko Kamachi and Chisato Moritaka, they didn't want to come back, but they had no choice. They still had work to do, needed to prepare records, and had some personal matters to take care of. If it were just work, there wouldn't be any problem if they didn't come back; even if it had a slight impact, it wouldn't be a big deal. But personal matters were a different story, so they came back anyway. As for Momoko Kikuchi, there was no other way; she still had many things to deal with in Japan.

At this moment, Kikuchi Momoko's heart also changed a little. She felt that perhaps she should learn from Kuromori Hitomi and let go directly, so that she could enjoy life easily and freely instead of being forced to face so many troubles!
After Akio Morita and his gang left, they quickly got to work. The guys were discussing things among themselves, and those bastards in the Japanese government were also thinking about how to handle the upcoming negotiations!

"This time things have changed a little. Naoko, Akina Nakamori, and Hitomi Kuroki haven't returned to Tokyo. Instead, they've chosen to stay in China. This isn't good news!" Akio Morita's expression darkened as he returned to his residence. This meant that it would be difficult for him to play the sympathy card, and Riko's influence would be diminished.

Although Riko maintained contact with Momoko Kikuchi, Sachiko Kamachi, and Chisato Moritaka, their relationships weren't as close as Naoko's, or even as close as Hitomi Kuroki's and Akina Nakamori's. This directly prevented her from doing many things. Her reason for not returning to Tokyo was perfectly valid: she needed to take care of her elderly relatives there! This reason left no room for doubt, but it wasn't the outcome Akio Morio wanted!

"Riko, tomorrow you need to meet with Kikuchi Momoko to talk and find out what's going on. I want to know what really happened. This is no small matter, so don't be careless!" Soon, the old man Akio Morita assigned Riko a task, completely disregarding her thoughts. To him, Riko was just a tool to be used, and if she lost her usefulness, it wouldn't be time to discard her.

At this moment, Riko also felt the pressure. Just because of this slight change, her position in Akio Morita's heart had changed, which made Riko feel very helpless. This is Japan, this is her life. Everything is beyond her control. Faced with Akio Morita's orders, she could only accept them and dared not resist in the slightest! The result of resistance would be tragic, so Riko dared not have even the slightest thought of resistance!

At this moment, not only Akio Morita was furious, but so were many others. Many had wanted to use their relationships with the women to get closer to John, but now that none of the three women had returned to Tokyo, many of their plans had failed, and their previous schemes had all fallen through, which naturally made them very angry.

Anger is useless; they can only think of other ways and make more plans. Moreover, this matter is not so easy to resolve. Now they need time to prepare again, but time is running out for them. The Japanese government's intention is very clear: to get them to sit down and talk with John again as soon as possible.

At this point, some people noticed John's change. He had become more 'mature,' losing his initial naiveté. After carefully listening to their conversations with John, the Japanese officials realized that he was no longer the same person they knew. He had become more rational and was no longer the sentimental guy he once was. "It seems we were all wrong. Our 'friend' has changed. Those guys' idea of ​​getting something for nothing is going to fail. I told them long ago not to be so greedy, but they wouldn't listen. Now, the worst has happened. When John chose to go to China first, I advised them not to do anything foolish, but they wouldn't listen. Now, he's already hinting at things to us. Now, tell me what we should do!"

“I think Mr. John makes a good point. We should strongly support the Akihabara project, and we should also try to expand our tourism sector. As Mr. John said, we should make changes. Manufacturing cannot be reversed in a short time, and cost issues cannot be solved simply by wishing to. In comparison, we can first vigorously promote the tourism industry to alleviate our own pressure, and we should also invest more in promotion!”

“I don’t think doing this will do us any good. Manufacturing is our focus. If we lose our domestic manufacturing, we will be in even bigger trouble. More factories will go bankrupt, and the consequences will be uncontrollable. Do you understand? This is no small matter. The automotive industry will be severely affected!”

Everyone has their own interests at stake; these guys represent the interests of numerous Japanese companies, even the entire industry. The current situation in Japan forces them to compete, so not everyone agrees with John's idea. However, on the Akihabara project, these guys quickly reached an agreement, after all, none of them wanted to see real estate prices plummet so drastically, with no hope in sight.

Although the Japanese government intentionally burst the bubble, they hadn't anticipated the severity of the consequences. John's words also put them under immense pressure, because everything was happening. Not only was the real estate market collapsing, but their consumption patterns were also undergoing a fundamental shift. Large department stores and heavily invested shopping centers were facing difficulties. After all, the bursting of the bubble had fundamentally changed the mindset of the Japanese people.

At this point, many people understood why John had reduced the number of luxury stores, keeping only those in prime locations and selling the rest. It was because John foresaw the impact of the bursting bubble on Japanese consumption and the shift in public opinion. He knew it would swing from one extreme to another, plunging Japan's economy into crisis.

Of course, some people cannot accept John's statement, believing that he is wrong and that everything is only temporary. They think that after the Japanese people get through the economic crisis, everything will return to normal. However, very few people believe such a joke. Those who are sitting here are not fools; they are people of status and position. They have all done their research, and Japanese consumption has indeed undergone a qualitative change. Those convenience stores that were originally inconspicuous, as well as those selling high-quality and inexpensive goods, are more popular. Even second-hand stores have experienced amazing growth.

Why is this happening? Naturally, it's because the consumption habits of the Japanese people have undergone a fundamental change. Among all these changes, John's 7-Eleven convenience stores and Dollar Tree stores have taken the lead, and their expansion speed is astonishing. They have truly defied the trend and recovered to their former glory in a short period of time. And this expansion has not stopped but continues, with the intention of spreading throughout the entire country.

It's not that no one is competing with them, but they lack product advantages. After all, they don't have John's numerous factories in Southeast Asia and China, so they can't compete with 7-Eleven and can only watch helplessly as 7-Eleven expands its territory and grows stronger in Japan. And this is just one aspect; other expansions are also underway, such as drugstores! It was initially thought that such expansion would put pressure on finances, but that hasn't happened. 7-Eleven relies more on franchising; it doesn't own many stores, mostly renting locations in prime, bustling areas. Given the numerous bankruptcies these days, 7-Eleven's expansion in Japan is currently without any pressure!

(End of this chapter)