Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 177 Yayoi Masaki and Takatsukasa Nobumoto [Fifth Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Takatsukasa Nobumoto was also fifty-two years old and was a high-ranking bureaucrat who had retired from the Ministry of Finance.

Today he was wearing a black suit, his tie was tied meticulously, and his hair was combed back and slicked back, revealing his broad forehead.

Even after leaving the government office, the oppressive aura of his long-held high position remained.

Nobumoto Takatsukasa's resume is impeccable.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, joined the Ministry of Finance, and held important positions in the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, the Financial Bureau, and the International Finance Bureau.

At the age of fifty, he voluntarily retired from his official post as a vice-minister.

He told his colleagues that he wanted to do things that were impossible within the system while there was still time.

No one knew what those things were at the time.

Sitting on the south side is Saionji Koyoshi.

A 48-year-old heavyweight in the Kansai business world.

Unlike Takatsukasa Nobumoto's solemnity and Yayoi Masaki's composure, he possessed a relaxed air unique to scions of noble families.

The history of the Saionji family can be traced back to court nobles during the Heian period.

After the Meiji Restoration, the family made a remarkable transformation, venturing into banking, shipping, and real estate, forming a deeply entrenched network of influence in the Kansai financial world.

Unlike the Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Iwasaki zaibatsu, the Saionji family never stood in the front row, but always sat at the card table.

There was no fourth person in the tea room.

The iron kettle on the stove made a soft hissing sound, and white steam rose from the spout, slowly dissipating between the three people.

Yayoi Masaki picked up the rough pottery teacup, blew away the foam, took a sip, and then put it down.

"Takatsukasa, you didn't come all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto just to drink this cup of rough tea, did you?"

Nobumoto Takatsukasa did not answer immediately.

He reached into his suit pocket, took out a brown paper envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Masaki Yayoi.

"Take a look at this first."

Masaki Yayoi opened the envelope, took out the documents inside, and turned the pages one by one.

His expression didn't change much, but he turned the pages slower and slower.

Saionji Koyoshi sat to one side, holding a teacup, his gaze fixed on Yayoi Masaki's face.

About three minutes later, Masaki Yayoi put the document back on the table and looked up.

"Asset Consolidation Research Association?"

Tokyo Asset Management Research Association

Takatsukasa Nobumoto corrected, "It's abbreviated as Tosankai."

Masaki Yayoi tapped the envelope twice with his fingers.

"What about the title?"

"Research and consulting on asset succession and business restructuring for small and medium-sized enterprises."

The tea room fell silent for a moment.

The water in the kettle continued to boil, and the white steam blurred the red leaves outside the window.

Masaki Yayoi leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on a spot on the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.

"Why are you looking for me?"

Takatsukasa Nobumoto picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Kansai needs someone to keep things in check."

"The things that the Tokyo Reorganization Association needs to do cannot be limited to the small area of ​​Tokyo."

"Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe are another heart of the Japanese economy."

"The connections, funds, and information in Kansai need someone of your stature to integrate them."

"And you have an existing platform."

"Yayoi Trading's customer network covers hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kansai region, from timber and building materials to transportation and warehousing. You have more information channels than anyone else."

"Of course, the last and most important point—"

'

Takatsukasa Nobumoto looked into Yayoi Masaki's eyes: "I trust you."

Masaki Yayoi did not answer immediately.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip.

The tea had cooled down a bit, and the bitter taste lingered on the tip of my tongue.

Saionji Kinyoshi finally spoke up: "Yayoi-san, you're such an upright person. So upright that we feel guilty if we don't bring you in."

Yayoi Masaki glanced at him.

"Saionji, when have you ever had a conscience?"

Saionji Koyoshi smiled, a smile that carried the magnanimity unique to scions of noble families.

"You found out."

The atmosphere in the tea room relaxed a bit.

Yayoi Masaki placed the teacup back on the table and folded his hands in front of his knees.

"Takatsukasa, I agree with most of what you said."

Nobumoto Takatsukasa remained silent, waiting for the "but."

"But one "6"

As expected, Yayoi Masaki spoke up.

"If the Eastern Restructuring Association only conducts research and consultation on asset succession and business restructuring, I will fully support it."

"But what if its nature gradually changes, turning it into a platform for some people to engage in power-for-money transactions—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping from Takatsukasa Nobumoto's face to Saionji Kimiyoshi's face before returning to his own.

"Then I, Yayoi Masaki, cannot accept this."

Takatsukasa Nobumoto looked at Yayoi Masaki, remained silent for a moment, and then extended his hand.

"I promise you that, Yayoi-san."

Saionji Koyoshi sat to the side, holding a teacup, watching this scene with a smile.

After about five seconds, Yayoi Masaki finally reached out and shook hands with Takaji Nobumoto: "Okay, then I'll join."

Two hands clasped together in the dim light of the tea room, like the beginning of an era.

None of them knew how this beginning would ultimately end.

In the first few years after its establishment, the East Research Society did indeed maintain the dignity that a research group should have, just as Masateru Yayoi had hoped.

There aren't many members, only thirty or forty.

-

Most of them are business owners from the Kansai region and a few are financial professionals from Tokyo.

The activity format is also simple.

A research conference is held every two months, inviting university professors, economic commentators, and retired bureaucrats from the Ministry of Finance to discuss macroeconomic trends and industrial policy directions.

After the meeting, members had a meal at a ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant), exchanged business cards, and chatted about their respective industries—that was all.

Masaki Yayoi always attends in person.

He took the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shinagawa, and then took a taxi to the research institute office in Akasaka.

In the days before mobile phones, communication relied on secretaries to relay messages, and information was passed down orally.

Although the efficiency was not high, Masaki Yayoi thought it was fine.

"Going slower reduces the chance of making mistakes."

He often said this to Takatsukasa Nobumoto.

Every time Nobumoto Takatsukasa heard this, he would just smile and remain noncommittal.

The change occurred in 1980, the 55th year of the Showa era.

That year, the Japanese economy recovered from the impact of the second oil crisis.

With strong exports and robust domestic demand, stock and land prices began a slow but steady rise.

In that year, the Japanese government introduced a policy of "external financial liberalization," allowing banks to make certain levels of overseas securities investments.

A crack has been pried open in the door of capital flow.

Also in that year, the secretariat of the Toseikai moved from Akasaka to Roppongi, tripling in size and equipped with the most advanced office equipment available at the time.

The number of members doubled in that year.

The number of people increased from thirty or forty to seventy or eighty.

Among the new members, there were some people who wouldn't have appeared before.

Real estate agents, tax accountants, legal scriveners, insurance brokers, branch managers at securities firms, and heads of financing departments at several local banks.

Masaki Yayoi first sensed something was wrong at a dinner party after a research conference.