Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 809 Obvious Ambition

"So, Panasonic agreed?"

At the home of Hirohashi Asako in Shirokanedai, Minato Ward, Hideki Hanyu came here to pay a visit before returning to Sendai City in the New Year.

Of course, the person he visited was not Hirohashi Asako, but Hirohashi Asako's mother.

Hirohashi Asako's father died early, and her mother suffered a lot in her early years to raise Hirohashi Asako, so her health has not been good as she got older.

Although he is about the same age as Mrs. Tanaka, she can still pick up the family heirloom sword when she has nothing to do and chop the useless Tanaka Yukio into a pulp.

However, Hirohashi Asako's mother was so weak that she couldn't even go out in winter.

Therefore, every winter, Hirohashi Asako's friends would take time to visit the old lady.

Everyone made an appointment to get together today. Guangqiao Qianzi rarely played the role of a strong woman in Yunshang Entertainment and stayed at home to entertain the guests.

After Hideki Hanyu arrived, he mentioned in passing that he had attended a reception at Panasonic yesterday and had a series of verbal "confrontations" with Akio Tanii regarding the acquisition of MCA Universal.

After talking to him, the same question that Hirohashi Asako asked at the beginning came up.

Hanyu Hideki replied, "Panasonic is a giant Japanese company after all, and it's not easy to get them to agree."

Hideki Hanyu never thought that Panasonic would immediately bow down and cooperate with his conditions as soon as he threatened them with his means in the stock market.

Today, Panasonic has a market value of trillions of yen and is one of the largest conglomerates in the world. It is not the "giant" that will continue to decline in the future and have a market value of only one-tenth of its peak.

Such a powerful enterprise naturally has its pride.

As the president of such a company, Akio Tanii would naturally not be easily frightened by Hideki Hanyu and immediately admit his mistake.

The reason why Hideki Hanyu told Akio Tanii everything he had done against Panasonic in the stock market was simply to hang a sword of Damocles over Panasonic's head.

As long as he holds back and doesn't take any action, Panasonic will not be able to live in peace.

Coupled with the current poor stock market situation, with no end in sight to the decline, Panasonic must allocate more funds to guard against Hideki Hanyu.

In this case, even if Panasonic is unwilling to admit defeat and wants to continue competing with Cloud Entertainment in the acquisition of MCA Global, it is probably powerless as it is involved in the local market.

Therefore, Hideki Hanyu actually does not need to do anything now, nor does he need to worry about whether Akio Tanii will agree to his request. As long as he keeps waiting, Panasonic's attitude will naturally collapse.

As for MCA Global.

The neon bubble crisis caused the largest financier in the global investment market, neon capital, to begin tightening its funding.

It won’t be long before Japan’s wild goose-fly model in Asia becomes unsustainable, so there won’t be any suckers willing to take over at a high price in Hollywood.

I didn't see Lew Wasserman, the head of MCA Universal, even use the release of the new movie "Driving Miss Daisy" produced by Cloud Pictures as an excuse to call Hideki Hanyu to get the ball rolling.

Hideki Hanyu has only one way to perform, and that is dragging.

He speaks ambiguously and vaguely, and he practices Tai Chi to perfection.

It can be seen that the MCA Global board of directors and Lou Wasserman are really anxious.

After all, MCA Global's performance in recent years has been mediocre. It was not until the money-rich Neon Capital took the bait that they competed with each other to offer sky-high acquisition prices to help them sell the shares.

As a result, no one expected that the Neon stock market would suddenly collapse. The two companies are now in trouble and the negotiations have completely lost their previous enthusiasm.

The duck that has been caught is about to fly away. Who wouldn't be anxious?

"So regarding the acquisition of MCA Global, what arrangements do you have, Hanyu-san?"

The person asking the question was Ito Shinsuke.

This guy was studying and living in America with his wife until a few days ago when he returned to Neon. Naturally, he also heard about Cloud Entertainment and Panasonic's price-raising competition with MCA Global in Los Angeles.

"I have no plans for now. Let's wait until the New Year is over." Hanyu Hideki said nonchalantly.

Ito Shinsuke asked, "Aren't you afraid that Panasonic will suddenly make an offer?"

“Don’t be afraid. Not to mention that Panasonic is currently struggling with the stock market and cannot withdraw $7 billion in funds.

But judging by the greedy faces of those people on the MCA Global board, even if Panasonic really made a new offer, their first reaction would probably not be to agree, but to notify us immediately and stimulate us to continue to raise the price.”

Hanyu Hideki said this in a relaxed manner, and looked at Ito Shinsuke and joked, "Ito-san looks even more anxious than I am. It seems that he can't wait to become the boss of MCA Global."

Upon hearing this, Ito Shinsuke openly admitted, "That's MCA Universal, one of the six major production companies in Hollywood. It's understandable that I'm anxious."

On the other side, Shota Yoshioka also followed up, "Not to mention Ito-san, even I am very tempted. If we can really acquire MCA Worldwide, its MCA Television Group will also be of great help to Storm Advertising's business."

As Yoshioka Shota seemed to remember something, he asked again, "If the acquisition is really completed, how will Hanyu-san take over MCA Global's TV network?"

Hanyu Hideki knew what Shota Yoshioka meant.

America still has certain restrictions on foreign investment in television stations.

But since he acquired it, he must have been prepared.

In the previous life, when Panasonic acquired MCA Universal, this did not cause any obstacles, so there will naturally be no problems here.

"Don't worry, I have already considered this aspect and I guarantee there won't be any problems."

As soon as Hanyu Hideki finished speaking, Hirohashi Asako's voice rang out.

"You three, the acquisition hasn't even been completed yet, but you're already worrying about what's going to happen after the acquisition. You're really all very anxious."

Ito Shinsuke immediately said in an exaggerated tone, "I don't believe that Asako-san is not anxious. If we win MCA Global, Yunshang Entertainment's shortcomings in Europe and the United States will be fully made up.

By then, Yunshang Entertainment will truly become the world's largest entertainment media group, and Qianzi Sanna's title of entertainment queen will be well-deserved."

Although Ito Shinsuke's tone was exaggerated, what he said was not exaggerated at all.

Today, Yunshang Entertainment has become a veritable overlord in the entertainment and media industry in Japan and Asia.

A lot of investment has also been made in the European and American cinema markets, film and television, and media industries.

In this case, once MCA Global is acquired, the last shortcoming will be filled.

By then, a world-leading entertainment and media group will be born. To say it is the largest entertainment and media group does not even need to be added with the word "one" at the end.

Perhaps in some individual areas, Yunshang Entertainment cannot compare with the old companies, but in terms of comprehensive strength in the market, it is absolutely unmatched.

Yoshioka Shota asked with a smile, "Asako-san, would you consider taking a position in North America when the time comes?

The first female president of MCA Worldwide, that sounds very impressive.”

Hirohashi Asako said helplessly, "Stop joking, Yoshioka-san. I know nothing about Hollywood business and would just cause trouble if I went there.

Moreover, Alan Horn, the CEO recruited by Hanyu-san for Cloud Pictures, has outstanding work ability and can be transferred to MCA Universal in due course.

But at that time, MCA Global's business had to be split and reorganized, I think..."

"Ha ha……"

Before Hirohashi Asako could finish her words, she was interrupted by Hanyu Hideki's laughter.

Seeing Hirohashi Asako looking at him in confusion, Hanyu Hideki couldn't help but say, "Asako-san said that the three of us were anxious, but it turns out that you think even further ahead than we do. You've even started planning for the new CEO and the division of business."

After hearing what Hanyu Hideki said, Hirohashi Asako also laughed at herself.

Then she looked around and said with emotion, "Looking back, we just wanted to start a business because we were unwilling to be abandoned by Hanyu-san, but we have managed to grow the business to its current level."

As she spoke, she looked at Hanyu Hideki with sincerity in her eyes, “I know very well that the development of Yunshang Yinghua to its current scale is all due to Hanyu-san’s contribution.

If Mr. Hanyu hadn't controlled the development of the company and decided the direction of the business, with my ability, I'm afraid Yunshang Entertainment would still be Yunshang Yinghua, and it would still be a small entertainment company hiding in the neon lights." As soon as Hirohashi Asako said this, Yoshioka Shota and Ito Shinsuke next to them didn't say anything, but the look they gave Hanyu Hideki proved that they agreed with Hirohashi Asako's statement.

Looking at Hirohashi Asako who suddenly became sentimental, Hanyu Hideki laughed with feigned complacency.

"Haha, who made me such a genius? I thought I hid it well, but it was all discovered by Qianzi-san."

But after the pretense, he still expressed it seriously.

“The fact that Yunshang Entertainment has come this far is definitely not achieved by the efforts of one person alone.

It is like our child. You and I are its creators. We all play an important role in its growth, and no one is more important than anyone else.

And it is my honor to have reliable partners like you.”

As soon as Hanyu Hideki finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room turned sentimental and never returned.

Just when everyone was immersed in the past and fantasizing about the future, a knock on the door broke the atmosphere.

In order to have their conversation without being disturbed, they were currently in Hirohashi Asako's study.

Hirohashi Asako opened the door and saw that it was the maid who knocked on the door.

The maid immediately reported, "Madam, the lady asked me to inform you that your uncle, Mr. Zhou Fang, has arrived."

"I see."

Hirohashi Asako responded, turned to the three people in the study and said, "I'm going to go and receive President Zhou Fang first, you guys continue chatting."

Ito Shinsuke stood up and said, "Let Asako-san and I go together. I want to make a short film recently, and the dubbing copyright I need happens to be in the hands of President Suoh."

Just like that, after Hirohashi Asako and Ito Shinsuke left, only Hanyu Hideki and Yoshioka Shota were left in the study.

Hanyu Hideki happened to have something to discuss with Yoshioka Shota, so he asked directly, "Yoshioka-san, how is the stock price trend of Storm Advertising recently?"

Yoshioka Shota looked helpless, "The market is falling, how can Storm Advertising be immune to this?

However, compared with other companies, the decline of Storm Advertising was not so dramatic, so the board of directors did not blame me too much. "

Hanyu Hideki said, "Mr. Yoshioka, don't be too happy too soon. In my opinion, this stock market decline will not end in a short time."

Upon hearing this, Yoshioka Shota immediately gave a bitter smile and said, "If that's the case, I'm afraid my position as president will be unstable."

Hanyu Hideki advised, "The stock market is collapsing, the board of directors will definitely not blame Yoshioka-san."

Yoshioka Shota smiled bitterly and said, "The investors on the board of directors don't care about these things. They only care about whether the stocks they hold have depreciated."

"In that case, Yoshioka-san might as well keep an eye on it. If the stock price continues to fall, any investor of Storm Advertising who wants to cash out to stop losses should contact Asako-san immediately."

As soon as Hanyu Hideki said this, Yoshioka Shota understood what Hanyu Hideki meant.

"Hanyu-san has an idea for Storm Advertising."

Hanyu Hideki nodded and said, "That's right. Many of Yunshang Entertainment's businesses in Neon are deeply involved with the advertising industry. We can't always be controlled by others in this regard."

Yoshioka Shouta asked, "Not even if it's Dentsu?"

Hanyu Hideki said firmly, "Yes, even Dentsu can't do that."

In an instant, Hideki Hanyu's ambition became clear.

Dentsu, the overlord of Japan's advertising industry, has indeed provided a lot of help for Yunshang Entertainment to develop to its current level.

But in Hideki Hanyu's opinion, Dentsu may have done "favors" to Yunshang Entertainment, but it was more of an exchange of interests, which is not enough for Yunshang Entertainment to repay it forever.

It is also not an excuse for Yunshang Entertainment to be controlled by Dentsu in its business.

Nowadays, regardless of his personal strength and influence.

Whether it is the scale of Yunshang Entertainment, it has already met the needs of establishing its own business.

Today, Storm Advertising's overseas business is developing rapidly, but in Japan it can only be subordinate to Dentsu and take on overseas advertisements with a very small market share.

This is definitely not what Hideki Hanyu wants to see.

In his plan, Storm Advertising, which belongs to Yunshang Entertainment, is a large advertising group with business spanning both at home and abroad and no business restrictions in Japan, which is enough to compete with Dentsu.

However, the premise of all these plans is that Storm Advertising must belong to Yunshang Entertainment and be independent from Dentsu.

"What are you going to do, Hanyu-san?" asked Shota Yoshioka.

"We don't have enough chips in our hands, so don't think too much now. It is just a basic requirement to make our stock exceed Dentsu. My goal is to get the controlling stake."

Although Hideki Hanyu has revealed his ambition, he is not in a hurry.

Yoshioka Shouta thought about it and then helped analyze it.

“Dentsu originally held 35 percent of the shares, but after adjustments since the listing, it has only held 20 percent.

Yunshang Entertainment currently holds a 10 percent stake in Storm Advertising.

If they want to surpass Dentsu, the families behind Sunrise Investment have been cashing out, so it shouldn't be a problem to buy it out. However, after dilution and cashing out, they now only have 6% of the shares.

If they can secure Risheng Investment and then think of a way to expand in the secondary market, it should be no problem for Yunshang Entertainment to have a larger share than Dentsu.

But if you want to get a controlling stake, that’s a bit difficult.”

Hanyu Hideki was not in a hurry to solve the problem mentioned by Yoshioka Shouta, but first instructed, "Pay attention to the seller and leave it to Yoshioka-san. The price is easy to negotiate, because the funds raised by Asako-san cannot be spent anyway."

Yoshioka Shota asked, "Wasn't that money used to acquire MCA Universal?"

Hanyu Hideki explained, "It is unrealistic for Yunshang Entertainment to swallow up MCA Global alone. There will be other investors joining in by then. Mr. Yoshioka does not need to worry about this."

Shota Yoshioka said, “Even so, it is still not easy to get a controlling stake.”

"It's not easy but we have to find a way. Otherwise, with Dentsu's influence in the industry, how can we convince other shareholders to tear up the agreement that Storm Advertising will not participate in Neon's corporate advertising?"

Hanyu Hideki said, changing the subject, “And since I dare to bring this up, it’s impossible for me to not make any preparations.

I started buying Storm Advertising shares in the secondary market a long time ago, and now I own about 8% of them.

In addition to these, I have also been in contact with the banks where I initially invested, as well as some holding institutions. If all goes well, my shareholding alone will be able to reach 20%.

I am also confident that I can buy shares in the five major private television stations: Tokyo TV, Neon TV, and Fuji TV.

If we calculate it this way, it's already about 40 percent, so the part that needs to be taken care of by Yoshioka-san is only about 10 percent.

So Yoshioka-san is trying to tell me that you don’t even have 10% confidence in winning?”

"How is that possible? Hanyu-san has already done so much, just leave the rest to me." Yoshioka Shota assured loudly.

After hearing how Hideki Hanyu had done so much without making a fuss, Shota Yoshioka naturally would not admit defeat.

Hanyu Hideki said with relief, "Very good, Yoshioka-san needs to have this kind of spirit to help Storm Advertising become independent.

After all, obtaining a controlling stake is just the beginning. When we break the agreement not to participate in advertising for Neon Honpo Enterprise, we will face direct competition with Dentsu, which is the real challenge.”

Yoshioka Shota said excitedly, "It sounds very stressful, but I like to do challenging things."

"Then I'll wait and see how Yoshioka-san performs."

(End of this chapter)