Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 949 The final puzzle
Monday, July 2nd.

The advertising war between Japan's own Storm Advertising and Dentsu is still raging.

Storm Advertising continuously pushed companies and brands to terminate their contracts with Dentsu, and then actively took them on as its partners, rapidly expanding its business in Japan and gaining a foothold in the market.

Although Dentsu was in a state of disarray, its long-standing monopoly had given it a deep foundation. In addition, traditional Japanese conglomerates and companies had not abandoned Dentsu. So, although the situation seemed precarious, it remained steadfast and unyielding.

However, Dentsu doesn't seem to have figured out who to blame, so it hasn't been able to come up with a scapegoat yet, resulting in a consistently bad public opinion situation.

Interestingly, despite the fierce advertising war, neither side has yet touched upon the areas most closely related to the advertising industry.

That is the entertainment and media industry.

In the entertainment industry, both parties should accept work in a way that is appropriate for them.

The most important battleground, the various civilian television stations, is also seeing a temporary calm in their advertising business.

It's unclear whether this is because both sides felt the timing wasn't right, or if they were maintaining some other tacit understanding.

……

Putting aside the advertising wars, let's take a look at the Japanese stock market, which has rebounded from its lows.

After the first trading day in July, the stock market recovery momentum remained unchanged. At this point, Japanese investors and institutions no longer cared about waiting and watching, and shouted that the miracle of the Japanese stock market had returned, and rushed into this glorious bull market.

Judging from their crazy attitude, they clearly intend to make back the money they lost over the past six months.

Among these speculators are shareholders of Nippon Broadcasting, the parent company of Fuji Television, whose stock price has been falling for the past six months and whose company almost changed hands due to a hostile takeover attempt.

As the stock price of Neon Broadcasting rose along with the overall market, these shareholders were happy, but at the same time, they felt a strange pang of pain as they looked at the shares that had been traded to bring in a white knight.

Everyone thought to themselves that if it weren't for those guys who were trying to take over the shares, they would be in their hands right now, and with the Japanese stock market rebounding from its lows, they would have made even more money.

As the saying goes, what you think about comes to pass.

Just as these original shareholders of Nippon Broadcasting were feeling sorry for the company, a group of investors gathered by Haruko Naito, along with Hideki Hanyu Capital disguised as a company, suddenly declared that since the hostile takeover crisis of Nippon Broadcasting had passed, there was no need for them to remain on the board of directors of Nippon Broadcasting.

Therefore, they were willing to sell their shares to the original shareholders of Nippon Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and completely withdraw from Nippon Broadcasting Corporation.

The original investors in Neon Broadcasting naturally wanted to take advantage of the stock market rebound to buy these shares and then see their value appreciate along with the overall market.

However, there is a serious problem: the original shareholders simply do not have the money to repurchase these shares.

Most of these investors suffered heavy losses due to the bursting of the Japanese stock market bubble. Otherwise, if they had enough money, they would have fought back directly when faced with a hostile takeover, instead of asking others to bail them out.

Another issue is that after the economic bubble burst, major banks in Japan became more cautious about lending.

Nowadays, banks will almost never approve loans for buying stocks.

Faced with the plight of the original shareholders of Neon Broadcasting, the white knight who helped Neon Broadcasting resist the hostile takeover kindly said that it didn't matter if they didn't have money, they could take back the shares first and then use the shares they held as collateral.

Anyway, the Japanese stock market has bottomed out and rebounded. Once the stock price soars and we make money, are we afraid we won't be able to pay back our money?
Of course, these white knights also offered a seemingly reasonable interest rate, indicating that they weren't doing a good deed for nothing, which in turn dispelled some of the suspicions of the original shareholders of Japan Broadcasting Corporation.

Even so, some of the original shareholders of Japan Broadcasting Corporation are still uneasy and do not intend to make such a deal.

But that's alright, the white knights didn't force anyone to buy or sell; they only made deals with those who were willing.

For those who were unwilling, the white knight kindly introduced several banks, saying that they had connections with these banks and could help the original shareholders obtain loans using their shares, and then buy back the shares they held.

In short, after a series of maneuvers, the group of white knights who helped Japan Broadcasting resist the hostile takeover successfully withdrew from the board of directors of Japan Broadcasting.

……

In Minato Ward, Tokyo, at an investment company under Mitsui Financial Group, Takeshi Honda, president of Hanyu Investment, meets with the company's head.

After the two parties met, the head of the investment company greeted them with great respect.

"President Honda, it's an honor to meet you for the first time."

Honda Takeshi exchanged some pleasantries before saying, "I wonder if Managing Director Kishida has explained the purpose of my visit?"

The Managing Director Kishida that Honda Takeshi mentioned was the Mitsui Bank executive who helped Hideki Hanyu acquire Tohoku Chemical Co., Ltd.

Several years later, the other party successfully rose to the position of managing director.

"President Honda's purpose has already been told to me by Managing Director Kishida."

After answering, the head of the investment company took out a document and pushed it in front of Honda Takeshi, saying, "This is the share transfer document of Hakuhodo. You can sign it at any time if you need it."

Honda Takeshi picked up the document and examined it carefully. After confirming that there were no problems, a look of relief gradually appeared on his face. He thought to himself that the final piece of the puzzle that his boss had asked him to complete was finally finished.

……

Meanwhile, far away in Hong Kong.

Hideki Hanyu's inspection tour of the Spirit Supply Chain continues.

Hong Kong today is not the Hong Kong of the future, whose economy relies entirely on the tertiary industry.

Manufacturing remains a pillar industry in Hong Kong today.

In the early days when America was relocating its manufacturing industry, Hong Kong was one of the main destinations, especially for the semiconductor industry.

Later, Japan adopted the "flying geese" model in Asia, and Hong Kong became one of the beneficiaries of Japan's overseas investments.

Today, Hong Kong's manufacturing sector employs nearly 800,000 people and contributes nearly a quarter of the overall GDP.

This is why Elf Entertainment has multiple supply chain partners in Hong Kong.

However, Hideki Hanyu was also well aware that this was the last hurrah for Hong Kong's manufacturing industry.

With the booming development of Hong Kong's real estate market in the late 1980s, land prices continued to rise, making it increasingly difficult for the manufacturing industry to bear the high land costs.

In addition, rising labor costs have forced many factories to relocate.

Some moved to Southeast Asia, but most actually settled in mainland China.

As global manufacturing competition intensified, Hong Kong's manufacturing industry completely declined.

When Hideki Hanyu traveled through time, the contribution of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry to GDP had already fallen to around one percent.

Of course, these things that will happen in the future have no meaning for Hideki Hanyu right now.

He was only concerned with the performance of the Hong Kong partners during this inspection.

However, judging from Hideki Hanyu's somewhat unpleasant expression at this moment, it was clear that this last day of inspection had left him in a very bad mood.

At that moment, Hideki Hanyu's car was passing through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom.

Beside Hideki Yuzuru sat Li Zi, who had spent the day with him.

Although the girl signed with TVB, she didn't want to make a name for herself as an artist like she did in her previous life because she had hooked up with Hideki Hanyu.

So even though there weren't many good resources at TVB, Lai Chi didn't care at all. She even turned down many jobs and was content to be a "canary in a gilded cage".

Hideki Yuzuru rarely comes to Hong Kong and is even willing to take her to work, so Li Zi naturally wants to seize the opportunity. The girl has been serving him diligently these past two days, making the scumbag linger.

Seeing that Hideki Yuzuru was in a bad mood, Li Zi knew why the girl who had spent the day with him naturally did.

The two factories I visited today both had quality problems in an effort to save costs. Although Hideki Hanyu tried to cover them up during his inspection, he still managed to spot them.

Given the quality issues and the deliberate cover-up, it's no wonder Hideki Hanyu was furious.

Throughout the journey, Hideki Yuzuru was in a bad mood and his face was gloomy, which frightened Li Zi so much that he didn't dare to say a word.

As the car left the undersea tunnel and entered the Hopewell Center, Hideki Yuzuru entered his private office on the 57th floor and immediately made a phone call, giving Juntada Kusamura, who was in charge of quality control and production at Elf Entertainment, a good scolding.

During this inspection, it was found that the supply chains of partners in both Taiwan and Hong Kong had encountered numerous problems.

Even if the PS2 console was so popular that demand exceeded supply and supply chain pressures were too great, this is absolutely not a reason for quality issues.

"Didn't we pay them according to the contract?"

Are we obligated to honor the contract and demand payment, but they can't?

Don't give me reasons, I don't want to hear explanations, I only believe what I see!

Hideki Hanyu's voice was cold and stern, while Sumitada Kusamura on the other end of the phone could only apologize repeatedly.

This behavior infuriated Hideki Yuzuru, who cursed loudly.

Shut up, you idiot! What good is an apology?

You are a senior executive at Elf Entertainment, and you manage one of Elf Entertainment's most important departments!

I'm giving you power, dividends, and a salary to make you a billionaire, not so you can apologize to me!

"Go find President Iwata immediately, report this matter to him in detail, and tell him your thoughts!" With that, Hideki Hanyu hung up the phone, then, after slightly composing himself, dialed Satoshi Iwata's number.

After Hideki Hanyu finished explaining the situation, Satoru Iwata asked, "Chairman, how do you plan to handle this matter?"

"My inspection isn't over yet, but we can't wait until it's finished to take action. Elf Entertainment must revise its product quality control system. As for Kusamura Juntada..."

When Hideki Hanyu mentioned the old man who had followed him when he started Elf Entertainment, he hesitated slightly, but still slowly made a decision.

"His abilities are no longer sufficient to handle his current job. How to deal with him is entirely up to you. You don't need to consider my opinion."

But at the end, he paused and added.

"Give him some dignity."

On the other end of the phone, Satoru Iwata replied, "I understand, Chairman."

After saying that, the phone hung up.

Just then, the secretary came to remind him, "President Iwata, Executive Director Kusamura wants to see you."

Satoru Iwata composed himself and replied, "Please invite Executive Director Kusamura in."

……

In Hong Kong, Hideki Yuzuru, having hung up the phone, sat in a chair, gently pinching his brow with his fingers.

As the company grows and expands, all sorts of things will happen.

Hideki Hanyu never overestimates the awareness and ability of his subordinates.

Today, hundreds of thousands of people around the world rely on him directly for their livelihood, and if you include those indirectly affected, the number would be in the millions.

It wouldn't be surprising to see any kind of people among them, and Hideki Yuzuru certainly wouldn't get angry over just anyone.

But this time, Kusamura Sumitada meant something different to him.

When Elf Entertainment first started its business, the other party followed him.

In terms of loyalty, the other party is also his most loyal lackey among the elves.

Therefore, if there is any possibility, Hideki Hanyu would not want to deal with Sumitada Kusamura.

Before the PS2 console was released, he had made strict demands that there should be absolutely no problems with the quality and that it must be strictly supervised.

They even spared no expense to expand the size of their quality control department.

Even so, quality problems continued to emerge after the PS2 console was released.

Moreover, the investigation into the cause of the problem clearly revealed inadequate quality control management.

The sales and after-sales departments provided feedback multiple times, and Hideki Hanyu and Satoru Iwata also gave Sumitada Kusamura a chance to correct his mistakes.

But what did that guy do?
Does Hideki Hanyu really not know who was behind the scenes when those business partners who had made mistakes went to him to plead for leniency when Eri Kitahara got married?

Even when he came to inspect the area this time, that guy dared to secretly tip off his partners.

They don't know how to solve problems; they only know how to take shortcuts.

Hideki Hanyu could only try to save face for the other party.

Hopefully, this "old minister" will be sensible and not force Hideki Yuzuru to be ruthless.

As Hideki Yuzuru was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a hand gently relaxing his brow.

I knew it was Li Zi without even looking.

"Honey, let me massage it for you, don't be angry."

Upon hearing this, the scumbag hugged Li Zi tightly and lifted her chin, saying, "If all those jerks were as well-behaved as you, I would never have to be angry again."

Li Zi said shyly, "You're so good to me, of course I'll be good."

"Hehe, I feel like it's not good enough."

"what!"

Amid Li Zi's gasp, the scumbag picked her up and headed straight for the bedroom where they were resting.

……

The following day, Iwata Satoshi had not yet reported to Hanyu Hideki regarding the handling of Kusamura Sumitada's case.

But Hideki Hanyu unexpectedly received a phone call from the UK.

The head of the Abovecloud TV merger negotiation team reported to Hideki Hanyu that the merger negotiations with BBC Satellite have been basically finalized after more than a month of consultations.

After Murdoch's Sky TV was unable to keep up with Hideki Hanyu's terms, it chose to give up after Hanyu left the UK.

Therefore, for the next month or so, Abovecloud TV and BBC Satellite were mainly negotiating the details of their merger.

Currently, although some issues remain unresolved.

However, the main conditions for the merger have now been basically finalized.

Both parties agreed that the merged company would use 'UK Cloud Satellite Broadcasting' as its name.

The headquarters will remain the original Marco Polo Building, but the Chelsea Bridge Business Centre building will be added later.

The original four channels of British Satellite Broadcasting will remain unchanged, but the content of the channels will be completely redesigned under the leadership of Abovecloud TV.

In addition, the new 'UK Cloud Satellite Broadcasting' will add a new channel, a dedicated pay-TV sports channel.

As for the most important aspect, shareholding allocation...

Following the merger, Abovecloud TV's investors will acquire 43 percent of the new company.

The remaining 57 percent of the shares will be held by the original investors of BBC Satellite and the IBA official body.

While Abovecloud TV may not appear to have a dominant position, in reality, the original investors of the British Satellite Broadcasting Company, which holds a larger share, and IBA are not a unified entity at all; it would be an exaggeration to describe them as a disorganized mess.

Most importantly, within this "disorganized mess," there was an inside agent—the British Investment Alliance—whose shares, acquired from the Virgin Group, were reduced to 8.5% after the merger.

Although it may seem like a small amount, it was enough to help Hideki Hanyu gain control of 'British Cloud Satellite Broadcasting Company' at a crucial moment.

After listening to the report, I hung up the phone.

Standing in front of the office window, overlooking Hong Kong, Hideki Hanyu felt a sense of bewilderment, like someone drawing a sword and looking around in confusion.

With its acquisition of MCA Universal and the opportunity to seize Sky TV, the Cloud Group, once it successfully secures the Premier League broadcasting rights and continues to develop normally, will already be at the pinnacle of the global entertainment media industry.

The advertising war in Japan was merely icing on the cake before the final victory.

As for the domestic market, there are certain areas he doesn't even want to consider.

After all, Murdoch had already tried it for him in another timeline.

Just then, Li Zi, who had finished dressing, came to her side and pleaded in a sweet voice, "You're leaving tomorrow, can you stay with me a little longer today?"

Hideki Hanyu asked, "What do you want me to do with you?"

Li Zi replied, "How about we go see a show? One of my favorite Taiwanese singers is performing today."

Hideki Hanyu casually asked, "Who?"

“斉溱”.

Li Zi's answer was unexpected by Hideki Yuzuru.

When Zhao Zhen and Wang Zuxian offended him, some people in Taiwan and Hong Kong took it upon themselves to blacklist them.

Afterwards, Wang Zuxian offered himself to help Hanyu Hideki, who had no intention of targeting him, and casually helped him unseal the seal.

After all, given his status, he was no longer on the same level as the other party, so there was no need for him to argue with them over trivial matters.

Moreover, compared to the matter of the Qin clan, he disliked even more the behavior of others acting on their own initiative.

After all, those guys tried to suppress Zhaizhen, but in the end, the bad reputation would fall on his head.

After recalling the incident, Hideki Yuzuru, who had almost forgotten about it, agreed.

"Okay, let's go see the show together then."

(End of this chapter)