Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 958 Another Recruit Bribery Case
Ono Ryotei.

As Hideki Yuzuru sat inside, sipping tea, he pondered what Kishida, the managing director, wanted his help with before their scheduled meeting.

Before coming, he also contacted other acquaintances within the Mitsui Financial System to inquire whether anything major had happened to Mitsui recently.

However, the answer given to Hideki Hanyu by those who knew him well was, "There have been a lot of big things happening inside Mitsui recently, but I don't know which one Chairman Hanyu is asking about."

Hideki Hanyu then asked the other party to talk about a few incidents related to the financial system, but after listening, Hideki Hanyu got no clue whatsoever.

Therefore, it is evident that the matter that Managing Director Kishida asked him for may be related to the Mitsui financial system, but it is not necessarily an internal matter of Mitsui.

Otherwise, even if Managing Director Yasuda begged him, he might not be able to help solve the problem.

After all, even now, he is not qualified to extend his reach into Mitsui's inner circle.

This has nothing to do with strength, but rather with the unwritten rules among powerful forces.

Otherwise, if outsiders interfere when someone else's subordinates get into trouble, wouldn't others also be able to interfere and act recklessly when your own subordinates get into trouble?

Unable to find out anything from within Mitsui, Hideki Hanyu began searching for clues outside the company. He inquired around and heard a lot of gossip and rumors from the upper echelons, but none of them seemed to have anything to do with Managing Director Kishida.

Perhaps some things are related to what Managing Director Kishida asked him to do, but he hasn't been able to make contact with them yet.

Therefore, Hideki Hanyu can only wait for Kishida to arrive to find out exactly what he is seeking.

Seeing that it was almost time, Hideki Yuzuru glanced at Yasuko Sawaguchi, who looked somewhat dejected and was leaning against him, and said...

"I used to tell you to exercise more, but now you're becoming more and more useless."

Yasuko Sawaguchi rubbed against Hideki Hanyu like a lazy cat before slowly speaking.

"It's not that I'm useless, it's that Hideki-kun is too amazing."

As for training and such, I don't need it. Anyway, I have Ono-senpai to help me. If Ono-senpai isn't enough, I'll call Sachiko over too.

If Sachiko isn't enough, I've been working with Ms. Noriko lately, and I'm quite familiar with her..."

Hideki Hanyu reached out and tapped Yasuko Sawaguchi on the forehead, interrupting her.

"Heh, you certainly know how to drag others down with you."

The "method" that Yasuko Sawaguchi mentioned is undoubtedly Noriko Sakai.

The two were recently working together on a Fuji TV program. When Hideki Hanyu was dealing with the end of an advertising war, Koichi Minato mentioned it briefly, but he didn't pay attention to the specifics.

However, when the topic of their collaboration came up, Hideki Hanyu recalled that Koichi Minato hadn't been having a good time at Fuji Television lately.

Although Nippon Broadcasting was acquired by capital led by Hideki Hanyu, it also announced its alliance with Storm Advertising and strengthened its cooperation with Cloud Satellite TV.

However, from a capital perspective, Fuji Television is ultimately not a member of the Cloud Satellite TV group, so the cooperation with Cloud Satellite TV still requires a clear price tag, and it is impossible to hand over core resources to Fuji Television.

The fact that they were able to get Koichi to bring a mature team to help take over Fuji Television was already a favor to Hideki Hanyu.

Whether Hong Haoyi can establish himself at Fuji Television depends entirely on his own abilities.

Unfortunately, when Neon Broadcasting helped Koichi Minato take control of Fuji Television, it did so by using the brutal method of directly dismissing the original leadership.

The resentful Fuji Television executives, the disloyal remnants, the obstructive Fuji Television board of directors, and the Fuji Sankei Group with its constant protests and complaints.

Koichi Minato, though seemingly in control of the situation and having secured his position as president of Fuji Television, is actually sitting on a dormant volcano.

If Fuji Television's business fluctuates even slightly, it will absolutely blow up Koichi Minato.

At that point, even Hideki Yuzuru, under pressure from other shareholders, will have no choice but to oust Ganghao.

Of course, Hideki Hanyu doesn't need to worry about that guy.

Therefore, the self-aware Gang Haoyi immediately brought out his best skills.

After Hideki Hanyu returned to Tokyo, he immediately rushed over to him, begging for his help.

This tactic proved effective. After persistently pestering Hideki Hanyu and sighing at the Hanyu Investment headquarters for two days, Koichi Gang finally managed to annoy Hideki to no end and obtained some resources from Cloud Entertainment to send the guy away.

Of course, "point" is just a figure of speech; the resources that Hideki Hanyu was willing to ask for could hardly be bad.

Among them is the variety show hosted by Gemini, a duo consisting of Takuya Kimura and Takeshi Kaneshiro, who gradually gained popularity through variety shows.

There's also "Genki Canteen," which relaunched after the "Genki Girls" group's long hiatus from television.

Although the program format has changed drastically, the reunion of the three members on a TV program is definitely a big event worth celebrating for longtime fans of the group.

There's also Shizuka Kudo, now hailed as the "Queen of Online Entertainment," who imitated the humorous news program that Akina Nakamori produced for her show "Akina Express."

In addition to these variety shows, Gang Haoyi also took several TV dramas with him.

Among these is Hideki Hanyu's key work, "Tokyo Love Story".

Although the TV series is still in preparation and is expected to start production after October, Koichi Minato is clearly unaware of the extent of support Hideki Hanyu has given him.

After all, this is a phenomenal work that has resonated throughout Asia and whose influence has lasted for many years.

With such support, Gang Haoyi has incurred public wrath.

Even the new president of the Cloud Satellite TV station, who was recommended by him, couldn't help but complain that his predecessor had taken all the good stuff.

With such support from the Cloud Group, if Koichi Minato still can't secure his position as president of Fuji Television, Hideki Hanyu will remove him without anyone even having to say a word.

Just as Hideki Hanyu was pondering the Fuji Television issue and considering whether he should personally go and support Koichi Minato, Marco suddenly walked into the room, bent down, and said to Hideki Hanyu.

"Boss, Managing Director Kishida has arrived."

“Bring him here.”

After finishing speaking, Hideki Hanyu turned to Yasuko Sawaguchi and instructed, "Since you're tired, go and rest in the back."

Yasuko Sawaguchi was a perceptive person and knew that Hideki Habu wanted to talk about serious matters, so she immediately and obediently took her leave.

Not long after Yasuko Sawaguchi left, Managing Director Kishida was led into the house by Marco.

The middle-aged man was short and thin, slightly balding, and wore glasses; he hadn't changed much from his previous appearance.

However, to Hideki Hanyu's surprise, a young woman accompanied Managing Director Kishida.

A professional office lady suit skirt, gold-rimmed glasses, black stockings, and high heels—a typical outfit for a Japanese working woman.

However, in terms of looks, she is far more beautiful than most female celebrities in the entertainment industry, and her figure and temperament are not something that can be cultivated in an ordinary family.

Just as Hideki Hanyu was wondering why Managing Director Kishida had brought a woman with him when he came to ask for his help, Managing Director Kishida took the initiative to introduce her to him. "I am very sorry to trouble Chairman Hanyu in his busy schedule."

After bowing, Managing Director Kishida pointed to the woman beside him and said, "This is Nakajima Sana, the head of the sales department at Mitsui Trust. Her father is Nakajima Jiro. I wonder if Chairman Hanyu remembers him."

Upon hearing the name mentioned by Managing Director Kishida, Hideki Habu carefully recalled the image of a short, stout middle-aged man.

He immediately tried asking, "Is it Vice President Nakajima of Mitsui Trust?"

Managing Director Kishida quickly replied, "That's right."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu looked Nakajima Sana up and down, thinking that the difference in appearance between the father and daughter was really too great.

He had dealt with the vice president of Mitsui Trust a long time ago for a loan for Hanyu Properties, so he still remembered him.

Sensing Hideki Hanyu's scrutiny, and seeing that Hideki Hanyu and Managing Director Kishida's meeting had come to an end, Sana Nakajima finally spoke up to greet Hideki Hanyu.

"President Yuzuru, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you'll take good care of me."

"Hello."

Hideki Hanyu nodded slightly, not showing excessive enthusiasm.

He had no connection with Vice President Nakajima to begin with, and now that Managing Director Kishida had brought Nakajima Sana to see him, it was obvious that what he wanted to ask for was related to Nakajima Sana, or rather, Vice President Nakajima Jiro.

After exchanging greetings, Hideki Hanyu gestured to the two men, "Please have a seat."

After saying that, he instructed Chiharu Ono to prepare the meal.

After the two sat down, Hideki Yuzuru did not ask why Managing Director Kishida had come to see him; he waited for Kishida to tell him.

The reason he was willing to meet with Managing Director Kishida today was simply because of their past friendship, and also because of the Origin Group and his business dealings with Mitsui, he felt that this person would still be of use in the future.

If the other party's request is not serious, he will help them without hesitation, thus making the other party owe him a favor.

But if the other party doesn't say anything, he's happy to have some peace and quiet.

As expected, Nakajima Sana became somewhat anxious after seeing Hideki Hanyu's attitude.

However, since Managing Director Kishida had not made a statement, Nakajima Sana could only suppress her emotions, but the anxiety on her face was impossible to hide.

Hideki Hanyu saw all of this and thought to himself that the young man was indeed impatient, lacking in composure and self-control. He was also certain that his guess was correct: what Managing Director Kishida sought was indeed related to Nakajima Yamana and her father.

It seemed that Nakajima Sana's initial revelation made it impossible for Managing Director Kishida to remain polite any longer, and he quickly probed into asking Hideki Hanyu.

"Does President Hanyu know anything about Representative Nakasone?"

Hideki Hanyu asked, "Is it that former prime minister?"

Managing Director Kishida replied, "That's right."

Hideki Hanyu said, "I know him, but I don't understand him."

Hideki Hanyu, a famous right-wing hardliner prime minister in Japanese history, is a household name, both in his past and present lives.

In the early 1980s, not long after he traveled through time, the other party ascended to the position of prime minister.

Unlike later "short-lived" prime ministers, Nakasone served three consecutive terms, governing for more than 1,800 days, making him one of the few long-lived prime ministers in modern Japanese history.

In the mid-1980s, this guy, as prime minister, visited a certain sacred toilet and made many shameless remarks that damaged international relations in Asia.

Of course, judging a politician by their outward actions is a very superficial thing.

After Nakasone stepped down, opinions on him in Japan were mixed, but even those who criticized him had to admit that he had indeed changed Japan during his tenure.

To the Japanese public, he is a politician who only considers personal gain and is single-mindedly dedicated to Japan's development, thus frequently shifting his stance on Asian relations.

In this timeline, Hideki Hanyu and Nakasone had never met.

Before Hideki Hanyu rose to prominence, he naturally couldn't climb up to Nakasone, who was then the prime minister.

By the time Hideki Hanyu succeeded, Nakasone had already stepped down.

Later, although Nakasone ran for parliament, he was immediately implicated in the Recruit bribery case and had to step down.

However, this year he was re-elected as an unaffiliated individual and led a group of people to the Middle East, where he met with Gaddafi under the pretext of resolving the hostage issue.

Of course, the other party also lost face because of this incident.

Because in the Gulf War, although Japan borne a large amount of military expenses, it did not get a chance to participate and was therefore ridiculed by the outside world. Even after the war, it did not appear on Kuwait's list of thanks.

This incident was considered a disgrace in Japan, and even Nakasone, who had been the most vocal in his criticism, was implicated.

As for the fact that his successor, Mouquan, personally "removed" him from the officialdom, that's too far off now to be considered.

He was just curious as to why Managing Director Kishida would suddenly mention Nakasone. Could it be that what the other party was asking for involved this person?

If he offends this person, then Hideki Hanyu should really think it over.

Although Nakasone has stepped down, his "disciples, former subordinates, and cronies" are all over the upper echelons of Japan. Without sufficient benefits, just a favor from Managing Director Kishida is not enough to make Hideki Hayu confront this former prime minister.

Of course, Hideki didn't think that Managing Director Kishida was such an ignorant person.

After hearing Hideki Habu's reply, Managing Director Kishida stopped beating around the bush and began to explain what he was asking for.

"The reason I mentioned Representative Nakasone is because what I asked for is related to Mitsuhiro Kotani, his assistant during his time as prime minister."

Mitsuhiro Kotani?

When Hideki Yuzuru heard this name, it felt somewhat familiar.

He had never had any dealings with Nakasone, so when he heard the name Kotani Mitsuhiro, it certainly wasn't because of Nakasone.

However, he did not voice his doubts, but continued to listen to Managing Director Kishida's explanation.

"After leaving office as a member of parliament in Nakasone, Kotani Mitsuhiro ceased official work, but he leveraged his previous connections in the financial markets..."

Managing Director Kishida recounted his request in detail from beginning to end.

Hideki Hanyu was increasingly surprised as he listened. Recalling some rumors he had heard before, he couldn't help but blurt it out before Director Kishida could finish speaking.

"Sounds like another Recruit bribery case."

(End of this chapter)