Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 959 A Madman Without a Fear

Why would Hideki Hanyu compare what Managing Director Kishida said about what Mitsuhiro Kotani did to the Recruit bribery case?

It's because what this guy did in the financial market was a simpler, cruder, and even more despicable and unscrupulous version of Licourt's president, Jiang Haozheng.

After leaving Nakasone in the mid-1980s, Kotani Mitsuhiro entered the business world and began his journey to wealth.

Initially, this guy used his political connections and loans from financial companies to acquire 20 percent of the shares of Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd., the first domestic sewing machine manufacturer in Japanese history.

Janome means "snake eye" in Japan, symbolizing intelligence and dexterity, hence the company is also known as Snake Eye Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.

This is a sewing machine manufacturing giant based in Japan with operations throughout Asia.

To tap into the Chinese market, this company has another name in Taiwan and mainland China: Zhen Shan Mei Sewing Machine Company.

However, this long-established Japanese industrial giant met its "tragic" fate after being targeted by Mitsuhiro Kotani.

The reason why Kotani Mitsuhiro's operation is said to be the same as that of the Recruit Group, but even simpler and more brutal, is that after he bought the stocks with a loan, he was naturally not content with just making money from the appreciation of the stocks.

Mitsuhiro Kotani used his connections in politics to give his shares to high-ranking officials, big companies, and financial institutions, leaking insider information in advance, and colluding with these people to manipulate the stock price of Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. to make money.

As the stock price rose, Kotani Mitsuhiro not only made money, but also gained the friendship of corrupt officials, big companies, and high-ranking officials of financial institutions.

Then, taking advantage of these people's "repayment," Kotani Mitsuhiro obtained another loan from financial institutions without repaying the existing loan.

Does this practice constitute illegal fundraising?

Of course it belongs to that category.

However, during the height of Japan's bubble economy, everyone did this, and banks did not supervise at all in order to lend money, so no one cared.

At the peak of Japan's economic bubble, Kotani Mitsuhiro was actually not even on the list when it came to the scale of "illegal financing."

The female owner of a Japanese restaurant called "Oogami Seki" borrowed more than 2.7 trillion yen from Japanese financial institutions through illegal financing methods.

You read that right, it's 2.7 trillion, not 270 million.

Converted at the current exchange rate, it exceeds 22 billion US dollars.

Such a huge hole would require even Hideki Hanyu to pour in most of his working capital to fill it.

But Hideki Hanyu obviously couldn't do that.

Moreover, the "tail seam" was not an isolated case. Various bank insiders committed fraud, and yakuza organizations illegally raised funds to speculate in real estate, all of which collapsed along with the bursting of the bubble economy.

Given the numerous messes that the entire Japanese financial system has created, it's not surprising that Japanese banks have collapsed.

In fact, when Hideki Hanyu was developing real estate in Japan, he also used illegal financing methods.

The only difference is that Hideki Hanyu cashed out and ran away beforehand. Now, that money has changed hands several times and been continuously traded in the stock market, making him even more money while also completely laundering his money.

Knowing that major illegal financing cases in the Japanese financial market would continue to surface this year, Hideki Hanyu has paid off all the "illegal financing" loans, except for his normal and legitimate loans.

Let's go back to Mitsuhiro Kotani.

Kotani Mitsuhiro made money in the stock market and obtained a large amount of loans through illegal financing, but he didn't use the money to repay the loans. What did he do with the money?

Of course, it's the same operation as Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.: acquiring shares of other companies, colluding with government officials, large corporations, and high-ranking financial institutions to manipulate the stock market for profit, then taking out loans to continue acquiring other companies.

If this is the only way to operate, then Kotani Mitsuhiro can only be considered another Jiang Fuhaozheng of the Likurote Group.

Why would Hideki Hanyu think that this guy is more despicable and has no bottom line than Hiromasa Ebamoto?
This is because, in addition to making money from stock appreciation, this guy also forces the original company to repurchase his shares at a high price after the stock appreciates.

Some people here are wondering why the original company's investors would agree to this.

It's quite simple. Through a series of maneuvers, Kotani Mitsuhiro has built a vast network of interests among government officials, large corporations, and senior executives of financial institutions.

He demanded that the original company repurchase his shares, not just his own, but also those of his partners.

Of course, relying solely on the pressure exerted by this network of interests is far from enough to get the original company to agree to the unreasonable demand for a high-priced buyback.

At this point, Kotani Mitsuhiro's other trump card came into play.

That is a personal threat imposed by the power of the underworld.

Kotani Mitsuhiro threatened the former company president, saying that he had hired yakuza assassins and that if the company didn't buy back the shares, the assassins would send them to harass the company's investors and their families.

In addition, because of his deep ties with the Yakuza, Kotani Mitsuhiro said that if the company that owns the stock is unwilling to buy it back, he will sell the stock to the Yakuza gang at a low price.

It's important to know that among Japan's listed companies, apart from industry giants, what ordinary companies fear most is the entry of yakuza organizations into their board of directors.

Because once these guys get on the board, they'll use all sorts of illegal means to gradually erode the entire company, eventually turning the original company into a "slave" of the yakuza.

The situation in Tokyo is slightly better.

However, in the Kansai region, the situation of listed companies in Osaka being harmed by yakuza is extremely serious.

Therefore, many Japanese companies are reluctant to go public unless absolutely necessary, even if they are truly lacking in development funds.

Therefore, under pressure from both the legitimate and criminal worlds, many former companies choose to pay a high price to buy back the shares held by Kotani Mitsuhiro.

However, the people in charge of these companies did not realize that by swallowing their anger, they would only embolden Kotani Mitsuhiro and make him more and more lawless.

Often, no sooner have they repurchased shares than Kotani Mitsuhiro would buy more shares and repeat the same pattern.

Over several years, developments have occurred in areas such as Fujita tourism and international shipping...

These Japanese listed companies, which had a certain reputation and scale but were not so "powerful" in some aspects, all fell victim to Mitsuhiro Kotani's wicked schemes.

With his unscrupulous money-making methods, Kotani Mitsuhiro built a protective umbrella and network of relationships among government officials, high-ranking officials of large corporations and financial institutions, as well as underworld forces.

Thinking of this, Hideki Hanyu glanced at Managing Director Kishida, and then at Sana Nakajima, who looked anxious.

If he's not mistaken, Nakajima Sana's father, Nakajima Keisuke, is most likely Kotani Mitsuhiro's "partner" at the Mitsui Trust.

After all, his non-compliant loan from Mitsui Trust was obtained through Keisuke Nakajima.

If the other party can handle it for him, they can naturally also handle it for Kotani Mitsuhiro.

As for Managing Director Kishida, Hideki Hanyu is still unsure whether he has any connection with Mitsuhiro Kotani, but he is most likely involved.

Lenovo's recent series of financial scandals, involving official corruption and even allegations of involvement with organized crime, have sparked outrage in the media and unacceptable public opinion among ordinary people.

Hideki Hanyu immediately asked, "So you've come to beg me because Kotani Mitsuhiro's affair is about to be exposed, and you're involved. You want me to protect you?"

But as soon as Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, Managing Director Kishida and Sana Nakajima both shook their heads.

"no?"

Hideki Hanyu looked surprised.

After all, according to what Managing Director Kishida said, there seemed to be only one possibility: that the two of them would have to come and beg him. But he was wrong.

However, this is not surprising, as he can easily recall and search all his memories of living in another time and space, even the smallest details.

However, he cannot acquire knowledge out of thin air about things he doesn't know or things he has never been exposed to.

Mitsuhiro Kotani and his financial crimes actually exist in another timeline, known in Japan as the "Mitsuhiro Incident," though Hideki Hanyu is unaware of it.

Therefore, Hideki Hanyu had no idea that the subsequent developments of this case would be far more exaggerated and dramatic than he had imagined.

After refuting Hideki Hanyu's guess, Managing Director Kishida continued to explain.

We have not yet received any information regarding whether Kotani Mitsuhiro's actions are under official investigation.

The reason we've come to ask President Yuzuru for help is because Mitsuhiro Kotani has gone mad.

"Crazy?" Hideki Yuzuru asked with amusement.

"He didn't just go crazy now; he was crazy to begin with!"

This time, it wasn't Managing Director Kishida who spoke, but Nakajima Sana.

After describing the situation with a look of fear on her face, the young woman went on to explain in more detail.

“Back when Kotani Mitsuhiro first collaborated with my father, I thought he was a crazy man who did things without any scruples. I advised my father not to collaborate with him, but my father did not listen to my advice.”

He did not reveal his inner madness until the stock market crashed.

But when the stock market started to fall and everyone advised him to stop, he not only didn't give up, but instead invested even more heavily in it.

When he ran out of money, he continued to use his connections to get loans from financial institutions.

However, as Japanese banks tightened lending this year, it became increasingly difficult for him to obtain loans, but he still needed funds to cover his stock market losses, so he turned his attention to the companies whose stocks he owned.

He colluded with yakuza groups and used illegal means to force those companies to lend him money.

As far as I know, Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. alone lent Mitsuhiro Kotani more than 30 billion yen.

Even so, his money was still not enough to cover the losses in the stock market, especially after the stock market boom and bust a few weeks ago. Kotani Mitsuhiro, who suffered even greater losses, set his sights on people he had worked with before.

He threatened high-ranking officials, large corporations, and financial institutions he had previously worked with, saying that if they didn't lend him money or provide him with loans, he would expose them for accepting bribes, manipulating the stock market, and engaging in illegal fundraising.

After being threatened by Mitsuhiro Kotani, the president of the Yomiuri Shimbun and senior executives of Sumitomo Bank chose to cooperate.

As for those who were unwilling to cooperate, Kotani Mitsuhiro began to use yakuza methods to threaten their personal safety…

After Nakajima Sana finished speaking, Hanyu Hideki looked at the two of them and asked.

"So, you are the ones who didn't cooperate and were threatened by yakuza methods?" Upon hearing this, Managing Director Kishida and Sana Nakajima exchanged a glance and then nodded in unison.

Managing Director Kishida began.

"Yes, that madman started harassing me and my family a week ago. He would call and threaten me, saying that if I didn't help him get a loan, I would be ruined along with him, and that he would hire a hitman to kill me."

Yesterday morning, he even sent my wife a box containing a dead cat with its head cut off.

The windows of my son's house are also smashed at night, and rats, snakes, frogs, and other such animals are thrown in.

As Managing Director Kishida spoke, his eyes were filled with exhaustion from fear and anxiety.

After Managing Director Kishida finished speaking, Sana Nakajima chimed in, "My family's situation is similar. Even though we moved once after being harassed, it didn't help."

Hearing this, Hideki Yuzuru said with a playful expression, "It seems that Kotani Mitsuhiro is not the only one who lost money. Those yakuza who are so proactive, even at the cost of offending the top executives of large financial institutions, have obviously also suffered losses."

Managing Director Kishida quickly replied, "That's right, that must be it."

Hearing the urgent tone in Managing Director Kishida's voice, Hideki Yuzuru slowly asked, "So what exactly do you want me to help you with? Is it to clear up the criminal record for cooperating with Mitsuhiro Kotani? Or is it to resolve the yakuza threat we're currently facing?"

Managing Director Kishida said, forcing a smile, "If possible, I hope President Hanyu can help us solve all of these problems."

As someone who had dealt with Hideki Hanyu several times and knew a bit about his influence and power, Managing Director Kishida was well aware that if Hideki Hanyu were willing, with his influence, he could easily help them resolve their current predicament.

First, there's their past collaboration with Mitsuhiro Kotani. For them, the consequences aren't too serious. As long as a powerful figure is willing to help, they can easily escape unscathed by reporting the matter or acting as a witness.

As for the threat from the Yakuza, although Managing Director Kishida was unaware of Hideki Habu's plans within the Yakuza, he did know that Hideki Habu and Yutaro Hatoyama had a close relationship.

If we could get help from Yutaro Hatoyama's family, given their influence in the yakuza world, a single word from them would be enough to intimidate those with ill intentions.

However, just as Managing Director Kishida and Sana Nakajima were looking at Hideki Hanyu with expectant eyes, waiting for his reply...

Hideki Hanyu replied indifferently, "Why should I?"

"What?" Nakajima Sana didn't understand for a moment and asked.

Hideki Hanyu shrugged and said, "I said, why should I help you?"

Don't portray yourselves as so pitiful and innocent.

Managing Director Kishida, and Ms. Nakajima's father, Mitsuhiro Kotani, why would he threaten you? Isn't it because you once helped him, aided and abetted him, manipulated the stock market together, and threatened those innocent listed companies together?
When you made your fortune by manipulating the stock market and profited by forcing listed companies to repurchase their shares, why didn't you think Kotani Mitsuhiro was crazy? Why didn't you think you would end up like this?
You've only suffered the backlash from Kotani Mitsuhiro, and faced the same threats as investors in listed companies, which is why you've started to regret and become afraid.

I am not a PC, I have no reason to care about the investors of those innocent listed companies, nor do I care about your current situation.

So, why should I help you?

Seeing that Managing Director Kishida was about to say something, Hideki Hanyu spoke first.

"If Managing Director Kishida wants to talk about our past relationship, then please ask yourself if our past relationship was enough for me to take action for you."

Before you answer, think about it carefully: if Kotani Mitsuhiro had no one supporting him behind the scenes, would he dare to act so recklessly?

If someone were to support this, who would be the most likely candidate?

After Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, Managing Director Kishida opened his mouth several times, but hesitated each time and didn't say anything.

Clearly, Managing Director Kishida was well aware that his relationship with Hideki Hanyu was insufficient to persuade Hanyu to offer assistance.

In particular, Hideki Hanyu's last words clearly indicated that the person behind Mitsuhiro Kotani was most likely former Prime Minister Nakasone, whom he had previously served.

In this situation, unless he is Hideki Hanyu's biological son, Hideki Hanyu would never risk going against powerful figures in the upper echelons of Japan for the sake of an outsider.

Actually, before he came, Managing Director Kishida had already anticipated this outcome.

However, having already fallen into a desperate situation, and unable to go crazy with Kotani Mitsuhiro, he still wanted to try his luck with the last glimmer of hope.

Managing Director Kishida said somewhat discouragedly, "President Hanyu, if it's possible, what do I need to do for you to help me?"

With a smile, Hideki Hanyu replied, "Managing Director Kishida, you are a smart man, you should know the answer very well."

Managing Director Kishida nodded, knowing he had asked a silly question.

Hideki Hanyu didn't help because their previous relationship wasn't enough to compensate for the cost of his intervention.

If he could offer Hideki Hanyu a deal that would tempt him and cover the cost of his actions, then Hideki Hanyu would naturally be willing to help him resolve his current problem out of consideration for their past relationship.

"I'm sorry to bother President Yuzuru."

Managing Director Kishida knew that further discussion would be fruitless, so instead of wasting time here, he would rather go back and think carefully about what he could do to impress Hideki Hanyu.

After all, among all the people he knows, only Hideki Hanyu is capable of and willing to help him solve his problems.

Managing Director Kishida took his leave, and although Nakajima Sana was unwilling, she could only leave with him.

After all, Managing Director Kishida had some connection with Hideki Hanyu, but she and Hideki Hanyu had no prior relationship.

She is able to be here today entirely thanks to Managing Director Kishida's help.

After the two said goodbye and left, only Hideki Hanyu remained in the room.

Chiharu Ono walked in, looked at the untouched food, and asked, "Do you want me to reheat it?"

Hideki Hanyu waved his hand and said, "No need, just open the window for me to let in some fresh air."

As soon as the bamboo curtain was rolled up, Hideki Hanyu saw through the window that Sana Nakajima, who had left with Managing Director Kishida earlier, had returned and gone back to Ono Ryotei.

Soon, the young and beautiful woman returned to the house.

Nakajima Sana looked at Hanyu Hideki and, disregarding Ono Chiharu's presence, began to take off her clothes.

As the woman undressed, she said, "I have nothing to offer you but myself. You can do anything for me as long as you are willing to help my father."

Inside the room, Hideki Hanyu simply watched coldly, not stopping Sana Nakajima, who seemed to have lost her mind for some unknown reason.

Ono Chiharu, however, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to stop her, saying, "Miss, please stop. This is no use."

At this moment, Hideki Yuzuru finally spoke up, "Ignore her, she's an idiot whose brain isn't as clear as yours, what's the use of trying to persuade her?"

Upon hearing this, Chiharu Ono naturally wouldn't disobey Hideki Hanyu for the sake of an outsider, so she immediately stopped and retreated back to Hideki Hanyu's side.

After Chiharu Ono stopped, Sana Nakajima, whose clothes were disheveled, did not continue to take off her clothes. Instead, she sat on the ground in a dejected and sad state, helplessly shedding tears.

Even though Nakajima Sana in front of me is very beautiful, with snow-white skin and a curvaceous figure, her current state makes her even more pitiful.

However, Hideki Hanyu remained unmoved. Although he liked beautiful women, he was also able to distinguish between what was important and what was not.

Hideki Yuzuru gave a cold laugh.

"Heh, you're not a smart person, but your father still arranged for you and Managing Director Kishida to come to see me together."

It seems that because people say I'm a playboy, your father is planning to use you as leverage to get me to do something.

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Sana Nakajima remained silent and only wept.

The crying made Hideki Yuzuru very impatient.

So he immediately shouted outside, "Marco, have someone throw her out."

The next moment, two bodyguards entered the house, grabbed Nakajima Sana, and walked her outside.

When the disheveled Nakajima Sana was thrown out of Ono Restaurant, Kishida, the managing director who was still outside, shook his head and sighed as he looked at Nakajima Sana.

"I already told you it's useless, but you still want to try."

Go home and tell your father what happened today; he knows what to do.

"Please also convey my message to him: if you want President Yuzuru's help, you must act quickly."

After finishing his speech, Managing Director Kishida ignored Nakajima Sana, turned around, got into his car, and left.

……

Hideki Hanyu was unaware of what was happening outside the Ono Restaurant, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

After arranging for his bodyguards to throw Nakajima Sana out, his first thought was what price those two would pay to get his help.
After much thought, Managing Director Kishida and that Keisuke Nakajima actually have quite a few things they can do.

But he quickly put the matter out of his mind.

After all, it wasn't him who needed anything from others, and he wasn't the one who should have offered the price.

After clearing his mind, his gaze fell on Ono Chiharu, who was bending down to tidy up the house.

The woman's posture perfectly showcased her shapely and rounded curves, instantly arousing the lustful desires of the scoundrel.

Hideki Hanyu reached out and grabbed the sash of Chiharu Ono's kimono, deliberately questioning her in a low voice.

"Just now, a beautiful woman offered herself to you, but you ruined it."

Chiharu Ono instinctively apologized, "I'm very sorry."

But before she could even turn around, she heard Hideki Yuzuru say something behind her.

"What's the use of an apology? Since you ruined my plans, you'll have to make it up to me on her behalf!"

...compensation through imagination...

(End of this chapter)