Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 412 Hidden Dragon in the Abyss
"Great! 500 million is the best!"

"That's amazing! I never expected the prize money to be 500 million!"

"Yay, I can save another 500 million!"

The email project team members were immediately excited, because a prize of 500 million yen is a considerable sum for technical researchers.

Especially for those who join the project team right after graduating from university, it's almost equivalent to a year's salary and bonus income.

As for anything beyond 500 million, especially the grand prize of 5000 million, ordinary employees wouldn't dare to dream of it.

Masato Takeshita was a working-class man in his previous life, so he naturally knew what they were thinking.

However, the young man did not try to correct them, telling them that a 5 million yuan prize was rare, and most people could earn 10 or 20 million yuan.

When the day comes to pay out, they will naturally know the real figures, which will further enhance employees' sense of belonging to the company.

Seeing everyone so happy, Masato Takeshita couldn't help but crack a joke with them.

"Indeed, the yen is always the most attractive currency."

Seeing that the chairman was so gentle, the bolder people immediately spoke up.

"President, you're mistaken. You're more charming than the Japanese yen."

"Oh, really? Because I'm a walking yen."

You can't make too many jokes, or you can easily go too far without realizing it.

After echoing the sentiment, Masato Takeshita immediately became serious again. He coughed twice to remind everyone before continuing with the important matter.

"In addition to bonuses, the company will also establish a separate company based on email, affiliated with Xinghai Network."

"Let's sort the positions according to everyone's current positions."

Although it is a subsidiary of Xinghai Network, it is not considered to be in a high position, so promoting people will not disrupt the company's overall job structure.

To put it simply, Xinghai Network's status as a company is not very high.

It certainly has immense potential for the future and is one of the subsidiaries of Xinghai Group, but its job level is similar to that of other subsidiaries of the group, such as Xinghai Electronics.

Even so, it still elevates Xinghai Network to a whole new level.

However, such days are destined to be short-lived. In a few years, Xinghai Network will definitely live up to its current position, and may even surpass it by a large margin.

"Hi, thank you, Chairman!"

The leaders were very happy; after all, they had managed to get into management positions, saving them several years of time.

The other employees were also in good spirits, because the formation of a separate company meant they would have more opportunities for promotion.

He's one of the founding employees of the company, so even just considering his seniority, he should be promoted.

After announcing a series of incentive measures, Masato Takeshita began to ask him about the things he cared about most.

When will the email service be officially launched?

"Soon, no later than February."

The only remaining task for Xinghai Mailbox is finding bugs, which should be completed in one to two weeks.

If it weren't for Xinghai Group's high standards and strict requirements, it could even be launched now.

Many newly established internet companies in the PC era did this: they would develop software and launch it directly, then ask users to help find bugs.

"That's good, but please note that our email service is free."

"Yes, understand."

In 1996, the free strategy was not yet popular in the internet software industry.

Even Netscape, which ignited the global internet market, adopted a paid subscription model.

The same applies to email; all providers choose to charge a fee.

Once launched, Xinghai Mail will be the world's first free email service, and users will definitely flock to it.

After all, who wouldn't like something that's free?

"Good, I'll remember that." The young man nodded, then stood up from the sofa. "That's all for today, I won't disturb everyone's work any longer."

"Yes, Chairman, please take care."

"Okay, see you next month."

Just as Masato Takeshita finished his visit to Seikai Mailbox, Seikai Software President Masaharu Nishimura eagerly came looking for him.

"President, Xinghai Mailbox is clearly more suitable for our company. Let's transfer the project back."

"I know, don't worry, there will be this opportunity."

Xinghai Email is indeed suitable for Xinghai software with the Xinghai operating system, which can enhance Xinghai software's dominant position on the PC platform.

But right now, Xinghai Network definitely needs Xinghai Mail more.

It can help Xinghai Network's subsidiaries improve their promotional capabilities and acquire more high-quality users.

Yes, that's right, email marketing is the best way to acquire high-quality online customers.

The reason is simple: cashiers, stock clerks, cleaners... at the bottom of society simply don't use email.

Only college students, white-collar workers, and other high-end professionals in society frequently use email.

These people are more receptive to new things and are more willing to try shopping and other apps from Xinghai Network.

As for promoting it in Xinghai Internet cafes, it's estimated that it will only attract college students and a small number of white-collar workers, and the effect will be far less than that of email.

"This, okay."

Hearing his chairman's perfunctory words, Nishimura Masaharu lowered his head, feigning grievance, and then took out the second plan that he had prepared in advance.

"In that case, we can develop our own email system, right?"

"Okay, but it can only be launched after May."

Takeshita Masato immediately understood Nishimura Masaharu's true intentions, which were still using the same old trick of Lu Xun opening a window.

But he didn't spell it out; instead, he simply nodded in agreement.

It's good to have more competitors, so that Xinghai Mailbox won't become complacent.

Furthermore, regardless of which email service ultimately wins, it will be a victory for Xinghai Group.

Xinghai Group has money and can easily bear the waste generated by competition.

After calming down Nishimura Masaharu, Takeshita Masato received another invitation from Obuchi Keizo.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother? Are you still feeling down?"

"Yes, I'm not in a good mood."

Keizo Obuchi's secretary responded softly, hoping that Masato Takeshita could help her boss overcome his inner conflict.

"Okay, I'll go in first."

"Yes, Mr. Takeshita, please come inside."

Upon entering the tea room, Takeshita Masato saw Obuchi Keizo drinking tea alone in silence.

"Senior brother, it's just that you weren't invited to join the cabinet. It's not that big of a deal. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"I know, but I just feel that luck is far more important than hard work."

Ryutaro Hashimoto was inaugurated as prime minister on the 11th and then successfully formed a cabinet.

As expected, Keizo Obuchi was not on the cabinet list.

He knew it himself, but he had been hoping for the best.

I hope that Ryutaro Hashimoto will give him a good position, considering that we are all on the same side and that he ultimately gave his support.

The result, naturally, ended in failure.

Then, looking at the spirited Ryutaro Hashimoto on the stage, Keizo Obuchi felt depressed.

If he misses this opportunity, he doesn't know if he will ever have another chance to realize his political dreams.

The young man knew that his senior brother was disappointed to see someone who was not as good as him rise to the top, but he did not directly offer any words of comfort.

He put down his teacup and changed his approach to conversation, using questions instead of answers. "Senior, do you think Ozawa-san and the others will be content with this?"

"No, Ozawa is a total destroyer."

Keizo Obuchi and Ichiro Ozawa had clashed before, so he had a very deep understanding of him.

This guy is a disciple of Kakuei Tanaka, so there's absolutely no way he'd stay quiet and not cause trouble.

"Senior, do you think the United States would accept a strong Japanese prime minister right now?"

"Hmm, probably not."

Keizo Obuchi hesitated for a moment, but still gave a negative answer.

He had been watching closely as Kakuei Tanaka stepped down.

No prime minister can hold his position if he dares to disobey important instructions from the United States.

"So, senior brother, do you think Hashimoto-san can quickly resolve the mess that is plaguing the domestic economy?"

"I think Prime Minister Hashimoto should have a chance."

Keizo Obuchi was uncertain, both hoping and not hoping that Obuchi could solve the problem.

An improved Japanese economy is a huge boon for Japanese society as a whole. Conversely, economic stagnation is good news for him personally.

Overall, however, he still hopes that the Japanese economy will improve, even if he cannot become prime minister.

Faced with Keizo Obuchi's inner turmoil, Masato Takeshita gave a direct negative answer.

"Impossible. Prime Minister Hashimoto is powerless to deal with just the banking system."

Japan's financial system, especially its most important banks, has long been in a state of near collapse.

With the exception of a few banks, most banks' liabilities have exceeded the warning line.

In the event of a major crisis, a number of banks will immediately go bankrupt and be liquidated.

With too many bad debts, the banking industry has become almost a zombie.

Insightful people in Japan naturally discovered the problem early on and proposed a series of remedial measures.

However, Ryutaro Hashimoto was only the third-ranking figure in the Takeshita faction, lacking sufficient prestige within the party to challenge the vested interests.

Let alone reforming the banking industry, even reforming the weaker insurance and securities companies is not feasible for the time being.

The young man then continued speaking.

"If banks cannot reform, businesses cannot change. The economy will be dragged down by the entire financial system and zombie companies, and it is destined to be unable to get out of the thorns."

Japan's main banking system is very effective when the economy is booming, as it can drive the overall development of companies.

Once the economy stagnates, many unprofitable businesses will drag down the development of banks, which in turn will drag down all related businesses, including banks.

Therefore, without changing the ecosystem of the banking industry, the Japanese economy will find it difficult to recover.

"In this way, the economy cannot be developed domestically, and the pressure from the United States cannot be withstood, making it difficult to maintain a stable position."

"And by then..."

Masato Takeshita did not continue speaking, leaving it at that.

Anyway, the meaning has been conveyed.

"I know these principles, but alas, we can only wait for the right time."

Keizo Obuchi understood the young man's thoughts and had similar speculations in his mind. But since it concerned his own life, he still found it difficult to remain calm.

Many things can only be viewed with detachment by bystanders.

"Yes, now it's all about waiting. Think about Prime Minister Fukuda, didn't he also have to wait until he was quite old before he had the opportunity?"

Takeo Fukuda, who rose to high office at an advanced age, is definitely one of the unluckiest prime ministers in Japanese history.

When competing with Kakuei Tanaka for the prime ministership, he was defeated by his opponent's "briefcase tactics".

When Tanaka is brought down by the Americans and he finally has the opportunity to rise to the top, he will sign a secret agreement with the future Prime Minister Ohira.

He agreed to serve for two years first, and then hand over the reins to Masayoshi Ohira.

Of course, we all know that political agreements are the least reliable.

Two years later, Takeo Fukuda changed his mind and ran for re-election with the excuse that the world needed him.

He thought that with such a good track record, the position of prime minister was a sure thing.

The first round ended in a dismal failure.

In democracy, ability is never as good as a shell company.

"You're right, I'll wait."

Known for his forbearance, Keizo Obuchi nodded heavily.

He will continue to wait for an opportunity and not let his supporters down.

If he backs down this time, not only will his position be difficult to maintain, but he may also lose the constituency that his family has managed for many years.

It's worth noting that the people of Gunma Prefecture had a lot of opinions about his decision to support Kakuei Tanaka but not his fellow townsman Takeo Fukuda back then.

Although it is said that Japanese politics is hereditary, there are also many who have lost their positions.

The most famous case from the past life is that Makiko Tanaka lost the constituency that the Tanaka family had cultivated for decades.

Of course, this can't happen in this lifetime.

The Starsea Group has a series of investments in Niigata Prefecture, enough to help stabilize Tanaka Isamu's constituency until the day the Starsea Group goes bankrupt.

In a sense, this is also Xinghai Group's support for the objective faction on China.

In fact, not only the Tanaka family, but also the descendants of politicians with ties to China, such as the Ohira family and the Nikaido family, are also targets of youth support.

It should be understood that maintaining good relations with China was an achievement of their ancestors, and it was something that would be included in important family records for publicity.

Therefore, those who inherit the territory of their fathers or even grandfathers will naturally tend to befriend China.

Kakuei Tanaka's daughter, Makiko Tanaka, and Masayoshi Ohira's son-in-law, Hajime Morita, are classic examples.

In retrospect, during the process of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Japan, Prime Minister Tanaka and others were truly risking their lives to do their work.

Take Masayoshi Ohira as an example; his home was surrounded and cursed by thousands of extreme lunatics.

If one is not careful, he could very well follow in the footsteps of Mr. Inejiro Asanuma, who was assassinated because of his attitude toward China.

Such a family should naturally be firmly supported to prevent overly right-leaning forces from coming to power.

"That's right, that's how it should be. The one who laughs last is the winner."

After comforting Obuchi Keizo, the two started talking about medical insurance.

"Do we really need to further strengthen medical insurance? It could cause a huge backlash."

"There's nothing we can do, the government doesn't have the money."

The Japanese government actually has the money to spend more to maintain its healthcare system.

However, if you want to do it well, you will need to spend at least 3% more of your budget.

Such a large sum of money, if invested in economic development, could prevent millions of people from losing their jobs.

Compared to these potential unemployed, health insurance is not so important.

After all, one side consists of middle-aged and young people who are the main force in everything, while the other side is mainly composed of the elderly.

Although it seems cruel, everyone knows how to choose.

After all, the state is a violent organization whose main purpose is to maintain stability, not to provide relief.

"Well, okay, but lowering drug prices is only a temporary measure. We must develop a more reasonable healthcare development strategy."

"Yes, I'll think about it."

Keizo Obuchi smiled understandingly and decided to make this a priority for the future.

If he can achieve the best of both worlds in developing Japan's medical industry, he will indeed have a better chance of stepping into the spotlight.

(End of this chapter)