Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 423 New Plans
As the three chatted, Stern's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Chairman Takeshita, how does your company plan to expand into the Asian market?"

"We can only use the old method: broadcast more NBA games on our company's TV station. We'll look for good prospects and then recommend them to the NBA."

The rise of the NBA in China has already pointed out the direction for Masato Takeshita's expansion.

He naturally didn't need to find a new path.

“Great idea. I’m also preparing to implement this strategy in China.”

"Oh, really? Then we're of the same mind!"

Although the young man felt a little embarrassed in front of Stern, he pretended that he had just thought of it too.

As for why the two of them could think of the same thing?
It was all a coincidence.

The two then began negotiations regarding the cost of acquiring the NBA broadcasting rights.

Because Japan is currently an even more barren basketball wasteland than China, it's difficult to negotiate higher prices.

Ultimately, Stern offered an incredibly low copyright price of $500 million per year for a total of 10 years.

With such low copyright prices, there naturally needs to be supplementary measures in other areas.

During the NBA regular season, TBS Sports Channel must broadcast no fewer games than a single team's regular season games.

In other words, if an NBA team plays 81 regular season games, then TBS television station must broadcast at least 81 games.

NBA playoffs are broadcast live on TBS Sports whenever there is an NBA game on that day.

In short, Stern really went all out to open up the Japanese basketball market.

"No problem, it's a pleasure to work with you."

NBA games are mostly held in the morning in Japan, which fills the gaps in TBS Sports Channel's programming.

Therefore, Masato Takeshita readily agreed to Stern's request.

As for the American baseball games that also took place in the morning, well, I'm sorry to say...

The copyright price is too high, and concessions need to be made to the NBA.

The three chatted happily, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner.

As the host, Stern naturally made reservations at the restaurant well in advance.

Next, we ate and chatted.

"I wonder when Japan will be able to establish a professional basketball league."

"Soon, our Xinghai Group will have plans to organize basketball tournaments."

Basketball is not popular in Japan, which means the cost will be very low.

Even with the Chinese market involved, the event expenditure is only about one-third to one-half of that of football.

With such a small amount of money, part of it can be supported by the company behind the club, and another part by Xinghai Group, it can be easily set up.

Upon hearing Masato Takeshita's words, Stern put down his knife and fork and asked with shining eyes.

Is the event also a collaboration with China?

He hopes that the China-Japan basketball league will also adopt the football model, because this would make it easier to revitalize the basketball markets in both countries.

As the highest level of basketball competition in the world, the NBA will soon benefit from this.

"This is the plan, but we need to see the final result of the football matches."

Although the youth are very confident about the East Asian Super League, which is a collaboration between the two countries, because attendance at both clubs and television ratings have increased since the collaboration began.

In terms of attendance, China is even more enthusiastic about football at this time, with stadium attendance increasing from just over 2 last year to more than 3.5.

Many stadiums achieved their long-awaited goal of being completely sold out.

If every stadium has enough seats, it's not a dream to increase the average attendance to 4 people per game.

The performance of Japanese clubs is even more exaggerated than that of Chinese clubs.

The club's average attendance jumped from a few thousand to 1.5.

Many stadiums were also packed to capacity.

Yes, in the early days of the Japanese J-League, match attendance was this low.

Many clubs are boasting that their attendance will exceed 10,000 this year.

This is also a key reason why Xinghai Group's proposal to cooperate with China to establish a competition has received strong support from major clubs and the Chinese Football Association.

Low stadium attendance and low public awareness are detrimental to the promotion of Japanese football and club publicity.

As for television ratings, China saw an increase of at least one-third.

Many people switch their TV channels to sports channels immediately upon hearing about a major China-Japan match.

The same is true in Japan, and even more so in China.

What was originally a Japanese soccer match featuring Camila instantly became the second most-watched sporting event after baseball.

Furthermore, the viewership ratings of both sides, which were originally out of reach, have become something that can be caught up with through hard work.

Yes, the effects of the East Asian Super League after its establishment were just that exaggerated.

After all, those who know, know the situation in both countries.

Although the government has always advocated for harmonious coexistence and building a better future, there has always been a contrary sentiment among the general public.

Football, as a representative sport of "modern warfare," is the best way to vent emotions.

However, we must not let our guard down.

The East Asian Super League has only gone through three rounds, and each of these three rounds is a direct confrontation between Chinese and Japanese clubs.

If it becomes a competition between domestic teams, the data will probably be hard to maintain.

Furthermore, a person's threshold will continue to rise.

When you're hungry every day, being able to eat your fill is happiness.

When you can eat your fill, happiness becomes about eating well.

When you can eat well, you'll start pursuing cars and houses.

Once you have a car and a house, your spiritual needs will come next.

So don't be fooled by how exciting the East Asian Super League is right now; nobody knows if things will stay that way once the excitement is over.

Only if this can be maintained for a long period of time can it be proven that the league has been successful.

In this way, Masato Takeshita could persuade the Chinese side to also cooperate on basketball events.

In short, we still have to wait and see.

After concluding his visit to Stern, Shinji Kikuno quickly left New York and returned to California.

He needs to expedite the acquisition of sports clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and seek more investment targets in the internet and technology sectors.

Masato Takeshita also left soon after, but his destination was Washington, D.C.

He wanted to meet with the President, who is also an investor in the Starsea Fund.

After a brief greeting, President Clinton pretended to complain and grumble.

"Why did it take you so long to come here after coming to America? Don't you consider me a friend?"

"Mr. President, you're being wronged. I rushed over here as soon as I finished dealing with my business in New York."

The two had a very ordinary relationship, but that's just how politics is in capitalist countries.

When you have money and are willing to invest in politics, every politician can be your friend.

Bad relationships can improve, and average relationships can become even better.

Their relationship now falls into the latter category.

Because the Star Ocean Group donated a significant amount to Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation, the two became so-called friends.

Yes, the way to become a friend of politicians in capitalist countries is that simple and straightforward.

Throwing money around, it's fucking throwing money around.

"Oh, I see. Then it's my fault. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Clinton was very flexible when dealing with his financial backers and didn't mind offering verbal apologies in private.

Of course, these words wouldn't be spoken in public. After all, he's the president of a country, and the president of the world's only superpower; he has high standards for appearances.

"No, I also had some oversights. I should have come to Washington first."

Masato Takeshita was sensible enough not to be foolish enough to accept it, but instead looked for the reasons within himself.

In this way, the two of them can continue their conversation in a friendly manner.

After a brief exchange, Masato Takeshita quickly changed the subject and began praising Clinton's achievements.

"The information superhighway policy is fantastic; the United States will continue to lead the world in the information age."

"That's right, we Americans are the best."

Clinton became even happier when talking about his achievements.

He began to speak at length to the young people about his ideas and his outstanding contributions to the development of the United States.

In short, I, Clinton, am the greatest president in postwar America.

Masato Takeshita, of course, would not interrupt the president's whims, and would occasionally offer a few flattering words.

"That's right, Yahoo was able to go public thanks to the president's communications strategy."

"Yes, it is because of you that I have full confidence in the United States and in the US stock market."

There's no other way; when you need someone's help, you have to be humble and subservient.

At the evening banquet, Masato Takeshita began meeting with more investors.

Among them are veteran legislators, seasoned clerks, and representatives of top political families whose members have been politicians for generations.

"Rest assured, our Xinghai Fund has always maintained a top-level standard."

"Don't worry, we have significant stakes in Microsoft and Intel."

Since Starsea Software licensed its operating system to Microsoft, Microsoft has been wreaking havoc throughout the Western world.

In 1995, its market capitalization surged to $500 billion, ranking tenth in the United States.

This year, even though it's only the end of April, Microsoft's market value has already exceeded 70 billion.

As for Intel, its growth rate is even faster than Microsoft's.

Last year, it wasn't even in the top ten, but by the end of April this year, its market value had already approached that of Microsoft.

It is expected that in the second half of the year, its market value will easily surpass Microsoft's, and a market value of 100 billion US dollars by the end of the year will not be a problem.

Having shares in these two companies is enough to reassure our major clients.

After putting on a show with a bunch of seasoned Democrats, the young people didn't forget the Republicans.

George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and many other prominent Republican figures were among those he visited.

In short, foreign giants who want to operate in the United States cannot afford to offend any of them.

In addition to dealing with various powerful figures, Masato Takeshita also made sure to inspect companies and factories in the United States.

Beverage companies, in particular, were a key focus of his inspections.

Because the Pulse energy drink alone can contribute more than $10 billion in profit to Xinghai Beverage every year.

In addition, luggage companies, clothing companies, and other key business projects were also the focus of his investigation.

"Very good, the overall demeanor of the employees is quite good."

Masato Takeshita was very satisfied with the American workers in his factory, feeling that it was no different from the Japanese factory.

"It's mainly because our company has good policies."

Xinghai Group implements a policy of distributing bonuses based on efficiency; the more you do, the more bonus you will receive.

And most importantly, those at the bottom of Xinghai Group can receive at least 30% of the bonuses.

There won't be situations where a lot of work is done, but in the end, only a pittance is given to get things done.

Everyone is trying to make money for themselves, so naturally they are willing to do more.

The end result is that Xinghai Group's American employees are very diligent, and there are very few instances of them slacking off.

Of course, everyone's efforts have been very rewarding.

Although the monthly salary is only slightly higher than that of companies at the same level, the bonuses and benefits are much higher.

The United States is very large, and it took him about half a month to travel around it from east to west and north to south.

Japan's May holidays have passed by in the blink of an eye.

He's the boss, so it doesn't matter to him, but he can't ignore the feelings of his employees.

Therefore, on the way back, the young man simply stood up and announced...

"Starting tomorrow, we will have a two-week holiday."

As soon as Masato Takeshita finished speaking, a cheer immediately erupted.

Traveling back and forth for so long is really exhausting.

Many people immediately decided in their hearts that they would go back and sleep for a few days.

Employees can take breaks, but Masato Takeshita himself cannot.

Because he suddenly remembered that he hadn't sold his Netscape shares yet.

"Jiaben-san, starting today, sell all your Netscape shares."

"Yes, President!"

Seeing his chairman so serious, Jia Benlong realized that Netscape was probably doomed.

And that is indeed the case; Netscape is now on a downward spiral.

There's no way around it; its competitor is Microsoft.

Even if all the Western internet companies were tied together, they wouldn't be a match for Microsoft, let alone Netscape.

How do you deal with a software that forcibly binds itself to your account?
It's fair to say that as long as the government doesn't intervene, no one can do anything about Microsoft's rogue behavior.

"Also, I promised Kikuno-san that I would transfer another $5 million to Hoshino Venture Capital. Remember to submit the report as soon as possible, and then I will sign it."

"Yes, the documents are ready."

"OK, that's good."

Although the young man could directly transfer money, he still couldn't overstep his bounds to do so, considering the company's healthy operation.

If Xinghai Venture Capital wants to apply for a large amount of funding, it must first report to Xinghai Investment, and then Xinghai Investment will report to the Xinghai Group headquarters.

This hierarchical structure ensures that the group remains stable and doesn't descend into chaos.

After discussing foreign countries, Masato Takeshita naturally steered the conversation to China.

What's the current situation with the Tokyo stock market?

“There are signs of recovery, but I always feel there’s something fishy going on.”

From 1995 to the first half of 1997, the Japanese stock market experienced a small recovery.

This recovery is mainly driven by domestic companies' overseas investments.

In particular, investments in Southeast Asia, South Korea, and China have brought substantial profits to many Japanese companies.

"Maybe. Since you're not optimistic, let's just keep waiting."

"Yes, President!"

The Xinghai Foundation is very stable; there are only a few things that need to be addressed.

Xinghai Communications is different; it's a busy time for them.

"Ono-san, when will our first phase of the project in China be completed?"

"It is estimated that it will be launched in October this year. The progress in China is very fast."

Every time Kenji Ono visits China, he marvels at the diligence of the Chinese people.

He seemed to see postwar Japan, brimming with a fighting spirit. It's likely that such excellent qualities will be hard to find in Japan in the future.

But there's nothing that can be done about it; people living in poverty have no choice but to work desperately.

If given a choice, who wouldn't want to be a "laid-back" person?
(End of this chapter)