Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 447 Having your own people is very important

As Masato Takeshita predicted, Yamaichi Securities' shareholders' meeting concluded with over 90% of the votes in favor.

Subsequently, Nozawa Masahiro and others couldn't wait to visit again and finalize the time for the formal signing of the contract.

Should a press conference be held?

After agreeing on the signing time, the young man looked up at Nozawa Masahira, who was temporarily acting as the president of Yamaichi Securities.

He wanted to personally endorse the securities company, adding another layer of support.

"Oh, is this okay?"

"Of course, we're all family."

Looking at Nozawa Shohei's surprised expression, Takeshita Masato gave a direct affirmative answer.

He didn't want to take back a financial securities company whose reputation had plummeted and whose customer base had dwindled significantly, so it was inevitable that he would step in to support it.

"Yes, thank you, Chairman! Thank you, Chairman!"

Nozawa Shohei became increasingly excited, seeing hope that Yamaichi Securities could recover and even surpass Nomura Securities.

Perhaps one day, the investment bank I once considered my life's calling, Yamaichi Securities (also known as an investment bank in Europe and America), could grow and become comparable to the world's top investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank.

This is also Masato Takeshita's ambition: to develop Yamaichi Securities to a world-class level.

Soon, the day of the press conference arrived.

The two sides exchanged a lot of polite words of blessing before signing the formal contract in the presence of reporters.

"Kakaka..."

A series of camera flashes accompanied by the sound of cameras taking pictures witnessed the relocation of an important company that influences Japan's financial system.

This is also the first time that Xinghai Group has received such a large amount of exposure when acquiring a company.

This is normal, though. Even if Nichia Chemical and Square Enix were at their peak, the transfer of control would not have the same impact as the transfer of control by Yamaichi Securities.

Yamaichi Securities was once Japan's top securities firm, and its reputation among the four major securities firms was second only to Nomura Securities.

Throughout Japan, there are few companies with greater influence than it.

After the agreement was finalized, it was time for a Q&A session, and Masato Takeshita began to call on each reporter to answer their questions.

The first one, naturally, came from a reporter at their own Mainichi Shimbun.

"Chairman Takeshita, how do you plan to manage Yamaichi Securities?"

The group's reporters were naturally not foolish enough to embarrass their chairman in public, so they asked a very appropriate question.

This pleased the young man greatly, and he mentally labeled him as sensible and clever.

"Everyone should know about the problems with Shanyi Securities. It was because they concealed some of their debt in order to embellish their performance."

"But such a thing would never happen under the leadership of Xinghai Group."

"If you don't understand, you can look up the returns of our subsidiary Xinghai Capital, which was recently renamed Xinghai Financial."

"Funds that follow the private equity route generally have an annual return of over 100%. Galaxy Capital, which follows the public fund route, also has an annual return of over 7%."

"It can be said that in the financial field, not only in Japan, but also in the whole world, no large financial institution has the stable and high returns as we do."

"Therefore, under the leadership of Xinghai Group, Shanyi Securities' performance will definitely not be bad. I dare not say more, but outperforming the market will be easy and simple."

Xinghai Financial has established an absolute gold standard in 10 years.

People may not trust Xinghai Group's guarantees, but they cannot disregard the data from Xinghai Financial's subsidiaries.

Putting aside everything else, the opening of Xinghai Capital's funds alone was a globally sensational event.

As for forgery, that's impossible.

Even if the annual growth rate of Xinghai Investment's funds were reduced by half, it would still be a world-class super fund.

Masato Takeshita's confidence easily won the approval of everyone present.

Because everyone knows that the young man was telling the truth.

If it weren't for the strict purchase conditions of private equity funds, they would have taken out high-interest loans to invest as well.

Unfortunately, apart from the first wave, the second and third phases of the fund are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

However, Xinghai Group has also opened a door for ordinary people, namely Galaxy Capital.

Although it didn't earn as much as Xinghai Capital, which operates through private equity, it still easily outperformed the global inflation rate.

Many ordinary people now regard Galaxy Capital as an alternative bank with higher investment returns.

As for ordinary people watching the live broadcast on television, some people strongly agreed, some were skeptical, and some scoffed.

But overall, most people still trust Xinghai Group.

Because the Seikai Group is one of the few large conglomerates in Japan that did not lay off employees or reduce salaries, but instead expanded its workforce and increased salaries.

What makes the Japanese people even more envious is that this company actually implements an 8- to 10-hour workday.

It's important to know that since the bursting of the bubble economy, the profitability of most Japanese companies has decreased significantly.

In many companies struggling to make a profit, it is common for employees to take a quarter-time pay cut, and outright layoffs are becoming increasingly common.

Of course, Xinghai Group is not the only company that performed well.

Automobile companies such as Toyota and Honda, consumer electronics companies such as Sony and Panasonic, and semiconductor giants such as Toshiba and Hitachi all have very good performance.

The company's employees also enjoy a high level of salary and benefits security.

However, these companies still have areas where they are inferior to Xinghai Group.

Xinghai Group employees work 8 to 10 hours a day and have weekends off. Meanwhile, companies like Sony, despite their strong performance, employ employees with excessive overtime.

The average daily working hours are generally greater than or equal to 14 hours.

There's no other way; everyone's afraid of being laid off and losing their job.

It's important to understand that the main force behind overtime work in Japanese society at that time was the generation born in the 1960s. And this generation was also the one with the highest debt in Japan, averaging 20 million yen per person.

As for the reason, it's simple.

In Japan during the 80s, societal attitudes toward marriage were similar to those in China before 2020.

If a couple gets married without a house, they will be ridiculed by others.

In some places, couples who rent a place to get married are simply considered to be in a cohabitation relationship, rather than being married.

Therefore, young men and women generally take out loans to buy houses in order to get married.

The 80s coincided with Japan's bubble economy, a period marked by soaring housing prices.

As a result, married men and women generally end up with a 30-year mortgage.

The animated series Crayon Shin-chan clearly showcases the characteristics of ordinary people in this era.

When the Japanese housing market collapsed in the 90s, those who had bought at the peak had no choice but to grit their teeth and pay off their loans.

There's no way around it; Japan is a society based on trust. Social trust is not only linked to things like taking public transportation, but also to every aspect of life, including your child's education and your job.

Especially in relation to work, it's practically ruthless exploitation.

If you have a bad reputation, a company can find an excuse to fire you. And in Japan, most employees who are fired can only find worse jobs.

Some people, especially older ones, can only find odd jobs to make ends meet.

According to official Japanese statistics, less than 20% of those who lose their jobs after the age of 35 are able to return to regular employment.

Of those who are unemployed at age 35, less than 50% are able to become dispatched workers.

Those left with no choice but to take odd jobs to make ends meet. Therefore, no one dared to default on their loans or lose their jobs. Even under brutal exploitation, employees had no choice but to endure it, much like the mortgage slaves in later China.

"Oh, how wonderful it would be if I could join the Xinghai Group!"

Ordinary people who know about the Xinghai Group can't help but have similar thoughts when they see Masato Takeshita talking eloquently on TV.

But to be honest, the Xinghai Group has already made significant improvements to the Japanese workplace.

Especially after the launch of the talent package program for 12 well-known universities, large companies have generally reduced their exploitation of new employees.

These large companies are worried that if too many news reports emerge about them exploiting their employees, they will not attract any new talent.

As for those born in the 80s, they're still the same.

The mortgage is there, so there's no need to worry about them running away.

After the reporter from the Mainichi Shimbun finished asking his questions, the next question came from their own media outlet, this time from TBS Television.

"Chairman Takeshita, what are your plans for the employees of Yamaichi Securities?"

"Yes, that's a great question."

Takeshita Masato smiled naturally again, then quickly suppressed it and looked seriously at the camera.

"I know that many users who have lost money investing in Shanyi Securities wish that all the employees there would be unemployed."

"However, what I want to say is that this matter has nothing to do with the vast majority of employees; it is entirely caused by those retired but still active leaders at the top."

"Therefore, Xinghai Group will not lay off any employees within three years of taking over."

At this point, the young man's tone became even more stern.

"However, this does not mean that employees can let their guard down."

“We will examine employees every day, and if any bad apples are found, they will be immediately transferred to positions specifically for idle personnel, and then dismissed after 3 years.”

With tens of thousands of employees at Shanyi Securities, there are bound to be some who only know how to cause trouble.

This type of person will be a key target for Xinghai Group to monitor.

Then, the young man's tone changed again, becoming very gentle.

"Of course, there's no need for everyone to be nervous. Xinghai Group's performance evaluation is very simple, and any dismissal of an employee must be reported to me."

The consequences of firing employees in Japan are too severe; young people certainly cannot delegate this right.

He worried that once the people were sent down to the countryside, some would develop a local tyrant mentality.

What if he can't possibly review all the cases of dismissing too many people at once?
It's very simple. He delegated the matter to the staff of the inspection department and other relevant departments, and he was only responsible for the final signature.

However, to prevent the oversight department from becoming corrupt, Masato Takeshita would occasionally conduct spot checks.

With these measures in place, the phenomenon of personal dependence should be avoided to the greatest extent possible.

Because their own interests were at stake, almost all employees of Shan Yi Securities watched the press conference live on television.

When the young man assured the reporters that he would not lay off any employees for the first three years, everyone cheered happily.

When he heard that the three-year period was just a trial period, his expression immediately turned melancholy.

……

It can be said that every word Masato Takeshita said caused a change in the expression of the employees at Yamaichi Securities.

Overall, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Because Xinghai Group offers good benefits, stories about this company are widely circulated.

The employees of Shanyi Securities, combining previous news reports and televised speeches, quickly grasped the key point: as long as they worked diligently, they would never be dismissed.

After the reporters from Xinghai Group finished asking their questions, things didn't get so easy.

In particular, the Nikkei newspaper, which is very right-wing, and Fuji TV, a television station also under the Sankei Shimbun, asked rather tricky questions.

Of course, it wasn't overly difficult either.

After all, the right wing also needs to make a living and dares not offend its financial backers.

Following the press conference, a grand celebration banquet naturally followed.

"Wow, that's so luxurious!"

"Yes, it's really luxurious!"

The two reporters from the Yomiuri Shimbun looked at each other and expressed the same sentiment, then felt fortunate to have secured the interview opportunity.

This is one of the very few companies that can still maintain the luxurious dining atmosphere of the bubble economy after the bursting of Japan's bubble economy.

From this point, one can imagine that the travel expenses would be exceptionally generous.

If reporters at the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper, were so astonished, then naturally other newspapers would too.

In a daze, they felt as if they had returned to the decadent and extravagant late 80s.

This is also the goal that young people want to achieve.

Shan Yi Securities has been in decline for too long, and it is necessary to make everyone rediscover this company.

A lavish banquet can plant the seed in a reporter's mind that Yamaichi Securities will never lack money in the future.

Given the impact of the seed, journalists will likely find themselves unconsciously promoting the financial strength of Shanyi Securities after joining Xinghai Group.

After the banquet, Masato Takeshita brought Takamasa Kamoto to Yamaichi Securities.

Next, he announced his new appointment directly in front of all employees.

“Ryoma Kamoto, president of Xinghai Financial, will concurrently serve as president of Yamaichi Securities, effective today.”

"Nozawa Shohei, who will temporarily serve as president of Yamaichi Securities, will become vice president of Yamaichi Securities."

"The jobs of the remaining employees will remain unchanged for the time being."

Masato Takeshita originally wanted to immediately transfer Masato Nozawa to Seikai Capital, but Takamasa Kamoto persuaded him with a few words.

"Chairman, I have been away from Shanyi Securities for a long time and I hope to have a subordinate who is familiar with the company's affairs to lend me a hand."

"Alright, let's demote Nozawa Masahiro and keep him in his position for now. He's a fairly honest person and familiar with the company's operations."

However, Nozawa Shohei's stay will not last long; after helping Kamoto Takamasa, he will go to Xinghai Capital.

In fact, not only Nozawa Masahiro, but other senior leaders will also be transferred.

He didn't want to see Jiabenlong being sidelined by the old guard at Shanyi Securities.

After quickly completing the appointment, Masato Takeshita moved on to the next topic as if he had thrown away a hot potato.

"Now, our new leadership will deliver a speech."

After a thunderous round of applause, Kamoto Takamasa finally spoke excitedly.

This time, he could barely be considered to have returned home in glory.

However, he didn't say much either, just briefly talked about his situation and his understanding of the company.

In short, I just wanted to have a brief meeting with everyone to avoid any situation where company employees wouldn't recognize me.

As for the specifics, he needs to sort things out before he can carry them out.

Influenced by the previous two leaders, everyone's speeches at this meeting were generally concise and to the point.

This comparison immediately made everyone feel comfortable.

Because only companies that don't have much to do like to dawdle during meetings.

(End of this chapter)