Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 460 The power of change is even greater.
Following Yasuo Tarui, not only technology professionals like Fujio Masuoka, but also management talents like Hiroaki Kobayashi nodded in agreement.

Ultimately, under the leadership of Masato Takeshita, the entire Xinghai Group quickly reached a consensus.

"Very well, then let's adjourn this meeting here for now. Everyone, please leverage your networks and try to gain more support."

Even though the Star Sea Group has a very good relationship with the Liberal Democratic Party, it is difficult for them to influence the government's upcoming policies on their own.

Only by mobilizing the education system and domestic tech giants can we persuade the government to abandon cuts to funding for national laboratories.

However, to avoid giving the government the impression of being aggressive, Xinghai Group may choose to back down.

For example, the size of theoretical laboratories exploring the frontiers of science can be reduced, and funding can be cut.

As for the application of technology, that is an area that absolutely cannot be reduced.

Of course, the reduction in theoretical laboratories will only be temporary, and they will be added back, or even more, in the future.

After all, exploring cutting-edge theories can enhance a country's cultural foundation.

"Yes, President!"

After the meeting, Masato Takeshita rushed home.

He planned to have a meal with his wife and daughter first, and then visit Takeshita Noboru.

The private driver hired by Masato Takeshita drove steadily and quickly, and soon took him home.

Then, as soon as he got home, he saw Sister Quanshui standing at the door, smiling gently and saying something.

"You're back."

"Well, I'm back."

The young man responded with a word, then quickly ran over and, half complaining and half happy, carefully helped his lover up.

“You’ve already said you’re not feeling well right now, why don’t you just have a servant open the door?”

Starting in the second half of 1997, the rock craze gradually faded, and the Japanese music scene ushered in the golden age of electronic music.

Izumi Sakai, the Japanese rock and pop superstar, inevitably saw her music career begin to decline.

Therefore, at Masato Takeshita's urging, she decided to take a break and give the two of them a new life.

Things went very well, and Sister Quanshui finally became pregnant with a new child in the winter.

It was precisely because of her pregnancy that the young man repeatedly advised the girl not to open the door for him when he came home at night.

The result was obvious: failure.

"It's okay, such a small thing won't bother me."

"Besides, the doctor told me to exercise every day."

"Yes, yes, you're right, there's always a reason."

Takeshita Masato shook his head, too lazy to continue the argument.

He craned his neck, scanned the living room, and then asked, "Where's Xiaohui?"

"She's watching her favorite cartoon upstairs today."

"Oh, I see. That explains why it's been so quiet today."

Kei Takeshita really loves the anime "Sailor Moon" and watches the new episode every week without fail.

Not only that, he also bought a lot of Sailor Moon merchandise.

For example, there are hundreds or even thousands of different types of Sailor Moon figurines and dolls. Whether they are limited editions or not, they are all available.

Luckily, the house has a large room; if it were an ordinary family, there probably wouldn't be enough room to put it.

"Your daughter is usually very quiet, okay? If you don't tease her, would she be able to play so wildly in front of you?"

After saying that, Izumi Sakai glared fiercely at Masato Takeshita.

She wanted to raise her daughter to be a well-bred lady, but due to the young man's deliberate sabotage, the child turned into a tomboy.

"It's better to be lively; that kind of precocious behavior isn't suitable for children."

Masato Takeshita disagreed with his wife's parenting methods. He believed that children should have a wonderful childhood, rather than being molded into stereotypical, well-bred young ladies from an early age.

Anyway, his family is rich, and they'll probably be even richer in the future. So, their daughter won't need to sacrifice anything for a marriage alliance.

"Hmph, whatever, if you think it's good this way, then so be it."

Izumi Sakai rubbed her stomach, deciding not to argue with her husband.

It's good that the child is like this; at least he has a carefree childhood.

"hey-hey."

Takeshita Masato smiled shamelessly, then changed the subject.

"Has my daughter been bullied at school lately?"

"Bullying? How could that be? Don't you arrange for people to protect you every day?"

"Um, I was just worried about unexpected situations."

Masato Takeshita put a lot of effort into protecting his daughter.

Arrange for professional teachers to enter the campus and for professional security guards to keep watch from a distance.

In addition, hidden cameras were installed throughout the school, and people were assigned off-campus to keep watch.

Any signs of school bullying should be dealt with immediately to prevent accidents from happening.

Of course, all of this was done behind Takeshita Kei's back. He didn't want his daughter to know that he was constantly being monitored.

The two chatted briefly for about ten minutes, after which the young man checked the time on his watch.

"They should be done releasing them by now. I'll go call my daughter down for dinner."

"Well, let's go."

Upon arriving at the second floor of the villa, Masato Takeshita gently knocked on his daughter's bedroom door.

"Xiao Hui, it's time to eat."

"Okay, Dad, I'm coming."

Takeshita Kei responded in a light voice, then turned off the TV and quickly walked over to open the door.

"Dad, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, and I didn't ask. I'll find out when I get downstairs."

"Oh, I see."

After dinner, Masato Takeshita looked at his wife and daughter.

"I'm going to Takeshita-senpai's house later, do you guys want to come along?"

"No, this isn't appropriate for me."

Izumi Sakai shook her head, not wanting to go over and cause trouble for others.

"I'm not going either, I still have some homework to finish."

Takeshita Kei really wanted to go, but thinking about today's homework, he shook his head with some regret.

If you don't finish your homework, the teacher will call your name, which is very embarrassing.

"Okay, then I'll go by myself."

Masato Takeshita nodded, then said again, "I estimate I won't be back until after 10 o'clock, so you guys should go to sleep early."

"Okay, I know. You can go ahead and get busy."

"Sachiko, Kei, I'm off now. Bye-bye!"

The young man quickly put on his clothes, picked up the gifts he had prepared beforehand, and waved goodbye to his wife and daughter.

"Go on, bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye, Dad!"

"OK Bye Bye!"

The two houses were very close, so Masato Takeshita simply walked there.

"Senior, I'm so sorry to bother you."

"No, come on, let's go inside first." Takeshita Noboru shook his head slightly and casually invited his junior to come in.

Their alliance of interests is as solid as a rock, and there is no need for excessive politeness or formality.

Upon entering the living room, the two first drank some tea and chatted casually for a while. Then, after they had almost finished their tea, the young man revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Do you not want the government to cut funding and subsidies for domestic laboratories?"

"That's right. Technological strength is the foundation of a country, and we cannot give up our current leading advantage."

In its previous life, Japan's economy stagnated after the Asian financial crisis, and a significant decline in its scientific research capabilities was also a major contributing factor.

It's important to understand that the last decade or so of the 20th and early 21st centuries witnessed another major transformation in the field of science and technology.

The pharmaceutical industry is shifting from traditional chemical drugs to biopharmaceuticals, and Japan almost missed this wave of biopharmaceutical development because of a lack of funds for the government and pharmaceutical companies.

Fortunately, thanks to the solid foundation laid during the chemical drug era, the Japanese pharmaceutical industry ultimately weathered this new wave of biopharmaceuticals.

But they barely managed to stay afloat. Ultimately, Japan's share of the global pharmaceutical industry plummeted, with large swaths of both international and domestic markets being swallowed up by European and American pharmaceutical companies.

As for the internet industry, there's no need to elaborate further.

Apart from Yahoo! Japan, Japan hasn't produced any significant internet giants since. Even Yahoo! Japan faced the risk of being acquired by American internet companies.

They're so disappointing!

Furthermore, the subsequent withdrawal of Japanese tech giants from the memory chip field after 2000 was also partly due to government reductions in related subsidies.

Already at a disadvantage in competition with South Korea, now that subsidies are gone, it's natural that it can't compete with South Korean semiconductor giants like Samsung, which have government support.

"Besides me, who else are you planning to look for?"

"Political figures such as Yoshiro Mori, Yasuo Fukuda, and Yukio Hatoyama, as well as the Xinghai Group from the education, business, and technology sectors, are all preparing to make contact."

Yoshiro Mori was the leader of the second largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party and later succeeded Keizo Obuchi as prime minister.

However, the best thing he did was support Koizumi's inauguration as prime minister.

From then on, his faction surpassed the Takeshita faction and became the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party.

As for Yasuo Fukuda, he belonged to the same faction as Yoshiro Mori, Koizumi, and Abe, and later served as prime minister as well.

Masato Takeshita was able to persuade these two men thanks to the connections he had built up since his time at Waseda University.

Yes, that's right!
The leaders of the largest and second largest factions of the Liberal Democratic Party are both from Waseda University.

This is also a key reason why Xinghai Group has hardly encountered any non-competitive factors during its development.

Of course, the fact that he didn't encounter any malicious actors was also related to his shrewdness.

Politically, they made large investments in Waseda-affiliated politicians and bureaucrats, and economically, they arranged for major politicians and bureaucrats to purchase their own funds.

Masato Takeshita had it all – power and the economy.

In fact, it's not just Waseda University politicians and bureaucrats; the University of Tokyo alumni network is also a major investment focus for young people.

In fact, the amount of funding provided for both was roughly the same.

The University of Tokyo controls the Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance, so the Xinghai Group cannot do without them if it wants to develop.

The reason why the young man was able to persuade Taro Kono and Yukio Hatoyama lies in their shared beliefs.

All three belong to the pro-China faction and also hope that Japan can develop independently.

"That's right, they're all very capable."

Takeshita Noboru did a quick calculation and felt that there was indeed a very high probability that the matter would succeed.

Since that's the case, he might as well do a favor.

"I will try to persuade Prime Minister Hashimoto that investment in technology cannot be cut off in one go."

"However, I think the funding for some laboratories in the pure sciences field will be insufficient to maintain the original level of investment."

Although Takeshita Noboru voted in favor of the draft bill to cut research funding, this does not mean he will stick to it indefinitely.

Since the junior student strongly objects, let's change it. At worst, we can issue more government bonds.

However, we cannot accept all of the junior's requests.

There is serious waste in domestic scientific research laboratories, and much of the investment is unnecessary and must be changed.

"This is natural. Exploring basic theoretical science is important, but survival is more important."

"Our current economy definitely needs to reduce this part of the investment."

Basic science is very important; it is even the ladder of human progress.

However, progress in this area requires a certain level of national strength and a sound national financial situation.

Japan's current financial situation does not really support investing too many resources in this area.

Takeshita Noboru's situation went smoothly, and so did Mori Yoshiro's.

This senior colleague from Waseda University is even more agile than Takeshita Noboru.

As soon as the young man mentioned it, he quickly smiled and nodded in agreement.

"This is great news, and we must remain vigilant in the area of ​​technology. We cannot sacrifice Japan's long-term development for the sake of the present."

“That’s right, Sen-senpai is right.”

Masato Takeshita mainly facilitated connections within the political sphere, while Yasuo Tarui and Jim Rogers primarily coordinated efforts within the business community.

Things went smoothly as well, because this was to help the company fight for its interests.

After all, the more the country invests in scientific research, the less the company has to invest.

Although the patents will need to be shared with institutions or other companies afterward, it is still better than investing in them alone.

Because the success rate of many key projects is very low, companies are reluctant to invest heavily in them and need the government to provide a safety net.

As for the education and technology sectors, needless to say.

These two are the ones most closely related to research funding, so I would definitely give them 100% approval.

After making the contact, Masato Takeshita visited Noboru Takeshita's residence again.

The two had reached an agreement that the senior student would persuade Prime Minister Hashimoto in the end.

"Senior, it's all up to you now."

"Don't worry, nothing unexpected will happen."

Looking at the documents in his hand, Takeshita Noboru knew that his disciple, Hashimoto Ryutaro, would basically have to back down.

He couldn't risk offending so many people by forcibly pushing forward a policy of large-scale marketization of laboratories.

This is political suicide.

It's important to know that Japan is about to hold a new round of parliamentary elections.

Even if Prime Minister Hashimoto wanted to take a gamble, the local councilors wouldn't agree.

The tax increase had already offended countless voters, making many Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members feel their seats were insecure. If another group were to resign, wouldn't the chances of victory be even smaller?

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, senior."

"No trouble at all, it's nothing."

Unlike his casual meeting with young men, Takeshita Noboru and Hashimoto Ryutaro chose a more secluded teahouse.

The main problem was that having the conversation at Takeshita Noboru's house would easily attract reporters and cause unnecessary trouble.

"The Prime Minister, the business community, and the technology community have a lot of opposition to the commercialization of laboratories."

"I think we'd better take a more conservative approach..."

As he spoke, Takeshita handed the relevant materials to Hashimoto Ryutaro, letting him know how strong the opposition was.

"This, okay."

Looking at the handwriting, Ryutaro Hashimoto rubbed his temples and finally agreed.

His position as prime minister is now precarious, and he cannot afford to offend more people at this crucial time.

He also wants to continue serving his term and contribute to Japan's development.

(End of this chapter)