Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 469 Natural Disaster
After finishing dealing with the group's internet business, Masato Takeshita finally got some free time.

He first spent more than a week with Izumi Sakai, who was pregnant and awaiting childbirth, and then flew to Shanghai.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, he didn't have time to spend with his lover there; instead, he went directly to the Xinghai Group's China headquarters for a meeting.

"The signs of flooding are becoming increasingly clear. Everyone is talking about the company's disaster relief plan."

In June 1998, affected by abnormal weather, severe rainstorms caused disasters in the Yangtze River, Songhua River, Nenjiang River, and Huai River basins in China. Furthermore, this disaster is worsening over time.

As a Japanese man with a Chinese soul, Masato Takeshita naturally urged the Xinghai Group to shoulder the responsibility of a large, responsible company.

"The company should prepare vehicles in advance and transport instant noodles, bread, bottled water, and purified water to cities along the Yangtze and Songhua Rivers as much as possible."

"Also, transportation will be very difficult during floods, so we can buy a batch of high-horsepower heavy trucks."

"Furthermore, we can also prepare for international helicopter rescue operations. We will invest as much material as possible in the disaster area and carry out rescue operations."

Wang Aimin, the vice president of Xinghai Group's China region, comes from a rural area along the main stream of the Yangtze River. He is very familiar with the dangers of floods and the harm they cause to people.

He gritted his teeth and decided to take the gamble, preparing to make the group bleed a lot.

"A good strategy can be written into the implementation plan."

There's not much Xinghai Group can do in the face of natural disasters.

Delivering supplies to cities at risk of disaster in advance, as well as providing heavy trucks and helicopters for rescue, can indeed play a significant role.

"Continue, and let others step forward and speak up as well."

Faced with his chairman's order, Zhang Shujiang, the president of the Beijing branch, was the second to step forward.

"I think disaster relief plans should follow a first-come, first-served basis."

"Large cities along the river can store a large amount of supplies. The three towns in particular are the top priority for disaster relief."

"Then for medium-sized or small cities, we need to allocate different amounts of supplies depending on the specific circumstances."

“For example, the Jingzhou section of the river is a place that has been prone to floods for many years, so we need to transport more supplies.”

Zhang Shujiang had worked in disaster relief efforts in the Yangtze River basin in his early years, giving him a deeper understanding of floods.

He knew very well that the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River, with its many bends and twists, had always been the area most severely affected by floods.

In addition, the three towns, which are located in very low-lying areas, also suffered severe flooding.

In the flood of 1931, the entire three towns were submerged and turned into a water town, with people traveling by small boats.

This time, the two areas in the Yangtze River basin will be the most severely affected. Xinghai Group needs to prepare in advance if it wants to provide assistance.

"That's right, these two places definitely need to be prioritized for development."

Takeshita Masato nodded again, then looked at the others, waiting for them to offer feasible suggestions.

"The Yangtze River Basin is a key area, but we cannot neglect the Northeast region."

"In times of extreme weather, the Northeast region has also experienced severe floods and droughts."

"We need to make preparations in advance in cities along the Songhua River and Nenjiang River, such as Harbin and Linji."

As a northerner, Wang Dagang, another vice president of Xinghai Group's China region, immediately added the Northeast region to the list of areas receiving aid.

He didn't want the group's disaster relief efforts in the northern region to be delayed because he didn't take the lead.

"Yes, that's necessary. We should refer to the Yangtze River basin as a reference."

Of the four provinces most severely affected by the 1998 floods, the only one not located in the Yangtze River basin was in Northeast China.

This shows that Northeast China was also one of the hardest-hit areas in this flood.

Xinghai Group can focus on the Yangtze River basin, but it cannot ignore the impact of floods on this area.

In addition to these two key areas of surveillance, certain arrangements should also be made for other locations in the east.

Because this flood was almost a nationwide flood disaster, the fact that other areas were less affected does not mean there was no impact.

While the Chinese delegation focused on the allocation of disaster relief supplies, the Japanese delegation emphasized the details.

"President, I think the storage of supplies is the most important thing."

"We need to find higher ground to store supplies in advance to avoid wasting them."

"Also, we need to keep a good grasp of the nearby road traffic and try to stay close to the city's main roads."

The young man also readily accepted Nobutaka Kurashige's suggestion to be reassigned as president of the China region.

Material storage is indeed of paramount importance in this flood disaster.

If everything is submerged, wouldn't Xinghai Group have wasted its efforts?

"That's right, very insightful. We really need to work on these details."

Because the situation was quite urgent, everyone decided to refine the flood response plan as it was being developed.

"The chairman is right, we really don't have time to develop a detailed plan."

"But I think this might be better."

"Because we can conduct on-site investigations in various places, avoiding empty talk."

Yes, senior executives of Xinghai Group also needed to go to the front lines of the flood.

Of course, they went not to the front lines, but to cities in the rear.

This approach avoids causing trouble for the rescue team and also allows the rescue efforts to be more effective.

However, only senior executives from Xinghai Group's China division went.

As for the president, Masato Takeshita, I won't bother anyone else.

During disaster relief efforts, he was just a mascot; whether he was there or not didn't make much difference.

"Okay, that's settled then."

"Next, the group's major food factories will increase production and then transport half of the supplies to cities that may be severely flooded."

The young man wished he could pack all the supplies and send them to places where severe disasters might occur, but considering that the first peak of the Yangtze River floods had not yet officially arrived, he could not do anything too extreme.

Half of the supplies is the limit he can manage right now.

As for disaster relief trucks and airplanes, heavy trucks can be purchased now, which can be considered as improving the company's logistics industry in advance.

The planes can't be brought forward; we'll have to wait until the disaster gets more severe.

In addition to providing material support, donations are also essential.

However, at this time, only a few parts of China were affected by the disaster, and Xinghai Group could not donate more.

One or two million RMB is already the maximum figure at present.

"Has everything been arranged?"

Back at the villa in Shanghai that evening, Lin Qingqian gently massaged Takeshita Masato's head.

The girl longed to take her lover's place, but her body simply wouldn't allow it.

She even felt that the timing of this pregnancy was extremely inappropriate.

"Yes, a rough outline has been made, and the specific details will be refined gradually."

After saying that, the young man gently stopped his lover from continuing the massage.

He didn't want the girl to get tired; he just wanted to sit on the sofa and chat with her.

"Are you free of any worries right now?"

"No, everything is fine. President Zangzhong reports to me in advance if there are any important matters." Although Lin Qingqian has now stepped down as president of Xinghai Group's China region, no one is foolish enough to ignore her.

Important matters in the China region still require the girl to make the final decisions.

If it weren't for the youth, it's estimated that Lin Qingqian would have convened this disaster relief meeting.

"Well, that's good. That's why I brought Zangzhong back."

The Japanese have a deeply ingrained feudal mindset and are hesitant to easily delegate authority over girls. The Chinese, on the other hand, are less adept at this, finding it difficult to impose restrictions and provide protection.

The most important thing at home is life, so Masato Takeshita only briefly talked about work.

He quickly put his work aside and spent time talking to his lover about family.

Is the baby in your belly very naughty?

"No, this time it was very quiet. I guess it's a quiet little girl."

Lin Qingqian touched her belly happily, longing to give birth to a daughter.

Her son, Lin Xingzai, is too naughty, which makes her a little tired of dealing with him.

"Good for our daughter, now we have both a son and a daughter."

Masato Takeshita also hoped for a daughter, to fulfill his dream of having all the children he wanted.

"That's what I was thinking too. Do you think I should ask the doctor beforehand?"

"Let's forget it, there won't be any surprises that way."

Young people who are not obsessed with children of a particular gender naturally do not need to seek advice.

Of course, you should still continue with the checkups. If the child has a congenital problem, you'll have to terminate the pregnancy no matter how reluctant you are.

Having a child with a congenital disability is a torment for both parents and the child.

Young people don't understand why some couples who could have had more children, but whose children have congenital problems, insist on giving birth to their disabled children.

Isn't this going to torment both the child and myself in the future?

In the following days, Masato Takeshita spent his time at the company discussing flood control measures, and his evenings chatting with his lover about everyday matters.

Sometimes Masato Takeshita would speak and the girls would listen, and sometimes it would be the other way around.

That evening, after dinner, the two went for a walk in their small garden.

Looking at the goldfish in the pond, Masato Takeshita casually asked, "Hmm, did Mom and Dad say when we can come over?"

Pregnant women are very emotionally sensitive, but the young man can't always be by her side. For her sake, it's natural to want her parents to come as soon as possible.

However, this is something that cannot be taken for granted; the consent of the father-in-law and mother-in-law is required.

“My mom is planning to come next month. My dad is busy with work, so even if he comes, he'll only stay for three to five days.”

"Oh, that's good too."

It's naturally better for the mother-in-law to take care of the daughter, as it gives people more peace of mind.

As time went on, the first peak of this massive flood soon arrived.

Xinghai Group has also begun a formal mobilization.

"President, how much money would be appropriate for us to donate this time?"

"Yes, we'll distribute this donation across different branches. Xinghai Group: 2000 million; Xinghai Group China Branch: 1000 million; Xinghai Life China Branch: 500 million; Xinghai Food China Branch: 300 million..."

When it comes to donations, standing out from the crowd is acceptable, but it shouldn't be too much more excessive.

Xinghai Group wanted to donate more, but they could only do so quietly. Further donations were made in the form of supplies.

This way, the company demonstrates its humanitarian spirit without making other companies think it's not a good thing.

"Okay, President, I understand."

Flood control and disaster relief is a major event, and Takeshita Masato is deeply concerned about it, hoping it will pass soon.

But as the chairman of Xinghai Group, he could not stay any longer.

In mid-July, before the arrival of the second flood peak of the Yangtze River, he had to leave by plane.

Japan is about to begin a new round of House of Councillors elections, and the Liberal Democratic Party's current situation is not very optimistic.

As a major donor to the Liberal Democratic Party, he naturally had to come back and check on the situation.

"Senior, how many seats do you think we'll lose this year?"

"I'm not sure, but it won't be less than 20 seats."

Perhaps it's true that outsiders have a clearer perspective; as the first potential prime minister, Keizo Obuchi was very aware of the damage that Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's strategy of raising the consumption tax would inflict on the Liberal Democratic Party government and others.

Not only has Japan's economic growth rate been pushed into negative territory in the past two years, but people's living standards have also declined again, and the economy has become depressed.

Of course, the biggest problem was the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis, which caused the Japanese economy to slow down further and the unemployment rate to soar.

Given this situation, the Liberal Democratic Party's chances of winning the House of Councillors election are slim, and Prime Minister Hashimoto is unlikely to remain in office again.

However, even Keizo Obuchi completely underestimated the losses suffered by the Liberal Democratic Party.

This time, the Liberal Democratic Party will suffer a crushing defeat in the House of Councillors. Even with the help of the Seikai Group, they are expected to lose 40 seats.

"It should be at least this number. Senior Xiaoyuan's opportunity has arrived."

"Yes, my chance has come."

Keizo Obuchi was thrilled; he finally had the chance to sit on that throne. Even though it came at the cost of damage to the Liberal Democratic Party, it was still the same.

This is human nature; what you have in your own hands is the only real thing.

The Senate election ended quickly, and the Liberal Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat as expected.

Despite the efforts of the Star Sea Group, the Senate still lost 38 seats, a significant loss.

Faced with this situation, Prime Minister Hashimoto announced his resignation the day after the conference ended.

A new round of competition has also begun within the Liberal Democratic Party.

Although everyone knows that Keizo Obuchi is the only candidate, what if he succeeds?

Besides, even if it doesn't work out, it can still make a good impression on the public!
Japanese politics is known for its backroom deals, and this time is no exception.

After 10 days of back-and-forth negotiations, Keizo Obuchi was finally elected chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party with a high number of votes on the 24th.

He will then become Japan's new prime minister on the 30th, the day after Prime Minister Hashimoto officially resigns.

But the Japanese people are tired of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in power, and even more tired of the LDP's backroom politics and old-fashioned politics.

After taking office as prime minister, Keizo Obuchi had an approval rating of less than 20%, which is the lowest in history.

Everyone felt that a prime minister with such a "good guy" personality was simply incapable of solving Japan's economic and employment problems.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency."

“Junior Takeshita, call me senior, I will always be your senior.”

Although he has taken over as prime minister, Keizo Obuchi remains very approachable, and he hopes that the two will continue to have a close senior-junior relationship.

"Okay, Senior Xiaoyuan."

Masato Takeshita realized that this was not just polite talk from Keizo Obuchi, so he respectfully complied.

The title "Senior Obuchi" is far better for him than "Prime Minister Obuchi."

(End of this chapter)