Tokyo Detective

Chapter 411 I Want to Dig Up the Roots of the Farmers' Association

Naoki Hanyu accompanied the Kurokawa father and daughter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Along the way, Kurokawa's former secretary and assistant kept trying to flirt with him, but Naoki Hanyu completely ignored them.

"Ms. Kurokawa, did you get sand in your eyes? You keep blinking."

Kurokawa Seimei gave a low shout.

Kurokawahara

Kurokawa glared at the man who ignored her good intentions. She was lusting after his body, but she hadn't gone so far as to be shameless.

"Father, I did get sand in my eye, just blinking will fix it."

This minor incident did not affect the atmosphere between the two sides. They soon arrived at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which was only a few hundred meters away from the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters. They even saw several police officers, indicating that an acquaintance had arrived first.

When Naoki Hanyu arrived at the minister's office, he indeed saw Yukiko Muromachi chatting with Jiro Koizumi, and a middle-aged man who looked expressionless. If he wasn't mistaken, it was Koji Yonekura, the head of the security department's guard section.

The Security Division is a functional department under the Security Department responsible for formulating policies, coordinating command and control, and managing the SP (Special Police) team for the protection of VIPs.

When Yukiko Muromachi was still a councilor in the security department, she had many missions to protect dignitaries with the help of the security division, which means they were old acquaintances of hers.

"Minister Koizumi, Yukiko, Section Chief Yonekura, hello."

"Hello, Minister Hanyu."

After exchanging greetings, Naoki Hanyu, sitting in an empty seat, asked curiously.

"Yukiko, are you in charge of protecting Minister Koinu this time, or is Section Chief Yonekura in charge?"

"I am in charge of investigating the National Salvation Youth Association, while the matter of protecting the Minister is handled by Yonekura."

Koji Yonekura bowed his head again.

"I look forward to your guidance, Mr. Yuzuru."

Koinujiro also took the opportunity to ask for a favor.

"Minister Hanyu, I'm entrusting my safety to you from now on."

"."

Naoki Hanyu really wanted to say that the man in front of him was too familiar. When did he agree to that? However, seeing that the other man's eyes were bloodshot and he must have had a bad night's sleep, he decided not to expose him in public.

"Yukiko, Section Chief Yonekura, I have something I'd like to discuss with Minister Koizumi alone."

"In that case, let's step aside for now."

Soon, only the two men were left alone in the office, and Naoki Hanyu didn't beat around the bush.

“Minister, I did not agree to take responsibility for protecting you. After all, I am the Minister of Criminal Investigation, not the Minister of Security. Even if I were the Minister of Security, I would not need to personally protect you.”

Koinu Jiro was taken aback. This was far too direct. Even if he were to refuse, he should have phrased it more tactfully, perhaps mentioning a major case he had to handle. Besides, as the sole heir to the Koinu family's political legacy, didn't the other party want to curry favor with him?

"Minister Hanyu, please consider this carefully. I can solve any problems, even if it means getting the Prime Minister's approval. You can also become my friend, Koizumi Jiro."

“I’m not only the Minister of Criminal Investigation, but also a trillionaire. Minister, why do you think I would offend those audacious extremist organizations? It’s not worth the risk just because I’m a friend of Koizumijiro.”

"."

That makes a lot of sense. Koizumi Jiro has been keeping an eye on Naoki Hanyu's news, so he was the first person he considered when choosing a bodyguard.

Now it seems I was being a bit presumptuous. Although I was a little annoyed, I knew that you can't force things. But before Koizumi Jiro could speak again, Hanyu Naoki had already come up with a solution for him.

"A friend's status is not worth the risk."

"what?"

"Unless you pay more."

Koizumi Jiro was speechless. He was used to the intrigue and backstabbing of politics, and he really wasn't used to this kind of crude and direct rhetoric.

Naoki Hanyu didn't think so. He bluntly said there was no need to waste words, since he had many backup plans. In the end, the other party still knelt on the ground, grateful and in tears.

Koinujiro remained silent for a few seconds before giving an immediate answer.

"What is Minister Yuzuru's view on the Youth Salvation Association?"

“I also inquired about the case from the night before last. Those people are madmen, a group of madmen with terrifying power. In my opinion, if they really wanted to kill you, the power they used might be beyond the capabilities of the police.”

"."

Koizumi Jiro couldn't refute it; it was precisely because his record was so terrifying that he wanted the strongest man in Japan to protect him. He was afraid of dying, and even more afraid of implicating his family.

Two hundred defense team members died at the hands of the YMCA. Not to mention him, even the Prime Minister would be wary if threatened, because those guys might actually dare to storm the Prime Minister's residence.

The dead defense force members were not Indian police or Black Cat Special Forces. Even the Taj Mahal Hotel terrorist attack by India did not have such an exaggerated casualty ratio, since those Indian thugs did not have tanks or armored vehicles.

Koinujiro tried his best to remain calm and asked.

"what do you want?"

"I'll protect you, but only in exchange for something."

"tell me the story."

Naoki Hanyu raised his finger.

"You'll be paid according to the effort you put in. If they don't attack, I'll consider you a friend. If they do attack, I'll pay you based on the intensity of the attack, how about that?"

Remuneration based on work?

Koinujiro immediately frowned.

“You have to propose a maximum compensation; I can’t possibly offer unlimited compensation.”

“A friend of mine wants to start an agricultural economic cooperative company, so he wants the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to make an exception for him.”

"Agricultural Economic Cooperation Company?"

Naoki Hanyu nodded.

"Yes, I own 6500 hectares of rice paddies, so I want to band together with some like-minded friends and farmers to help each other out. At least if we encounter the rice shortage of the past two years again, we won't be so passive and we'll have the power to fight back."

Koinujiro quickly realized what was happening.

"You want to be at odds with the farmers' association?"

Japan has many large agricultural companies, such as Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corporation, and Marubeni Corporation, all of which are involved in the agricultural sector, investing in agricultural technology, agricultural product trading, food processing, and overseas agricultural resource development. They possess substantial capital and technological strength.

However, the entire country of Japan consists of only one giant complex that combines an economic cooperation organization, a quasi-governmental institution, a powerful pressure group, and a political election machine.

It covers almost all farmers in Japan (membership system) and monopolizes almost all aspects of agricultural production materials purchase, agricultural product sales, credit, insurance, technical guidance, and even rural life services.

Naoki Hanyu shook his head.

"I'm not against the farmers' association, I just want to stick together for mutual support. Do you know how the farmers' association tricked me a while ago?"

"."

As the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Koizumi Jiro had heard about it. After all, a certain woman had been frantically buying up harvesters in the Tokyo area for a few days. The agricultural sector in Tokyo was neither large nor small, and the reason would soon be found out.

"What do you want to do?"

"There is no definite plan yet, but I have nearly 5 tons of rice on hand."

"Fifty thousand tons?"

"Yes, actually I don't care that much about making money. I can sell rice below market price for the sake of the country."

Koizumi Jiro was shocked. He didn't really care about the agricultural economic cooperative. After all, he was very dissatisfied with Yamano Koichi's behavior. It would be good for someone to step forward and disgust the other party. He didn't believe that Hanyu Naoki was that disgusting to the agricultural cooperative.

But when the phrase "5 tons of rice" appeared, he was immediately attracted. Is 5 tons of rice a lot? Not really. According to the Japanese diet, it would only be enough to feed the whole country for a week.

However, with a strong typhoon preventing a bumper harvest during this harvest season and 30 tons of rice being wasted by the agricultural cooperative, the 5 tons of rice become even more important.

If Koizumi doesn't want to continue allowing imported grain, he needs to find more local grain. If the man in front of him can find a group of people willing to stabilize rice prices, perhaps...
Koinujiro was smitten.

"Any more requests?"

“I have a partner bank that also wants government subsidies and guarantees. I wonder if the Minister can agree to that.” Subsidies and guarantees for agricultural loans are indeed managed by the Central Treasury for Agriculture and Forestry, so the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry is qualified to make this decision.

"bank?"

"Yes, don't worry, I guarantee with my trillions of dollars that I will never let the Agriculture and Forestry Province suffer a loss."

After much hesitation, Koizumi Jiro finally agreed, since he didn't have to pay any price anyway.

"I promise you."

"Pleasant to work with."

Naoki Hanyu's smile was bright; after all, things were developing in a positive direction, and there was no need to do anything drastic.

As soon as Naoki Hanyu left the office, Yukiko Muromachi, who had been waiting there, immediately came over.

"You really agreed to be Minister Kozuki's bodyguard?"

"Yes, I couldn't refuse the reward he offered."

Yukiko Muromachi simply nodded in the end. She was worried that Naoki Hanyu might be killed, but it was hard to say anything here.

Naoki Hanyu, on the other hand, is shameless.

"Do you care about me?"

"Whatever you think."

The next second, Naoki Hanyu hugged Yukiko Muromachi and kissed her, making the policewoman blush.

"Let go quickly, someone will see you."

"Don't worry, I've checked and no one's coming over, and there are no security cameras."

Naoki Hanyu didn't immediately begin protection, since the "Youth Salvation Association" had given Koizumi Jiro a week. So he decided to provide close protection in a couple of days, as he needed to focus on other, more important things.

For example, deciding on bank issues.

In the familiar private room, Makoto Ota, the governor of the Tokyo Central Bank, poured tea with a smile on his face.

"Please have some tea, sir."

"Thank you for your help, Da Tian."

"No trouble, no trouble."

At this moment, Makoto Ota's admiration for the man in front of him was like a surging river. After all, the one percent of Tenyu Kirin's shares in his hands were worth nearly 200 billion yen. From now on, Naoki Hanyu would be his second father.

"Sir, what brings you here today?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to talk to you about loans."

"Sir, if you need a loan, you can get one by just making a phone call."

Naoki Hanyu shook his head.

"It's not that I'm taking out a loan; I just want our bank to expand its agricultural lending business."

Makoto Ota couldn't quite understand it. All banks in Japan could process agricultural loans, but in the eyes of ordinary people, ordinary banks didn't have much agricultural loan business.

Because agricultural cooperatives control 90% of agricultural loans nationwide, the remaining 10% is naturally less when divided among other banks.

Another factor that makes it difficult for ordinary banks to compete is interest subsidies and guarantee subsidies. Only agricultural cooperatives can fully enjoy these policies, making it really too difficult for ordinary banks.

For example, young people who suddenly want to farm can apply for agricultural loans (under 45 years old, while the average age of Japanese farmers is over 50 or 60). They can get loans from agricultural cooperatives, where the Japanese government subsidizes 100% of the interest, while other banks either cannot process such loans or cannot provide 100% interest subsidies.

In addition, there are other types of loans such as disaster recovery loans, loans to promote large-scale operations, and loans for green agricultural transformation, which also offer interest subsidies of around 1% to 3%.

It was because the agricultural cooperatives fully enjoyed this policy, coupled with bundled loans, that they were able to defeat all banks and achieve a near-monopoly effect.

Naoki Hanyu explained things directly and clearly.

"I want to build a small group, you can think of it as a mini farmers' cooperative. Our bank needs to become something like the farmers' cooperative's JA Bank. Can you do that?"

Makoto Ota was dumbfounded. Was he dreaming? How could he hear such a fantastical story?

Leaving aside whether they can compete with the agricultural cooperatives, the Tokyo Central Bank's current reserves of around 10 trillion yen cannot take away the agricultural cooperatives' share. Moreover, the agricultural cooperatives' loans form a closed loop of "loans-production-sales" and also provide farmers with technical guidance, insurance, and other services.

"Sir, our bank can't do that. The agricultural cooperative's share is too large, and its influence is too great."

"I'm not asking you to expand nationwide all at once. Start with the Kanto region first. Eat as much as you can. I heard that many farmers are dissatisfied with the agricultural cooperative's prices this year. Go and try to negotiate with them."

"Me, me, me."

Naoki Hanyu patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, when have I ever mistreated you? Go ahead and do it. I've already discussed the interest payment issue with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. You can just go and handle it directly."

In the end, Makoto Ota reluctantly agreed. What could he do? The boss was already making a big push, and he wasn't going to follow suit.
He wasn't worried about internal opposition within the bank. The boss was the major shareholder, he was the bank president, and the executive directors were all his own people. There was no internal force that could stop them from having absolute power.

Not long after, Makoto Ota left with a heavy heart. No matter what, he had to expand the agricultural loan business, at least to make it look like a business.

Meanwhile, Naoki Hanyu once again found Juzo Tanaka, who was spacing out at home.

"Mr. Tanaka, I have something to tell you. I think the Minister of Defense will be bowing deeply again?"

The old man almost spat out his tea while he was drinking it.

"Cough cough, what do you mean by doing a dogeza again? You're just trying to annoy me, aren't you?"

"Don't get agitated, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about Shinji Kitada, the current Minister of Defense. Let me tell you something."

After Naoki Hanyu finished explaining the case, Juzo Tanaka fell silent. This rhythm was exactly the same as when he was the Minister of Defense. It seemed that he would indeed have to dogeza (bow) for the second time.

"Yuzuru, is this what you came here to talk about?"

"No, I heard that you used to be the head of the Agricultural Product Promotion Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, so I believe you must know a lot about agriculture."

Tanaka Juzo was a little puzzled as to why his junior was asking these questions.

"It's alright. I've been helping my family farm since I was 8 years old, and I graduated from a university with a major in agricultural products. I spent 11 years in the Agricultural Revitalization Division before being transferred. I consider myself someone who is quite familiar with agricultural operations in Japan. Why are you asking these questions?"

Even Naoki Hanyu was speechless; someone who studied agriculture was appointed Minister of Defense.

"I just feel that Mr. Tanaka might still have some things to do to contribute his talents. Would you be interested in doing something for farmers across the country?"

"what?"
.
After Hanyu Naoki finished speaking, Tanaka Juzo was so shocked that he opened his mouth wide. Did the guy in front of him have such a crazy trick up his sleeve?
Ignoring the old man's surprise, Naoki Hanyu asked for confirmation again, saying that if the old man refused, he would find a second target.

“Mr. Tanaka, are you interested? With the farmers’ votes and my financial resources, I believe you will have a seat in the National Diet next term.”

"Let me think about it some more."

Tanaka Juzo wanted to smoke to calm himself down, but unfortunately he had promised his deceased wife years ago that he would never smoke again.

The two stared at each other until Tanaka Juzo expressed his concerns.

What to do about agricultural technology problems?

"I'll pay for it and you can handle it. Of course, I won't let you do it alone. I'll introduce you to some good helpers."

Naoki Hanyu never intended for Juzo Tanaka to manage the small farm alone. He had already asked Saeko Amamiya, who was currently heading to Hokkaido, to return as Juzo Tanaka's assistant after the rice harvest.

Tanaka Juzo asked again.

"What about the banking issue?"

"I've already taken care of it."

What if the effect is not obvious?

"I don't care, I'm not short of money, I'll just treat messing it up as a game."

"."

Tanaka Juzo was eventually persuaded to fall for her. Being alone for so long had been really tough, and she definitely needed to find something to do.

(End of this chapter)