America: My Time

Chapter 1124 Scamming Japan Again
Chapter 1114 Scamming Japan Again

Although John wouldn't be staying in Japan for long, he wasn't in a hurry to negotiate with the Japanese. If the Japanese weren't in a hurry, he didn't need to be either. Besides, even if there were other problems, he could have Asian Energy negotiate with them! Compared to the Koreans' greed, the Japanese were incredibly greedy, but they had their limits and knew when to back down, and wouldn't do anything crazy.

Of course, when John appeared in Tokyo, the Japanese also learned about the Korean beauties around him. The appearance of Song Yoon-ah and Kim Hee-sun evoked different opinions among the Japanese. Although they all knew that John was never short of beautiful women, this time was a bit unexpected, and it left the Japanese somewhat puzzled.

It would be foolish to dismiss this as just an ordinary matter. These Japanese guys know everything John has done in Korea, and now this situation has arisen; it would be a lie to say they don't have any thoughts. As for Kikuchi Momoko and the others, they wouldn't care, because they know John is never short of beautiful women. Even if these two are unfamiliar, it's not a big deal and won't affect them much.

However, the Japanese had a different opinion, especially at this time. They couldn't help but have more thoughts. In their eyes, did the appearance of these two beauties hide more problems, or were they hinting at something?

In fact, it wasn't just the guys in Japan who had this idea; the guys in the US had the same thought. They all felt that John would never do something so trivial. If it were simply about discussing more pipeline company investments with the Japanese, there was no need for him to personally get involved; it could have been handled by Asian Energy, which had done a good job before. But now that John was personally involved, it inevitably led to more speculation and numerous conjectures!
"Gentlemen, what do you think Mr. John is trying to do this time? Although he is never short of beautiful women, I feel there is something wrong this time. What are your thoughts on this?"

"The energy project cooperation with South Korea failed, but he is accompanied by two beautiful South Korean women. And now those South Koreans are getting desperate. If there is no problem, then something is fishy. Could it be that they want us to give them more benefits and make more demands on the distribution of shares? After all, the South Koreans are really anxious."

"No, that's impossible. Given Mr. John's character, he wouldn't make such a calculation. If it were any other American, they might make such an arrangement for the sake of profit, but Mr. John wouldn't, and he wouldn't damage his reputation for such a small gain. Compared to reputation, this gain is insignificant!"

“I don’t think so. This is not a small amount of profit. You know, each share of such shares is a huge amount of wealth. This is related to the energy consumption of the entire country. Do you think the profit is small?” At this time, some people in Japan disagreed. In their view, it was not impossible for John to change his mind under the temptation of such huge profits.

"Hehe, if Mr. John really cared about the distribution of shares, do you think he would have signed such an agreement with us before, would he have handed over the control of Japan to us and let us do the management? I personally think that Mr. John has not really given up the Korean market, and has not really given up the cooperation with Korea, so he made such an arrangement, just to make Korea understand that he wants Korea to pay a greater price."

"That's certainly a possibility. After all, the Korean market isn't small, and Mr. John's cooperation with Korea is related to their overall energy allocation, so the profits are considerable. Moreover, Mr. John has severed all transactions with Korea, which is no small feat. However, we can't give Korea another chance. If they resume cooperation with Mr. John, it will have a significant impact on us. Sakhalin Island's energy supply is limited, and we can't turn away this hard-won energy. I think we should quickly reach an agreement with Mr. John and not give Korea another opportunity!"

“That makes sense. We are not only facing competition from South Korea in the energy sector, but also from China. I believe you all know how big the Chinese market is, so we cannot let South Korea succeed again. We need to get all of this done quickly, otherwise unnecessary trouble and more unexpected events will occur!”

“That’s true, but we don’t have anyone suitable to communicate with Mr. John right now. Morita-san has completely retired, and we can’t bother him anymore. Besides, he’s already used up all his connections!”

“I don’t think so. Although Morita-san has helped us many times and has a good relationship with Mr. John, it doesn’t mean we have no other options. Kikuchi Momoko, Kamachi Sachiko, or even Kuroki Hitomi can help, as well as the Nakayama sisters. I don’t think we can’t even handle this small matter!”

This argument is indeed feasible, but such an arrangement is not a good thing; such favors are becoming increasingly rare. Good resources should be used where they are most needed, and there's no need to use such power for this kind of cooperation. Therefore, some people do not accept this arrangement and plan.

"Gentlemen, I think you're overthinking things and making them too complicated. The Koreans do regret their decision, but it won't be easy for them to resume cooperation with Asian Energy. After all, they lost the opportunity to cooperate because of their own greed and stupidity. Even if they want to cooperate again, it won't be easy. As for us, we can take the initiative openly and have a negotiation with Mr. John in our official capacity."

“Good, this is a good proposal. We can put things out in the open; there’s no need to resort to these forces and methods. This is a fair and square cooperation. Besides, the previous two oil pipelines are almost finished, while our Japanese pipeline will take a little longer.” Soon, the Japanese began to take action. The Japanese conglomerates didn’t intervene; instead, the government took the lead, openly inviting John to negotiate on the energy supply issue for Sakhalin Island. They treated this cooperation as a ‘friendly’ exchange, hoping to gain more energy allocation from it.

While conversations at cocktail parties offer more freedom and flexibility, formal negotiations involve much more serious exchanges. Intent formed at a cocktail party might be promising and offer greater freedom, but it also carries considerable risk, even the possibility of it falling apart. After all, it's just an intention, not a contract, whereas formal negotiations are entirely different.

"Mr. John, are you sure you want to connect the entire Sakhalin Island oil field with pipelines and use the Sakhalin Island project as collateral to get a loan from us for the development of Sakhalin Island?" When they heard John's proposal, the Japanese guys were instantly shocked, and their eyes revealed expressions of astonishment.

"Do you think I would lie about something like this? Do you think my credibility is questionable? Since I spoke, I meant it. Originally, this project was intended for the Koreans. After all, I have many collaborative projects with them, and I've always received some assistance from them. I couldn't leave without showing some appreciation. However, I didn't expect those guys to be so greedy, making such outrageous demands. After failing to reach an agreement, I had no choice but to give up. As for China, I did consider it, but their own funds are limited, and they can't provide me with such assistance. As for Europe and the United States, I don't want to cooperate with them. In comparison, Japan is the best choice!"

Using the entire assets of Sakhalin Island as collateral—this is an enormous project. Moreover, John didn't negotiate with Japanese banks; he negotiated directly with the Japanese government. The Japanese officials naturally understand the reasons behind this collaboration. As for interest rates, John's decision under these circumstances was clearly aimed at securing interest-free or low-interest loans. Otherwise, there would be no need for negotiations; he could have easily partnered with Japanese banks directly!
“Mr. John, it’s difficult for us to provide you with such a large interest-free loan. As you know, making such a decision is not something we can agree to, and the amount of money is too large for us to handle!”

"Haha, you're joking, everyone. How could Japan not even have this much funding? Besides, the interest-free loan I need isn't entirely borne by the Japanese government. Actually, we can look at it from a different angle. We can have a three-way cooperation. Asian Energy can obtain low-interest loans from major Japanese banks, while the Japanese government only needs to cover the interest on those low-interest loans for us. This is a win-win situation for all three parties. Although Japan's economy has recovered somewhat, its banking system has always had significant problems. This three-way cooperation can help them recover some of their strength! As for the Japanese government securing cheap energy supplies for the Japanese people and businesses, Asian Energy can obtain sufficient funds for its own development! If you have any concerns, Asian Energy can also use some of the energy to repay the loan!"

In order to take advantage of the Japanese one last time before the Asian financial crisis and extract more loans from them, John went to great lengths and made such a promise to them. From the current perspective of the cooperation, this is very beneficial to Japan, and it would be foolish for them to refuse.

“Mr. John, this is no small matter; we need to discuss it!”

"Alright, but you all need to make a decision quickly. If you can't make a decision quickly, and if the Koreans are willing to accept Asia Energy's conditions, then Asia Energy will have no choice but to give up its cooperation with you!" At this moment, John didn't care much about the reactions and thoughts of these guys from the Japanese government and directly used the Koreans as a shield!

When John mentioned the Koreans, the Japanese guys all sighed inwardly. Although they had guessed before, they still felt a sense of unease and regret when they actually heard John say these words.
"Mr. John, please rest assured, we will have results soon. We have been cooperating for so long, and we trust your character and your credibility. It's just that the amount of funds you need this time is too large, so we also need time to prepare. After all, you need a yen loan, which will also require some time for us."

"There's no other way. I don't want this cooperation to give those enemies a chance to scheme against me or attack me. If I use US dollars for the loan, what do you think the US will do? In comparison, the yen is much safer, especially since it's a loan secured by Asian energy and Sakhalin Island's assets. This way, not only will the US not have much trouble, but Russia won't have any problems either. As for you all, I don't think you'll lack yen. Time is limited, and I can't keep wasting my time with you all. If something unexpected happens, don't blame me for abandoning this cooperation. After all, there are quite a few enemies secretly targeting me and the development of Sakhalin Island!"

“We understand that Mr. John has already split up and integrated Western Energy to avoid so many troubles. Now he is making such considerations and arrangements for us. We are naturally very willing to accept such cooperation. However, the necessary procedures still need to be completed. After all, we also need to make such arrangements.”

"I understand, I understand your concerns, but time waits for no one. If problems or changes occur along the way, don't blame me. If we don't make a decision and sign the contract quickly, and something goes wrong, you will all have to bear the consequences yourselves. There will be nothing I can do then!"

To put some pressure on the Japanese, John threatened them with oil and capital, and the Japanese were currently in crisis in London copper, despite John's warnings. The fact that they failed speaks volumes.

If they can't seize this opportunity, it will be very difficult to get such projects in the future. If the Koreans take the project back, their cooperation with Asian Energy will end in failure, and they will not be able to obtain more cheap energy. Moreover, given the current situation in Japan, if they lose such benefits, their pressure will be greater and the difficulties they will face will be more severe!
(End of this chapter)