America: My Time

Chapter 1237 The Blame
Chapter 1227 Blame

Not many people came; even Momoko Kikuchi and Nanako Matsushima were absent. Only Hitomi Kuroki showed up, but she wasn't there solely to see John off, as she herself was leaving Japan. Akio Morita's presence, however, immediately drew attention and strengthened the bond between them. Although this was John's deliberate arrangement, it certainly gave Akio Morita considerable face.

How many people in Japan could receive such meticulous arrangements and such good treatment from John? No one. Those people didn't have such a good relationship with John. Even though there was a conflict between Sony and John, it didn't affect their friendship. This was completely different in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, giving them even more ideas!
“Interesting. John is quite interesting. He actually shows such respect to Akio Morita. It’s beyond my imagination. I’ve never seen anything like it with him before. Perhaps we should change our attitude. There’s no need to be so aggressive!”

"Do you think it's possible? You've already put yourself on the opposite side of him. Since the bubble economy era, there have been too many conflicts between you. If you hadn't acted impulsively back then, doing that for a woman, things wouldn't be like this now. And in the end, you're still unwilling to let go, still playing tricks. Do you think reconciliation is possible now? Stop making that futile struggle. You're already a pawn. There's no chance those guys will let you off the hook. Someone has to step up and take responsibility, and you happen to own the most land in Japan. If you don't take the blame, who will? If you don't struggle at all, it's fine. No one will go too far. But if you insist on resisting, the result won't be like this now. I advise you not to resist!"

"It seems that the conglomerate is also willing to sacrifice me and use me to protect its own interests."

"You can only blame yourself for being too greedy. I believe you know very well what the banking situation is like in Japan right now. Do you think it would be like if all the banks came to collect their debts from you? I believe you don't want to see that happen. This is their warning to you. The choice is yours."

"In other words, I have no choice at all. Fine, I accept it all and hope they keep their word!" Under this enormous pressure, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi had no choice but to accept it. Otherwise, he could not bear the consequences. Sacrificing himself to allow the Japanese conglomerate to get away smoothly was the situation he had to face.

"Alright, don't worry, I can assure you that no one will resort to underhanded tactics, otherwise the zaibatsu would lose all face. Anyone who dares to do that is our enemy! However, we hope you can understand the zaibatsu's difficulties; we can't be enemies with everyone!" Seeing that Tsutsumi Yoshiaki had compromised, the zaibatsu tycoon naturally had to give him a satisfactory promise, and things were just as he said, otherwise the First Industrial Bank would have lost all face!
"I understand and accept it. I can only blame myself for being too arrogant and offending too many people. Now that they see an opportunity, they naturally want to take advantage of my misfortune. But is the bank's situation really so dangerous that it has to compromise?"

"It's reached the worst point. If those guys resort to underhanded tactics again, we'll suffer heavy losses. If John also gets involved, the consequences will be even more severe. You should know how much he borrowed in the first place. If he makes a move now, the pressure on us will be even greater. His formidable reputation is truly earned through his achievements. Now, not only are we having a headache, but the entire Japanese banking sector is having a headache. That's why 'Seishin Bank' was able to complete its transformation so easily!"

Upon hearing these words, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sighed. It wasn't long ago that he was mocking the other party and taking targeted actions, but now he was facing such pressure and had to pay such a high price. This was the difference.

"Don't worry, Seibu won't be attacked, I can guarantee that. John doesn't intend to kill you either. Let's settle all our grievances here!" Seeing the change in Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's expression, he naturally understood his concerns and offered his advice.

"That's fine too. To be enemies with such a monster, you never know when you'll be outmaneuvered. Now that I think about it, he's outmaneuvered me in many ways. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up with so much real estate back then! Compared to Akio Morita, I'm still far behind. That old guy has gained quite a bit. If he hadn't been so greedy, Sony wouldn't have fallen into such a predicament, dragged down by real estate!"

"Under those circumstances, no one could resist such temptation, and Sony had enough time to resell it. If anyone is to blame, it's their own fault. Just like the Asian financial crisis this time, who would blame John? Although he made many preparations beforehand and cheated a lot of banks, he did it all openly and without any deception. He had sufficient collateral and used a perfectly legitimate scheme. We were the ones who failed to see the situation clearly, so we can't blame the other side!"

“Yes, we were too arrogant. We’ve already learned our lesson, but we’ve made the same mistake again. Who can we blame but ourselves for being so stupid!” Tsutsumi Yoshiaki shook his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. Who could have imagined he’d end up like this! “Don’t worry too much. It’s just a show, some sacrifices. It won’t be a big problem. Besides, John doesn’t care about the situation here. His plan has succeeded, so he won’t act arrogantly or domineeringly. His focus is still on the Koreans. Who knows what price they’ll pay this time!”

Under pressure from the powerful Japanese conglomerates, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank was forced to compromise and make sacrifices. Yoshiaki Tsutsumi finally paid a heavy price for his arrogance and domineering behavior. Although John had left Japan, these guys had no intention of going back on their word, nor would they ever deceive him. Using Yoshiaki Tsutsumi as a shield was a win-win situation, satisfying everyone—a perfect choice.

“I’m not worried. If they really dare to go too far, it will break the rules and won’t be good for them either. However, I don’t understand. Do you really trust John so much that you’re willing to let him extend his reach into the Japanese banking industry? Aren’t you worried that something big might happen?”

"What's the use of worrying? You know how terrifying his financial power is, and Standard Chartered Bank has already entered Japan. We can't stop it now, let alone this guy who is prepared. Unless we break the rules ourselves, we can't stop all of this. Do you think it would be good for Japan to stand on the opposite side of John under these circumstances?"

Upon hearing this, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi smiled wryly and said, "Indeed, I was overthinking it. At this time, Japan cannot stand on the opposite side of him at all. Otherwise, this guy would cooperate with Soros and those international speculative funds to give us a fatal blow. This guy is even more powerful and cunning than Soros."

"You know we have no choice right now, so compromise is the only option. Under these circumstances, making you make sacrifices is unavoidable and also a way to protect you. After all, this is an opportunity, a chance to sever all grudges. Being able to eliminate this hidden danger at such a small price is a good thing for you!"

“I understand, you don’t need to worry about my reaction. Even if it were a lot more pressure, I could handle it. It’s just that John’s strength has developed too quickly, which is unsettling, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, I don’t believe this can resolve our past grievances!” With that, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki sighed again. This was the difference. If he had such methods and abilities, how could he have ended up like this, how could he have been forced to compromise!
"Are you worried he'll retaliate against you? You're overthinking it. If he wanted to, he would have done it long ago, not waited until now. Most importantly, that foolish woman has left John's side, so the feud between you isn't as big as you think. As for the asset dispute back then, that was just a business matter!"

"It's not that I'm overthinking it, but I have too many enemies. He himself might not attack me, but he can get my enemies to do so. If it's an internal conflict within Japan, I believe no one can really say anything about it. I'm not like those two guys from Sony, who have Akio Morita to resolve their grudges. Naturally, I have to worry about my own safety and prepare for the worst!"

"You want us to make a promise to you?" At this moment, he finally understood what Yoshiaki Tsutsumi wanted, and he also understood why this guy had said so much to him. In fact, this bastard was using John as a shield. He knew in his heart that John would never fight him for a woman, as that would ruin John's image. What this guy really wanted was a promise from the Japanese conglomerates. Only in this way would he be truly willing to take the blame!

"You don't trust me? Fine, since you've said so, I'll grant your request. I agree to your conditions, and everyone will make that promise to you. However, doing this will also make many people unhappy. Some things will cause a lot of trouble once you do them, and you will have to bear all the consequences yourself!"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi nodded and said, "I understand. I will take full responsibility for all of this. It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust those people. They're not as friendly or understanding as you think!"

(End of this chapter)