America: My Time

Chapter 183 Real Estate

Chapter 183 Real Estate
The trade deficit between the United States and Japan is growing year by year, and American companies have been severely impacted. How could the United States not react at all? Even Donkey knows to use itself as an example. The government will naturally respond and give American companies an explanation. Although it is not entirely Japan's fault, the Americans will not care whether it is your fault or not!
"Thank you for your guidance, but this is not a decision I can make alone. Sony can only do its best!" Only Akio Morita himself knows how sincere his words are. Sony currently has a significant share of the US market, so how could Sony possibly give up a portion of the market?

"I'm afraid that by the time you realize what's happening, it will be too late. Just look at my current situation and you'll understand how terrifying the pressure in the US market is. Luckily, Sony hasn't ventured into the automotive industry, otherwise we would be in trouble this time too!"

"That's true, but this isn't a decision that one or two people can make. Sony can compromise, but other companies probably won't share our thoughts. And not all companies will cooperate with you like Sony and reap huge benefits from the cooperation. They need to survive, companies need to survive, and it's not something that can be easily given up!" Akio Morita's words were very straightforward and true. Not all Japanese companies would compromise like Sony, and it's also unknown whether Akio Morita truly had such thoughts!
“Indeed, given the current situation, I'm afraid many people won't choose to compromise. They all want to conquer the US market, seize the greatest profits and market share, and they've all overlooked how terrible the dangers of doing so are. However, they won't have much time left. The US won't watch all companies fall. At that time, the pressure on Japanese companies will be enormous. Sony needs to prepare in advance and not be caught off guard!” As he said this, John turned his gaze to Akio Morita's face, trying to see his reaction.

"Market risks do exist, but Sony's main business is home appliances. Although the US market has changed a lot, the market pressure for home appliances is not great. Thank you for your guidance though!" Akio Morita shook his head slightly, seemingly unconcerned, as if he didn't care. His face didn't change much either, as if he really didn't care about the pressure. Sony really didn't have any pressure.

Sony is primarily a home appliance company? That's a joke. John wouldn't believe Akio Morita's nonsense, but he also wouldn't expose him now. It wouldn't do him any good and would only damage their relationship.

John smiled calmly and said, "That's good. I've always cooperated with Sony, which is why I gave this reminder. It's just a gesture of goodwill from a friend and ally. The fate of other companies is not my concern. Whether they can accept it or not is none of my business!"

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita was taken aback at first, then sighed inwardly, thinking, "This little fox is really cunning; it seems impossible to get any more information out of him!"

Although he thought this way, Akio Morita's expression remained unchanged as he said, "John, this party is actually related to you as well. Besides the banks wanting to know if you will repay the loan early, some Japanese real estate companies want to have new business collaborations with you. Universal Studios previously attracted a lot of attention, Disneyland is there, and the shopping center you proposed has also caught their attention. They think it's a good choice!"

"Shopping malls are indeed a good option, but they differ from ordinary real estate and most commercial properties. They require professional management. I don't have a high opinion of real estate companies; this is just my personal view. After the economic recovery, consumption will rise accordingly, but I'm not sure how much. The shopping mall in Japan is just an experiment for me. As you know, it's not just a shopping mall, but also a luxury hotel and office space. So even if it ultimately fails, there won't be any losses. Land prices in Japan are currently rising, which is enough to offset any crisis. In my opinion, it might be easier for them to choose commercial real estate rather than shopping malls. If Sony wants to make moves in real estate, we can cooperate. I need to purchase some real estate in Japan. You know about the previous properties, but buying them directly isn't quite what I wanted!"

“Oh! You want to buy land and build your own property? If that’s the case, we might be able to cooperate. Although Sony doesn’t have a real estate company, we can establish one. It’s not difficult!” For a moment, Akio Morita was tempted. He was well aware of John’s businesses in Japan and knew that all of John’s companies owned their properties and did not lease them. This showed John’s emphasis on and optimism about Japanese real estate.

Upon hearing Akio Morita's words, John was first taken aback, then overjoyed. He had only spoken casually, but he hadn't expected Akio Morita to respond in this way. This was a great opportunity!

With a thought, John nodded slightly and said, "If that's the case, then there's no problem. If Sony makes a large investment, we might be able to collaborate on shopping malls as well. To be honest, I have some concerns about collaborating with other Japanese real estate companies. It requires a huge investment, and I don't have enough manpower in Japan to supervise things. If something goes wrong, it'll be a huge problem. However, since the partner is Sony, there aren't so many concerns and troubles. Our previous collaboration went very well, and I believe Sony wouldn't betray its friends!" Expanding his real estate business in Japan solely with his existing funds would be extremely difficult, and he couldn't possibly invest the funds raised from his IPO and the sale of his mines into Japanese real estate. Although it would be very profitable, sacrificing his mining operations was out of the question. Now that Akio Morita also had ideas about real estate, this was a good opportunity for collaboration, allowing him to leverage existing resources for mutual benefit!

Akio Morita hadn't expected that his initial assignment to probe John's intentions would yield such a significant result; it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. After John chose to build a shopping mall in Roppongi, Morita had people research the entire Japanese shopping mall market and naturally understood that this was a lucrative investment.

Akio Morita had some reservations about venturing into real estate, but things are different now. By partnering with John, Sony has a chance to succeed and can also share in the shopping mall partnership!
"Those bastards at First Industrial Bank probably never imagined that a mere test would become another great opportunity for me. If they knew, they would probably regret it immensely!" Opportunity knocks but once. Since John has already spoken, it would be foolish not to accept. How could Akio Morita make such a low-level mistake?

"Sony has no problem. As long as there are projects, we are fully capable of investing!" Some people may think that Akio Morita made a decision too quickly and without careful consideration. However, this is not the case. Akio Morita and John have cooperated before, and there is a certain degree of trust between them. Moreover, John's reputation in Japan is top-notch. If Sony does not take on such a cooperation, there are plenty of people willing to step forward and replace Sony.

“Great! If we cooperate with Sony, we won’t have so many concerns. We can complete the construction of all the different types of shopping malls in the shortest possible time, and then we can find out which type of shopping mall is most suitable for our development!”

John originally planned to build several shopping malls in Japan, but had to abandon the idea due to time and funding constraints. He could only choose to build the most advantageous luxury one-stop shopping mall in Roppongi. Now, with Sony's involvement, everything is completely different; the chains that bound him have been broken. Partnering with Sony will allow him to open up new retail businesses in Japan and complete his real estate layout. Although this will require sharing some profits, it is not a big deal.

If I were to keep all the benefits to myself, it wouldn't be conducive to my development in Japan. Sharing is the best approach, especially since my time is very limited. With Sony's assistance, it would be much easier to complete my strategic plan!

This wasn't the place to discuss this in detail; too many people would make it easy for the secret of the collaboration to be revealed. So John and Akio Morita tacitly ended the topic. Once the two reached an agreement on cooperation, things would be much easier from there.

"John, there's something I still don't understand. You really have high hopes for the development of resort hotels. Building so many resort hotels in Japan at once, with the current level of investment, will it take a long time to recoup the investment? Resort hotels don't have sufficient guest traffic all year round!" Akio Morita quickly shifted the topic to resort hotels. John had built more than a dozen resort hotels in Japan, which was something Akio Morita couldn't understand!

"To be honest, I am indeed very optimistic about the development of resort hotels. However, my direction is different from many people's. Although I have many resort hotels, the investment is not as large as you might imagine, and the financial pressure is very low. Most importantly, once the resort hotels are completed, it doesn't matter whether there are guests or not. I have many companies under my control, and I can easily provide them with benefits for their vacations, so there will be no pressure issues with the resort hotels. You should know the situation in the United States very well. Their workers are not as hardworking as those in Japan, so this approach is more likely to gain their approval!"

(End of this chapter)