America: My Time

Chapter 209 Mitsui's Internal Strife

Chapter 209 Mitsui's Internal Strife

"Heh, to say such ridiculous things at a time like this. It's not that Akio Morita is betraying everyone, but that you've gone too far. Don't use grand principles like 'Japan' to justify your actions; things are far from over. However, if this continues, Mitsui's overall interests will suffer. Don't be fooled by his age. Although he's young, he's a cunning fox. Most importantly, once he retaliates, you won't even have a chance to fight back. Don't believe those American bastards' guarantees; they're not trustworthy because they're just using us."

"You accuse us of going too far. Don't you think that's a bit unfair? We were also thinking about the interests of the conglomerate, and we had legitimate reasons for doing so. We were also thinking about the future of Japan. But Sony and Akio Morita don't have that same belief. How can you expect us to believe them?"

"Enough! What time is it? You're still arguing and blaming each other. We need to work together to overcome this difficult time, but we can't exclude Sony. After all, Sony is also a member of Mitsui!"

When John began his counterattack, Mitsui also felt the pressure, because it wasn't just Sony that was taking action; Panasonic, Hitachi, Sanwa, and other companies and banks associated with John were also involved. If this trend continued to expand, Mitsui would be in a disadvantageous position, and its previously strong momentum would be interrupted.

Although it was just an advertising contract between Naoko and Hitomi Kuroki, the underlying reasons worried Mitsui. Mitsui's act of betraying his benefactor had been exposed. If it were just the power of Toshiba alone, it would not have caused such a big uproar. Now Mitsui needs to give an explanation.

Unfortunately, John was no longer concerned about Mitsui's situation at this point. Although Mitsui's sudden change had somewhat affected his plans, it wasn't insurmountable. While he had substantial investments in Japan, none were core assets. If there was anything truly worth his attention, it was only the Phoenix Group. Of course, these weren't irreplaceable; if things truly came to a head, John was willing to abandon everything.

While the turmoil seemed to have erupted so fiercely due to the instigation of American counterparts, John knew even more clearly that these American colleagues were merely pawns in the scheme of the Japanese. Their pretext was simply a tool to test John's strength. Any carelessness on John's part could plunge him into crisis, potentially jeopardizing his entire plan. He had substantial loans in Japanese banks, and if those banks intervened, he would be in serious trouble. John had to be on guard.

Sanwa was able to enter John's plan precisely because John saw the conspiracy hidden behind it. He used Sanwa's appearance to warn Mitsui and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, the two banks he cooperated with the most.

It was Sanwa's intervention that brought Hitachi and Panasonic into the picture, putting pressure and threatening Mitsui. Panasonic is a member of the Sumitomo Group, and Hitachi is a member of the Fuji Group. If these groups were to get involved, Mitsui's situation would be precarious, and they would find it difficult to gain more benefits from John.

Greed seems to be etched into the blood of these guys. Mitsui wanted to gain more benefits from John, tacitly approved Toshiba's move, and secretly did many shady things. Now, with John's counterattack, all of this may be exposed, so they are a little anxious and are in a hurry to stop these many schemes.

The proverb "a man's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant" perfectly describes the Mitsui Group. Although Sony is a member of Mitsui, as Sony's power continues to expand, it naturally faces suppression from within the group, because Sony has gradually broken free from the constraints of Mitsui Bank and is expanding rapidly.

How can Toshiba stop now? How can Mitsui Fudosan stop? They're all vying for Sony's interests. Asking them to stop now is too late; they've already done too much. Most importantly, it's not just them acting anymore; many more people are secretly pushing things along.

Just as Akio Morita feared, with more and more people pushing the issue, the turmoil would escalate and spiral out of control. At that point, no one would benefit, and the hidden forces would reap the greatest rewards—perhaps the very outcome they hoped for. "I don't care what you think or do, the premise is that you can't affect the interests of the conglomerate. You can't let the conglomerate be affected by your actions. Don't think they won't know your little schemes. Trying to keep John in Japan is a joke, an impossible joke. His investments in Japan aren't as important as you think. And while you're scheming against them, how do you know that this isn't part of their scheme?"

Indeed, all of this was within John's calculations. These guys in Japan wanted to use American power to test John's true strength and cover up some things. John also wanted to use this opportunity to see how many of his 'allies' were genuine, how many would stand by his side, and who his enemies were. As for the secrets hidden by those guys in Toshiba, John knew them perfectly well, but it wasn't time to settle accounts with them yet. There would be plenty of time and opportunities later, and John didn't want to expose this secret himself.

"Vanguard has already taken action and is ready to reconcile with the other party. Now we should also think about our way out. Vanguard has a shield; they can use Warner as an example and make Warner take full responsibility for them. Toshiba should also find a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, if things change in the United States, you will face enormous pressure, and it may even expose your past actions. Don't underestimate anyone. If the worst happens, you will bear the serious consequences!"

Silence fell over the Toshiba group. Toshiba wasn't the only one involved in this operation; the Mitsui Group was also making its own moves. In fact, Mitsui was happy to see this happen. However, the situation had become somewhat dangerous because Mitsui had also noticed John's actions in the United States and felt the pressure from the outside world.

As more and more people take action, Mitsui worries that their hidden activities will be exposed, causing the situation to spiral out of control, putting Mitsui in the spotlight, and potentially triggering a terrible storm that will cause them unimaginable damage.

If this worst-case scenario occurs, Mitsui's situation will be dangerous. It will suffer a full-scale attack from Legendary Entertainment. Most importantly, Mitsui's reputation will be ruined, and no company will cooperate with them in the future. No one wants to cooperate with a scheming ally and a company without integrity. At that time, Mitsui will be in big trouble!

“Mr. Morita, I didn’t expect the situation to develop like this. It was just a conflict between me and my American counterparts, but it has attracted so much attention from the Japanese. It seems that many people in Japan are dissatisfied with me! I would also like to know how I came to have a conflict with them. Was it really just because of my American counterparts’ request?” At this moment, John did not hide his doubts at all and openly asked Akio Morita this question.

“John, you should know that there are always some ambitious people in this world, a bunch of crazy people who have all sorts of ideas. I can only say that this storm has nothing to do with Sony. What others think and do is not something Sony can control. Even now, Sony is under considerable pressure within Mitsui. You should be aware of this. I believe you have also received various cooperation offers from Mitsui, in real estate and mining. These are things that many people desire, so it is normal for some people to have ideas and put them into action.”

"Yes, that's quite normal, but that's not a reason, and I can't accept it. No one wants to accept an ally who might betray them at any moment, nor would they want to cooperate with them. Besides, they overestimate their own strength. I know many people want to keep me tied down in Japan, but that's a joke. My investments in Japan are substantial, but not irreplaceable. If they want to fight, I'll fight them to the end. I may not be their match in Japan, but that doesn't mean I can't fight back. If they dare to get involved in my battle against my American counterparts, they'll pay the price."

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "John, things aren't that serious, nor have they reached this point. This wasn't a decision made by the Mitsui Group as a whole; it was only caused by a small group of people. Mitsui will definitely give you an explanation!"

Explain! John didn't think Mitsui could give him any explanation. If the person who ambushed him could get away unscathed, who would care about his thoughts in the future? This time, he wouldn't back down, but the battle wouldn't be in Japan, but in the United States!
"It's too late, everything is too late. I've already retaliated, and I hope they can withstand my wrath. Of course, if they want to have a major battle in Japan, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. If they want to fight, then let them fight. I've never been afraid of battle. Don't think I'm weak and easy to bully, or that I'm young and easily manipulated or played with. Since they've made this decision, they'll have to pay the price!"

(End of this chapter)