America: My Time

Chapter 213 The Allure of Real Estate
Chapter 213 The Allure of Real Estate

John did not want to see Morgan become his enemy. If that happened, many of his plans would be affected, the acquisition would inevitably encounter resistance, and he might have to readjust his development direction and redo many things and investments.

Despite having many thoughts in his mind, John nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Morita. It seems that Legendary Entertainment's expansion has aroused fear among many competitors, and the battle has even spread to Japan. It seems they really don't want to give Legendary Entertainment a chance to develop. However, there are probably other issues behind this, otherwise they wouldn't have broken their promises. But this has nothing to do with me anymore. Now that I know who the enemy is, everything is much easier. I'm also very curious to know what other tricks they have up their sleeves. The so-called attempt to keep me in Japan is probably just an excuse. It's impossible for them to achieve this. Although I have a lot of investments in Japan, these are not my core industries, nor are they indispensable."

When John repeated what he had said to Akio Morita in front of the bigwigs in Japan, everyone had different feelings. They all believed that what John said was true, because the other party did not have any core industries in Japan. Even if he gave them up, it would not shake his foundation. However, if it really came to that, it would be a disaster for Japan, and a consequence that no one present could bear, because at that time they would face a full-scale counterattack from Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Entertainment.

Although he noticed the expressions on everyone's faces, John didn't care and continued, "Cooperation and win-win is my consistent investment principle, and I've always acted accordingly. Since someone wants to keep me in Japan, I'll give them that chance. I won't be leaving Japan anytime soon. They're making plans, and so am I. Let's see whose methods are more clever!"

When John finished speaking, a serious expression appeared on everyone's faces. To make such a decision at this juncture showed they had underestimated this young man. They shouldn't have gotten involved in this internal conflict within the United States; clearly, both sides were prepared. If they could turn back time, they would never have agreed to participate in this internal struggle and jeopardize their own lives.

In reality, these bastards are only thinking this way now. If time could really turn back, when faced with the temptation of profit, would they still be unable to resist participating in this great battle? Because the benefits offered by the other side are too tempting. Although Toshiba has not received the other side's promise now, is this really the truth? Will this be the outcome for Toshiba?

John didn't believe that what he saw now was the end result. Perhaps it was still just a trap laid out in the open. If he really believed it, he would fall into the other party's scheme. Mitsui might not be as simple as he thought. In this matter, Mitsui probably had a deeper conspiracy, and Toshiba was just a pawn.

John didn't want to say much to these guys from Japan; there was no need. These greedy people only cared about profit, and they would do anything for it. So he didn't intend to hide anything and simply told them that he was also making plans, and that they could decide for themselves how to proceed.

Whether to be friends or enemies is up to these guys in Japan. Now that things have developed to this point, John doesn't feel he has anything left to worry about. What matters now is strength, strategy, and overt tactics, not underhanded schemes.

After expressing his determination, John calmly left without saying anything more to these guys, walking aside to give the Japanese time to discuss things. However, to John's surprise, Akio Morita followed him. It seemed he didn't want to get involved in Mitsui's mess either; perhaps he really did know something but just wouldn't tell him.

“Mr. Morita, our real estate investment should also enter the formal stage. Delaying any longer will only waste time and energy, and I believe you would not want to see that happen. If we do not act quickly, other real estate companies may make a move. Real estate such as shopping malls is not too difficult. As long as you are determined, it is easy to do.”

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita nodded in agreement. Time was of the essence. Although this incident had caused some unexpected events, it was not a reason to stop. If time were allowed to pass, those guys would probably be able to catch on.

"What are you two talking about here?" Soon, the representative from Sanhe also came over, a faint look of joy in his eyes, indicating that he had made good progress in his discussions with those guys.

"It's nothing, just discussing real estate investment. If we don't act soon, the profits might fall into someone else's hands. After all, building commercial buildings like this isn't difficult, and operating shopping malls and commercial centers isn't hard to manage. With a little effort, we can do it. We're just taking advantage of a time difference. If Sanhe is interested, they might as well participate. Starting construction sooner will give us a head start. I have a comprehensive plan. As long as we're fast enough, there won't be any problems." At this point, John brought Sanhe into the discussion. After all, Sony still had significant shortcomings and was subject to too many constraints, while Sanhe didn't have such problems. "Okay, Sanhe has no problem. We're willing to accept this investment, but how will the shares be allocated?"

"Shares are not a big issue. As long as everyone is sincere, it's negotiable. But time is very tight for us. If possible, we need to work together to get ahead of others. If the pressure from Sony is too great, we can leverage the power of Mitsui Fudosan to share some of the profits, which will also speed up our progress."

At this point, John decided to bring Mitsui Fudosan into commercial real estate, such as shopping malls, in order to accelerate his expansion in real estate. Relying solely on Sony's strength was clearly insufficient, as Sony was completely unable to fulfill his plans. The addition of Sanwa would help to balance the situation.

If the previous turmoil hadn't happened, if Mitsui hadn't betrayed them, and if Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank hadn't stood by indifferently, John wouldn't have been in such a hurry to act. Now that the situation has changed, he has no choice but to make changes as well, throwing out all his original real estate plans in Japan and completing them as quickly as possible. Although this will cause him to lose some profits, he can still afford this price compared to the gains.

As for whether such a frenzied move might prematurely trigger a real estate bubble in Japan, that was not John's concern. Even if it were possible, Japan would only have itself to blame for its bad luck; it was all their own doing.

Although there are still many things to discuss, John and other bigwigs don't need to get involved themselves. Instead, they can have professionals handle it. Time is the most important factor. Just as John worried, if it drags on for too long, their plans might lose their appeal.

“John, since you’re so optimistic about commercial real estate like shopping malls and commercial centers, why not accelerate your development? You now have enough funds, so you can definitely get started. After all, these kinds of commercial real estate projects take time to build. If you lack funds, Sanhe is willing to provide assistance!”

"I also want to accelerate the pace of expansion, but unfortunately I can't. It's not a matter of funding, but a matter of soft power. There won't be any major problems in the United States, but in Europe and other countries, everything is different. Without full preparation, it's easy to fall into difficulties. You must all know about what happened in Hong Kong before. I don't want to face such a crisis again. After all, we won't be so lucky every time!"

When John mentioned Hong Kong, Akio Morita nodded slightly. Integrity was a crucial issue. This time, John reacted swiftly, and with Bentley Motors as a trump card, he forced the British to compromise. However, such good fortune might not come next time. Making a rash move in such a large-scale commercial real estate investment could easily lead to a crisis. There was also the thwarted acquisition a few days ago. Although news of it hadn't reached Japan yet, the old man Akio Morita was aware of it and knew about the calculations of HSBC, Jardine Matheson, Wheelock, and Hongkong Land.

Sanhe was also aware of this matter. After all, the $500 million loan came from Sanhe, so they naturally had to pay attention to the flow of funds and understand John's plans. Seeing John's acquisition of real estate in Hong Kong left Sanhe completely puzzled. They didn't understand why John would make a move at this time, especially since Hong Kong real estate was declining. This was not a good time to acquire, and there was a risk in trying to buy at the bottom.

Because both Akira Morita and Miwa understood the grudges surrounding this acquisition battle in Hong Kong, they had more confidence in John's suggestion. John dared to make such an investment in Hong Kong, and with real estate prices in Japan constantly rising, it was indeed a good choice to make a move at this time, with huge potential profits.

Faced with such a profit, no one would refuse. Akio Morita's Sony and Sanwa were both willing to accept it. It would be foolish of them to give up such an opportunity. Moreover, they were not afraid of the risk of failure. With the continuous rise in real estate prices, this investment was beneficial and harmless. Furthermore, the investment risk was shared by all three parties, making everything more controllable!
The party ended quickly. Although John's statement shocked many people, only they themselves knew what they truly thought.

(End of this chapter)