America: My Time

Chapter 560 Shifting of Conflict
Chapter 560 Shift of Contradiction
"John, is there no other way?" After a moment of contemplation, Akio Morita couldn't help but ask. The news was too sudden for him and hard to accept. At this time, the forced sale of the game world was not a good thing for Sony or Japan. But now he could tell that John had no choice.

"I believe you are well aware of how lucrative the gaming world is. I will not give up as long as there is any possibility. Now I have no other choice. Blame those stupid guys in Japan for handing over such important memory chip production technology, allowing those old guys to set their sights on gaming world production and semiconductor market share."

John didn't want to take the blame for this, so he came up with this reason: to push all the responsibility onto those guys in Japan. John believed that someone in Japan had definitely made a deal with those old guys in the US, and those old guys had mastered the most advanced memory chip production technology.

"John, are you sure they're targeting the memory chip market share? And that some companies in the US have mastered the most advanced memory chip manufacturing technology?" Akio Morita still couldn't believe John's words. That was extremely important manufacturing technology. Although Japan was still developing next-generation memory chip technology, the fact that the most advanced manufacturing technology was now in the hands of the US could be disastrous for Sony, Hitachi, and Panasonic.

“I’m sure the White House and the California consortium have made it very clear that I can’t withstand their pressure and have to make this decision. The game world will soon be under their control. You’d better be prepared. Also, inform Hitachi and Panasonic. I’m worried that once they take over the game world, all our previous agreements will be overturned. If you’re not prepared, you could easily fall into a crisis!”

John seemed to be kindly reminding Akio Morita, Hitachi, and Panasonic, but in reality, he was shifting all the blame onto those old guys and the Japanese. He claimed that if they hadn't handed over the memory chip production technology, he wouldn't have gotten into this mess and had to sell the game world.

As a shareholder of the game world, Akio Morita naturally knew how high the profits were. Under normal circumstances, no one would voluntarily sell this incredibly profitable and promising company. The only way John could be forced to sell would be for the White House and those conglomerates to join forces, and they would also have to do it with a sense of righteousness. The current situation in the United States is indeed very similar to what John said.

"How could this happen, and all of this happened so suddenly? It's too late for me to prepare now!" At this moment, Akio Morita was extremely angry. This matter was very dangerous for Sony.

"I have no choice. The only thing I can do is to inform you in advance. Although the deal hasn't started, I can't change anything. I have to give face to the White House and the California consortium. Besides, those old guys are involved in this. Under these circumstances, I have no other choice!"

“John, what price did they offer in this deal? I don’t believe you’re only interested in money. You’re not short of funds right now!”

"Yes, I don't lack funds. Although their terms weren't great, they were still acceptable to me. Lockheed Martin, Special Steel, and Cutlery were essentially equal deals. There might be a slight difference in profits, but the influence was different. What I lack now isn't funds, but that kind of influence. Under these circumstances, I have no choice. As long as there's no imbalance in the deal, I still have to give them face."

When Akio Morita heard John's words, his heart sank. He knew that things were indeed beyond repair. With the White House, the California consortium, and those old guys involved, and with it being an equal deal, especially for such an important company as the military industry, John naturally had to give them face.

"It seems they've been preparing for this for a long time!" Although he was reluctant to accept it, Akio Morita knew that he couldn't stop this from happening, and it was already very kind of John to inform him in advance.

“That’s true. If the stock market crash hadn’t come so suddenly, they might have waited a while longer. Now they don’t want to wait any longer and have taken direct action against the White House. I can only accept that.” “John, do you think we should continue to hold onto this share?” When he realized that things were beyond repair, Akio Morita asked John about the game world shares. In his opinion, only John knew the value of these shares.

"It depends on your own thoughts. From a long-term perspective, it's worth holding on. After all, taking over the game world won't change much. At most, they'll just be eyeing their own production. You all know how huge the game market is, and they know it too. Not to mention the game console issue, the platform alone is enough to generate considerable profits! Of course, this is just my own opinion, and it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong!" John didn't intend to get too involved in this matter!
"John, after the deal, do you not have any shares left?"

"There will still be some, at least the shares that Hurricane Investment acquired during this stock market crash will not be used as bargaining chips. However, I am not sure how long I can hold onto them. Perhaps I will give them up after the stock market recovers and the shares are restored! Mr. Morita, after the stock market crash is over and the overall environment recovers, I will give up the shares that were divested, at the latest by the end of next year. Consider it a small compensation to you all!"

Is it necessary for John to compensate Sony, Hitachi, and Panasonic? Of course not. He's only saying this to appease Akio Morita, Hitachi, and Panasonic. Besides, he shouldn't miss such an opportunity. It's a perfect excuse to sell part of his shares to maximize his profits.

John didn't want to wait until the bubble burst before selling, as that would result in a huge loss for him. Although the game company would grow and thrive with the cooperation of Sony, Hitachi, and Panasonic, John didn't want to put too much effort into a company that wasn't under his control. Getting enough returns in a short period of time was enough for him!
Akio Morita sighed at John's 'compensation' proposal, which meant that John did not want to continue to get involved in the game market after this transaction and intended to withdraw from the industry completely. He did not want to fight with those old guys. It seems that he was under a lot of pressure, otherwise he would not have made such a decision!
Akio Morita was overthinking things at this point, imagining them in a more complicated direction. This only made it easier for John to escape unscathed and avoid suspicion from the Japanese.

Taking a deep breath, Akio Morita sighed, "John, I understand your difficulties and the pressure you're under. I wonder when your deal with them will begin, and how much time we have left?"

"It won't be long. These guys are pushing hard, and it seems they have a big plan. It just goes to show that Japan has too much market share in the memory semiconductor chip market. You're only concerned with grabbing market share, without considering the feelings of others. Now the pressure is on, and under these circumstances, I have no choice. Let's prepare early, it might only take a few days."

Time was tight, that was Akio Morita's first impression. Moreover, in his view, John could only do so much in such a short time. The incident in the game world was the beginning of the US semiconductor industry's counterattack. This was not just his own business; it concerned the entire Japanese semiconductor industry. He just wanted to know who had handed over the memory chip production technology to the Americans. Was it Toshiba again? Was Toshiba behind this incident?
Akio Morita immediately thought of Toshiba, believing that this was Toshiba's problem. He reasoned that Toshiba's ability to so easily escape pressure and US sanctions must have hidden motives, and technology transfer was one such option. However, this had inadvertently harmed Sony and could potentially damage the entire Japanese semiconductor industry.

The Americans' determination to continue suppressing Japan's semiconductor industry is undeniable; otherwise, even a media mogul like John wouldn't be subject to such constraints and forced to abandon Game World, a company with enormous potential. Although it's supposed to be a reciprocal transaction, that's not the reality. Game World has great potential and, under John's guidance, has even greater room for development and prospects. Now, Game World has to be abandoned, which John will likely find hard to accept.

"John, thank you for reminding me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known about this. I wouldn't have had time to prepare when everything happened!" Akio Morita thanked John at this moment. After all, if John hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known about this deal with the United States. When everything was over, the pressure Sony would have faced would have been even greater.

"It's nothing. I was just fulfilling my duty as a friend. I also bear some responsibility for this. I didn't expect them to come so aggressively, not even giving me time to react. This is all I could do. I hope you can understand!" Hearing Akio Morita's words, John breathed a sigh of relief. Everything went very smoothly. It seemed he didn't need to worry about any conflicts with the Japanese guys over this deal. Now, even if they had any anger, they could only suppress it. The responsibility didn't lie with him, but with the Japanese themselves. They had foolishly created the opportunity for the other side!

(End of this chapter)