America: My Time

Chapter 604 Tokyo
Chapter 594 Tokyo

"Disney's acquisition has many reasons. Did you see what that little fox John said? Panasonic didn't even inform his 'good friend' about the acquisition, and John just ignored it, acting as if he knew nothing. There's a lot of story behind this. Think about it. Don't just focus on the surface; think about the reasons behind it!"

In the Disney matter, Morgan saw more problems than Jimmy, but none of this could be said aloud; it all depended on personal understanding. If Jimmy didn't understand, it could only be said that he lacked wisdom and was too rigid in his thinking.

Seeing that Jimmy was still deep in thought, Morgan shook his head and said, "Alright, don't worry about these trivial matters. You should still have people keep an eye on that little fox John. We need to know his every move, how many assets he has sold in Japan. If he also sells his shares in the Japanese game company, we need to take action and sell them off as well!"

"No way! The game companies in Japan are doing really well and making a lot of money. Selling them now would be a bad deal!"

"Do you think a game company that's not under our control will develop according to our wishes? Do you think those guys in Japan want to see us take money out of their pockets? If even that little fox John is willing to give up, we should naturally follow suit. Otherwise, those guys in Japan have plenty of ways to swallow our profits. Don't underestimate their greed and madness. When it's time to give up, we should give up! I don't know if those old guys can manage the development of the game world. If they don't make any progress or change, we'll have to sell our shares in the game world too."

At this point, Morgan was already considering withdrawing from the gaming world. After all, those old guys were scheming too much, and with so many schemes gathered together, there was a risk of some problems arising!

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to keep an eye on all of this and try to get as much information as possible about John's situation in Tokyo!"

"Not as much as possible, but definitely! Jimmy, knowing John as you do, how much does he have in Tokyo?"

"It's hard to say. John's assets have always been a mystery. Perhaps only those guys in Japan know. It's too difficult for us to find out. However, the assets he has on the surface are already staggering. Judging from his current real estate holdings in Japan, he can't say he's completely paid off his debts, but he's paid off most of them. Especially his shopping mall in Roppongi, the price of which has skyrocketed. John has quite a few such properties and shopping malls in Tokyo and Japan. These were all investments he made before the Plaza Accord. You could say he's made a fortune now! I heard he also has many high-end residences in Japan, as well as a series of investments such as a Wagyu cattle farm."

"So, once John, this little fox, starts selling, all he'll have left are the Phoenix Group's assets and some of the Forever Group's assets?" At this moment, Morgan frowned, his instincts telling him that there was a secret behind John's frantic selling.

"No, there's also 7-Eleven. In our calculations, if John sells most of his real estate this time, his investment in Japan will be halved. As for how much he'll get, nobody knows. After all, there's always volatility in such transactions, especially since these are all high-quality assets. Shopping malls are all making money, and hotels are also very profitable. These are all assets that the Mandarin Oriental Group is selling. They're only keeping the resort hotels; they're selling off all the other hotels. This is information we got from the Mandarin Oriental Group!"

"Real estate? It seems that John, that little fox, is going to give up his real estate in Japan and sell it while the prices in Japan are still rising. What is he planning to do? Does he really not care about the profits he will lose by selling now?"

While Morgan was deep in thought, John's plane had already landed in Tokyo. Arriving in Tokyo again gave John another feeling: after the stock market crash, the Japanese recovered very quickly, as if the crash had had no effect on them. Tokyo was still as prosperous as ever, and the yen continued to appreciate.

John's arrival was known to everyone in Japan, and they all understood why he had come. At this time, various Japanese conglomerates began close negotiations, all wanting to acquire John's share of assets, especially his stake in Japan Universal Online, which was very tempting to many.

At this time, Sony's intention to acquire a stake in Neon Universal Online remained undisclosed. Those people were unaware that the old fox Akio Morita had already reached a verbal agreement with John. Of course, the price had to be right; even the best relationship wouldn't work if John wasn't satisfied with the price. "Sit down, everyone, don't be so formal! Akiko, have the properties in Tokyo started selling? How's the situation?"

When Kuroki Hitomi asked the question while listening to the misty flowers, she looked somewhat puzzled: "It has already started. The first few properties that were listed have all been sold, but now land prices and real estate prices in Tokyo are constantly rising. In just over ten days, those properties have appreciated in value even more. Shouldn't we stop and observe for a while longer?"

The fluctuating land prices in Tokyo were putting a lot of pressure on Hitomi Kuroki, as this asset was under her control and she had lost a considerable amount of money in just over ten days, which was hard for her to accept.

"Don't worry about this loss. We have too many properties. Apart from those that can be used for tourism and those that we can keep for our own vacations, we can sell the rest. Such a huge asset will take a lot of time to sell. We only need to keep the best dozen or so properties in Tokyo. We can sell the rest slowly. Don't rush, we have plenty of time."

While everyone was frantically speculating in real estate, John was preparing to withdraw. This wasn't just about his personal property; the Mandarin Oriental Group would soon sell off all its assets, clearing out all its real estate in Tokyo except for the resort hotels, leaving nothing behind.

"I understand!" Hitomi Kuroki nodded. Although she still had some doubts, she didn't ask. She knew her judgment was flawed, so in such an important matter, she would follow John's arrangements.

"If you have any extra properties, be prepared to sell them by the end of next year at the latest. Also, from now on, you'd better not play the stock market. These are not things you can handle. Save your money first. Japan is too volatile these days. The whole society is like a wild horse that has broken free."

Upon hearing this, Hitomi Kuroki nodded thoughtfully. She had been managing John's real estate holdings in Japan and was very familiar with the current situation there. Land prices in Japan were skyrocketing, and many housewives were now speculating in real estate and stocks, making the housing and stock markets extremely hot.

Tokyo's real estate prices are now shockingly high. In just a few years, prices have risen to the point that many people cannot afford to buy a house even in their lifetime. This puts considerable pressure on people at the lower levels. If this trend continues, young people will not be able to afford houses. Moreover, the atmosphere in Tokyo, and even the whole of Japan, has undergone a remarkable change!
Among Hitomi Kuroki, Naoko Nakamori, and Akina Nakamori, Akina Nakamori was under the most pressure because she knew that her family was speculating in real estate and had invested all their savings in it. The snowball was getting bigger and bigger, even exceeding their ability to bear it. Even when Akina Nakamori tried to persuade them to give up, it was to no avail. On the contrary, they demanded that Akina give them her money to invest.

The proverb "a snake trying to swallow an elephant" perfectly describes Akina Nakamori's family. Each of them admired their own foresight and believed that real estate investment would yield huge returns. As housing prices continued to rise, their desire for wealth grew even stronger.

Of course, this wasn't just the case for Akina Nakamori's family; it was the case for many Japanese people as well. The skyrocketing land prices were severely impacting the Japanese economy, and the stock market was also booming. It was safe to say that anyone who invested in stocks or real estate rarely lost money; prices were constantly rising, and everyone believed that prices could continue to rise.

Today, all of Japan is throwing itself into this crazy investment. The hotter the market, the more frenzied the Japanese become. And with money in hand, the Japanese have started buying up everything in the world. These guys haven't thought that the stock market and the housing market will eventually reach their peak. And the previous stock market crash happened in Japan, and many people suffered devastating blows. But these guys have forgotten that they are now caught up in a crazy investment frenzy.

The crazier these guys are now, the harder they'll fall later. John sneered inwardly as he looked at these crazy Japanese. These guys are happy now, but they'll be burdened with huge debts in the future, and many of them will likely spend their entire lives trying to pay them off.

In Japan, such situations became commonplace. Many spent their lives repaying bank debts. It was precisely this reckless behavior that plunged Japan's future into crisis, ushering in an era of decadence, greed, and despair. It robbed young people of their motivation and Japanese society of its drive. The more reckless they are now, the more disastrous they will be later. These individuals will pay the price for their madness and bear the responsibility for it. Unfortunately, no one seems to see this now; perhaps even the major Japanese conglomerates haven't grasped the full picture!
(End of this chapter)