America: My Time

Chapter 608 Neon's Greed

Chapter 598 The Greed of Neon
The sale was successful. In just a few days, after a series of battles, Bell Labs finally sold its shares in Japan Universal Online. At this time, John's real estate holdings in Japan were reduced by more than half. After the readjustment, John's assets in Japan shrank significantly, which relieved many Japanese people.

Now, both Mandarin Oriental Group and Bell Labs have a large amount of capital in their hands. After consolidating their funds, the CEOs of both groups did not stay in Tokyo and left directly, leaving only John, the boss, to understand the layout and integration of Phoenix Group. After all, Japan is about to enter a crazy era, and it is necessary to prepare early.

Originally, John intended to place the karaoke and izakaya assets under the Mandarin Oriental Group, but this ultimately failed, and the assets were instead handed over to Tsutaya. Tsutaya is now developing very rapidly in Japan and is generating considerable profits, but after some consideration, John ultimately chose to abandon the idea and sell Tsutaya at the time when land prices in Japan were at their highest.

This time, John witnessed the power of these Japanese guys. They quickly swallowed up so much real estate and stocks without much entanglement. It seemed that these Japanese guys didn't care about money. As long as something could be solved with money, it wasn't a problem. Their spending was astonishing, which shocked John.

While John was amazed by the incredible purchasing power of the Japanese, those Japanese were also eyeing John even more. Seeing that John was serious and was giving up his real estate in Japan, many people set their sights on Tsutaya and 7-Eleven. Both companies also own a huge amount of real estate, especially 7-Eleven, which owns an astonishing number of properties.

"Mr. Morita, do you think it's possible for us to acquire Tsutaya and 7-Eleven? They also control a huge amount of real estate. Many people only see the assets held by the Mandarin Oriental Group, such as shopping malls, amusement parks, and commercial centers, but they don't see that Tsutaya and 7-Eleven also control a lot of real estate. The current value of these properties alone far exceeds the price he paid to acquire 7-Eleven back then."

"It's difficult. You know the situation with 7-Eleven and Tsutaya. They each have their own systems and are closely connected with Phoenix Group. 7-Eleven can publish Phoenix Comics and Weekly, and even release records. Tsutaya goes without saying. In comparison, I think it's easier for you to acquire the karaoke, those nightclubs, and izakayas. That's a pretty good asset. Nobody expected Phoenix Group to have such employee benefits!"

"Yes, it's been hidden too well. If it weren't for the Phoenix Group's restructuring, I'm afraid no one would know that there are such benefits within the Phoenix Group. John, that little fox, is really generous! However, karaoke and izakayas are of no use to us. I'd rather take over Tsutaya and 7-Eleven!"

"This isn't something you can just do as you wish. There are people who want to acquire John's refinery in Japan, but have you seen them even make a move? There are even more people who want to take over Western Energy and Quantum Mining, but is that even possible? So don't overthink it, and we can't be too hasty either. There will be opportunities in the future!"

"I'm afraid that when the opportunity comes, it won't be our turn, and someone else will have already taken it. Just like the real estate that the Mandarin Oriental Group sold this time, how much did we get? Most of it was taken by those guys, especially the Roppongi building, which is our biggest asset. I just can't understand how John, that little fox, could sell it like that without even feeling the pain. I feel sorry for him!"

"Alright, this isn't something we can control. If you're really interested in acquiring Tsutaya, there's still a chance, but it's impossible in the short term. John won't sell any more of his real estate; he's not stupid. You can ask around at the parties. Those guys are going to hold parties to talk to John about mining, and the shipyard wants to talk about shipbuilding. In short, there's a group of people who want to have a 'friendly' exchange with this kid. Now the European side has compromised, and his deals with the Russians are getting bigger and bigger."

"Those Europeans have no backbone at all, backing down so quickly. But this has little to do with us. Even if we get involved, we won't benefit from it. It's best not to do something foolish like doing someone else's work for us, otherwise we'll only end up pleasing neither side if we fail. Morita-san, you should be more careful!"

Hearing this, Akio Morita sighed and said, "There are many things I can't control. Do you think I could bring myself to refuse? Besides, those guys keep using the 'righteous cause' to pressure me, what can I do? Sony doesn't have the energy to continue investing more in real estate right now, so if Mitsui Fudosan is interested, they should act quickly, at least to make a name for themselves. And you've cooperated with them before, this is an opportunity. As long as they're willing to sell, you have a chance." "Mr. Morita, do you really think that little fox John is really going to give up all his real estate in Japan? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched? I have a feeling it's not real, that there's something fishy going on behind the scenes!"

"Giving up is inevitable. After all, Yoshiaki Seibu has a history of grudges with him, and the other party's goal is a global expansion, not limited to Japan. Moreover, his investments in various places have yielded good results, especially in the United States. Don't you think his investment in shopping malls is a bit too large? You don't think this little fox is just trying to win over the American public, do you? I think he is laying out a retail strategy and increasing his control over retail. Sales are king. You see, none of his products have sales pressure. He has his own power in the sales end of the entire industry chain!"

"The invitation to the cocktail party? These guys are really desperate. It seems the failure to negotiate the uranium price has driven them crazy!" John shook his head as he looked at the invitation in his hand. Although it was the old man Akio Morita who was in charge, John didn't believe that Sony had the energy to do anything else. Sony's power had already reached its limit.

Uranium is extremely important to Japan; it is the backbone of their energy supply. Japan's electricity is almost entirely dependent on nuclear power. Now, Quantum Mining's slight change in the sale of uranium has put pressure on the Japanese, forcing them to rush to talk to John.

Everyone is making moves, but Japan's efforts are still insufficient to compete with Quantum Mining. Quantum Mining holds their lifeline. Although Japan has been actively developing its mining industry, Quantum Mining has already secured all the world-class mines. Even if Japan wanted to intervene, it couldn't. A resource-poor country like Japan relies entirely on imports, so its demand for raw materials is naturally much greater. Now, the whole world knows that Japan's economy is developing rapidly, so negotiating iron ore prices won't be so easy. No mining company wants Japan to gain an advantage over them. Of course, there's also South Korea. South Korea is also developing rapidly and has a significant demand for iron ore. Under these circumstances, it would be a shame not to raise prices.

This time, no one can exclude Quantum Mining, nor should they. After all, Quantum Mining's production capacity is increasing, its presence in Australia is expanding, and it owns more and more mines. Quantum Mining now has the absolute strength to shake up the industry's market.

There have been several rounds of negotiations regarding uranium mining, but unfortunately, there have been no results. Quantum Mining has already established its own path and will not change its strategy because of these guys in Japan. If you want to get enough uranium, you have to pay the corresponding price. It is impossible to drive down the price. It is impossible for these guys in Japan to pass on the production costs to the mining industry.

With the yen appreciating, Japanese factories are becoming increasingly adept at controlling costs, so they're desperately trying to drive down prices. Uranium ore is a mainstay of their electricity supply, and the Russian nuclear power plant accident provided them with an opportunity, but unfortunately, the results were disappointing; Quantum Mining simply refused to accept the offers. This wasn't just true for uranium; the same applied to iron ore and copper ore. In short, no mining company wanted to accept the bargaining power of these Japanese companies, not wanting their profits to be harmed.

When neither side is willing to back down, the negotiations naturally fall into an awkward situation. These guys then set their sights on John and Quantum Mining, hoping to have a discussion with John and reach a consensus. However, they were overthinking it. John was thinking about how to rip these guys off, so how could he possibly accept their bargaining?

Today, Quantum Mining controls several of Australia's major mines. It holds absolute power in iron ore price negotiations, not to mention uranium. Japan is currently being held hostage. If it doesn't compromise, it will soon face resource shortages. These guys can't hold on any longer.

Based on Australian shipping transactions, one can understand the extent of Japan's demand for steel. Due to the recovery of the shipping industry, many shipyards have received numerous orders. However, orders also require a sufficient supply of steel. Currently, Japan lacks enough steel to support its shipbuilding industry. Precisely because of this steel shortage, shipyards in Japan dare not accept more orders, fearing they will not be able to fulfill contracts. Even the ships being built for John have been affected, demonstrating the severity of their current situation. Meanwhile, South Korea has seized this opportunity to snatch many orders from Japan and has begun to vigorously develop its own shipbuilding industry.

(End of this chapter)