America: My Time

Chapter 799 Refusal and Reminder

Chapter 789 Refusal and Reminder
If the timeframe for the Western Energy oil reserves is extended further, then no one would suspect John of having any ulterior motives. It can only be said that John's caution has brought him the current results.

“John, Mitsui also has petrochemicals, and we also need oil supplies. Could you get some oil from China? Actually, we all know that your business with the Russians is still ongoing, and your losses in the Middle East are not too great. At least your business with the rich is not ongoing, and you have a considerable amount of oil supply every month. In addition, Western Energy has a lot of oil in the Middle East and Southeast Asia!”

At this point, Akio Morita finally revealed his mission and also pointed out John's plans in the Middle East. It should be noted that John also has many oil contracts with Middle Eastern tycoons. Most importantly, the oil fields in Southeast Asia have entered the production period, and the crude oil has been stored. Therefore, the oil reserves controlled by John are not just the small amount that is on the surface!

John shook his head and said, "Mr. Morita, this puts me in a difficult position. I can only say that I need to understand the details first. Besides, I can't sell all of these crude oil reserves to Japan. I also have to consider the requests from Taiwan, South Korea, and other countries. If I sell Southeast Asian oil to Japan, what will the South Koreans think of me? And how will I cooperate with Taiwan again? So there are many things I can't do, especially with Taiwan. I can't refuse them, since they have a long-term natural gas contract with Western Energy. Now that I have the ability, I should naturally help them! Businesses based on personal relationships and win-win cooperation can last longer. So I really have no choice. Everything will have to wait until I understand the situation in South Korea, Taiwan, and China before I can make a decision!"

"Relationships and mutual benefit!" Once these words were spoken, Akio Morita had no choice but to remain silent. After all, John had already made his point, and if he were to press the issue further, it would be tantamount to being unreasonable. Most importantly, John had been in Japan for some time and didn't know much about South Korea, Taiwan, or China. Therefore, he wouldn't provide them with more oil supplies until he understood their situation better. They needed it, and so did others.

However, Akio Morita wasn't stupid; he naturally understood the hidden meaning in John's words. If the problems in China weren't too serious and the demand wasn't high, there would be more oil supplies, and they would have an opportunity. These Japanese guys already had a rough estimate of the oil fields John controlled and the oil they received monthly from the Middle East, so they knew that this portion of oil was definitely more than just enough to meet their own needs.

Of course, getting this portion of the oil from John requires skill; without a 'good' relationship, it's impossible. It's about reciprocity; you can't just ask for things without doing anything. Only a fool would cooperate with you that way. A transaction is about give and take, and only then can there be a win-win situation. How to conduct this exchange—that's what the department does, that's what ability is!
Akio Morita felt that although Mitsui and John had many conflicts, their chances were still very good. After all, Akio Morita believed that he had a good relationship with John, and there was also the connection with Naoko. So as long as there were no major problems, it was very likely.

Upon hearing John and Akio Morita's words, both Hitomi Kuroki and Riko sighed inwardly. Riko knew she would be very busy and would need to contact Naoko. Hitomi Kuroki, on the other hand, was troubled by the requests from Sanwa, as she had received similar requests before, indicating that Sanwa's needs were urgent. Now, even a slight hint from John would prompt those guys to take action, and she would have to face even more requests.

Hitomi Kuroki understood that she wasn't the only one receiving such requests; others would too. The beautiful women present were the best messengers, passing the information on to those behind the scenes in exchange for the resources or benefits they needed. This was the most common situation in the industry.

"John, when are you leaving Tokyo?" At this moment, Akio Morita asked John about his itinerary again. After such a major incident, he knew that John could not stay in Japan for long; he had more things to deal with.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be going to South Korea the day after tomorrow to talk to those guys. Tomorrow, I'll have someone arrange the sale of oil in Japan, coordinate with the Japanese officials, and discuss oil transportation issues in Southeast Asia. If there aren't too many problems with South Korea and Taiwan, and China doesn't have much need, I'll inform Mr. Morita, and we'll discuss it further then. To be honest, this unexpected event came too suddenly, and many things haven't been resolved. I'm quite helpless!"

Akio Morita didn't believe John's words. Although the war came suddenly, it didn't have a big impact on John, at least in Akio Morita's view. Even if John emptied 70% of his oil reserves, it wouldn't affect the operation of his refinery. At most, he would just need to start storing oil again.

At this point, Akio Morita wasn't entirely unaware that John might have ulterior motives, perhaps trying to persuade everyone to accept his terms and the two-year supply contract from the Middle East. However, such thoughts quickly vanished from his mind. He didn't see the need for John to do this; a two-year contract wasn't long, and it was normal practice in the industry. After his conversation with John, Morita got up to leave. Having already received the information from John, there was no need to continue. Continuing would only incur John's displeasure, and with many people watching him, Morita needed to be mindful of his image and didn't want to create unnecessary trouble for himself.

With only one day left, Akio Morita believed that many people would pull out all the stops and try every means to establish a relationship with John and obtain the promises they wanted. Although John had cooperation with major Japanese conglomerates, mainly in the banking sector, he had virtually no connections with the Japanese petrochemical industry. After all, Japan had no transactions or cooperation with Western Energy. In contrast, Taiwan was completely different; Taiwan had signed numerous natural gas contracts with Western Energy, putting Japan at a disadvantage in this regard.

Japan is not unaware of the situation in Taiwan. Taiwan also has a great demand for oil, and if Taiwan were to ask for help, John would certainly provide more assistance, just as John said about personal relationships and win-win cooperation.

"Mr. Morita, it seems you haven't gained anything either. It seems Mr. John is under a lot of pressure. Otherwise, given your relationship with him, you shouldn't have come away empty-handed. It seems the pressure from Taiwan and South Korea is considerable! We can't let our guard down. We should try to find a way to get more oil!"

"All I can say is that we'll do our best. It's not just us who have this idea now; Sanwa and Mitsubishi also have this idea. Moreover, today John is accompanied by Hitomi Kuroki, who has a good relationship with Sanwa. Even if I wanted to persuade John to lend us a hand, no one would say a word to help."

Akio Morita's statement was unsatisfactory, yet there was no way to refute it. After all, for the Japanese, beautiful female public relations staff were commonplace, especially during the bubble economy era, where they were used to the extreme. Since everyone had plenty of money, they could do whatever they wanted, however extravagant or lavish.

"Actually, I think John makes a lot of sense. If the government could use its strategic reserves at this time, the problem could be solved, at least everyone wouldn't have to fight so desperately. Although the government would suffer a little loss, it's nothing compared to stabilizing Japan's economy. If an energy crisis occurs, it will definitely affect the entire Japanese economy, and there are already signs of it. I'm worried that if this continues, Japan's economy will really continue to decline, and there might even be a terrible situation. If that happens, we'll be in big trouble!"

“Mr. Morita, everyone knows what you’re saying, but strategic reserves cannot be touched lightly. Once the strategic reserves are depleted and the situation in the Middle East doesn’t improve, our situation will be even more dangerous. So now we can only buy oil at high prices from the futures market, and buy oil from that little fox John. Unless absolutely necessary, the official strategic reserves cannot be touched. You should understand this!”

Understandable, but Akio Morita might not understand. He said that only to relieve his own pressure. It wasn't that he wasn't trying, but that the current situation left him with no other choice but to do his best. If he didn't achieve his goal, no one could blame him. This was the result of the environment, and had nothing to do with his abilities.

Although Mitsui was very unwilling to accept Akio Morita's statement, he had no way to refute it because he knew that what Akio Morita said was true. Under the current circumstances, it would be foolish for John to sell them a large amount of oil. Waiting a little longer might bring more benefits, as oil prices would rise further and the profits would be even greater!

Knowing this is one thing, but he still hopes that Akio Morita can successfully obtain the oil cooperation he needs from John. He will do everything in his power to seize any opportunity, even the slightest chance. Therefore, he can only place his hopes on Akio Morita and hope that Akio Morita has the ability to do all this so that Mitsui's energy crisis can be resolved and not affected!

(End of this chapter)