America: My Time

Chapter 810 Mitsui's Greed

Chapter 800 Mitsui's Greed

"Are you sure John's trip to China went very smoothly and that he intends to sell more oil? This is no small matter. I need accuracy; there can be no mistakes. It concerns the economic development of our country?"

"That's right, that's the information we received. Moreover, the selling pressure is higher than that on the Japanese side. Even John from South Korea sold 70% of his oil reserves to them. I heard they used a honey trap on John, which is why they succeeded. This information is not yet confirmed, but Mr. John will not go to Hong Kong again. Instead, he will fly directly to Taiwan to discuss matters with them."

"Sure enough, those guys' greed has changed John's attitude towards us. Although he is still willing to help, he is no longer the same as before. Those greedy guys only care about their own interests and do not think about Japan. If it weren't for what happened before, we might have been able to get more resources from John. These greedy bastards will ruin Japan. Now we can only inform those guys and ask them to do their best to talk to John."

"I'm afraid there won't be any results. After all, John has already set off for Taiwan. Even if he can provide more oil, he'll prioritize Taiwan over Japan. We're already at a disadvantage in this energy competition!"

“You’re absolutely right. We are indeed at a disadvantage in this energy competition. Even South Korea is stronger than us and has gained a larger share. Although South Korea has also paid a price, it is still a threat to us. The success of South Korea’s honey trap has had the greatest impact on us, and we must be wary of it.”

"Defense? How can we defend against it? Right now, we can only rely on those guys' abilities. Mitsui and his ilk are the most foolish. They clearly had an absolute advantage, but after their crazy maneuvers, their relationship with John has reached a low point. Even Akio Morita's role isn't that significant anymore. Otherwise, Sanwa wouldn't have gained the upper hand this time and secured a larger share of the oil."

"We can't blame Akio Morita for this. After all, there are many things he can't make decisions on. If it weren't for his help, the 'cooperation' between Mitsui and John would probably have ended long ago. If these guys continue like this, the consequences will be serious. Unfortunately, we are powerless to do anything about it. We should tell those guys the news as soon as possible and get them to take action, so we don't regret it when everything is over."

The Japanese guys had been keeping a close eye on John's every move. After all, John had too many accolades, and with so many things happening now, they had to be cautious, fearing something unexpected might happen. Of course, the reason these guys knew all this so easily was also John's doing. If he didn't let them know his plan, how could he let them willingly walk into his trap?

"You have all received the official news. John now has even more oil to sell. Mitsui can't continue like this, or we'll just become a laughing stock. Sanwa has gotten a larger share than us. We can't afford to fail this time. Morita-san, this is your time to step up."

After receiving the official notification, the Mitsui conglomerate had no choice but to take action. The greed of these Japanese for resources will never change, because they rely entirely on imports for their own resources. Therefore, Mitsui had to make targeted arrangements, and Akio Morita once again became the person everyone was hoping for to save the day.

When he heard these words, Akio Morita was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He had no reason to accuse these guys of being too greedy. He himself was also very greedy and had taken a lot of assets from John. As a result, their relationship had changed and was no longer what it used to be.

Did he regret it? Akio Morita did not regret it, because he knew that even if he didn't take action, given the madness of those guys within the Mitsui conglomerate, his relationship with John would still be in trouble. Since problems were bound to arise sooner or later, he might as well get the benefits he wanted from John before anything happened.

Akio Morita sighed and said, "I can only do my best. After all, everyone is aware of John's change in attitude. Although it hasn't reached the worst point yet, the trust he once had is gone. This is due to many factors. I admit that I have made mistakes, but making changes now is not an easy thing."

When Akio Morita put it this way, even those who wanted to say something couldn't speak. After all, Morita had admitted his mistake; they couldn't be at fault. Besides, Morita wasn't a simple guy; he was more than he appeared. With his abilities, he could definitely secure more oil, but he didn't want to take responsibility or waste his connections—at least Naoko had spoken up for them before. "Mr. Morita, it's not just about doing your best, it's about succeeding. This isn't just your responsibility, it's about the entire Mitsui group. If you need anything, just say the word. I believe everyone will do their utmost to help and won't put you in a difficult position!"

If this isn't difficult, what is? Akio Morita sneered inwardly at these guys' coercion. They always come to him with something. He wasn't going to waste his goodwill on them. If there was no benefit to it, Akio Morita wouldn't accept it, since it had no direct connection to Sony.

Akio Morita smiled wryly, "What else could I need at this point? I can only take it one step at a time. In my opinion, every move that little fox John makes in Korea has a deeper meaning. The so-called honey trap is a joke. Do you all believe in such things? Do you think that little fox John would change his mind for beauty? It can only be said that he is going with the flow and making more preparations for entering Korea. Does Standard Chartered Bank's entry into Korea matter? Actually, it doesn't matter. Now Standard Chartered Bank's focus has shifted away from Asia and towards Europe."

"Mr. Morita, are you saying that John did all of this on purpose?"

"In my opinion, that's true. Don't you think that John, that little fox, wants to focus on retail while also trying to expand his influence in South Korea? This time, he chose 'cooperation,' or perhaps the honey trap did work, but not in the way everyone thinks. Rather, it's a tacit understanding between them, or a 'deal' between them."

"A deal? What kind of deal is this? Does she think she can make a deal with John? Does she even have the qualifications? Even if she is the eldest princess of Samsung, she doesn't have the qualifications. Besides, Samsung is far inferior to John."

"These are just different opinions. In my opinion, it's possible. There's never a shortage of people in the chaebol who are unwilling to take responsibility, so John's appearance is her opportunity. But it's hard to say how things will turn out. After all, we don't know what happened. All we can do now is try to get the resources we want from John. If you have any resources, feel free to use them. After all, we have quite a few competitors."

Akio Morita could only go along with these guys. After all, oil prices were still rising, and having enough oil on hand meant they could face the pressure without fear and wait and see. Many considered $40 a barrel to be too high, but that was oil that could be obtained at any time. In this situation, it was even more precious. Having food in hand meant peace of mind, while without sufficient oil reserves, they naturally had to be cautious.

Akio Morita had a premonition that acquiring more oil wouldn't be easy; it would come at a price. The South Koreans had succeeded, and it seemed that the changes in China would give them even more opportunities—at least that's how many people perceived it. But Morita didn't see it that way. The situation in Taiwan was still unresolved. If even the South Koreans could reap so many benefits, Taiwan would undoubtedly benefit even more. With China's oil reserves, even if they were handed over to Taiwan, they could easily consume them all. Moreover, John's influence in Taiwan was far greater, so naturally, he didn't want to see anything go wrong there.

“Mr. Morita, we’ve been trying our best to communicate, but it’s useless without John’s approval. You know, even if all the women around him agree, it’s hard to say how effective it will be. In comparison, Naoko’s influence is stronger. We hope you can personally meet with John in Taiwan, and with Naoko’s persuasion, we believe we can get everything we want. If we succeed, everyone will remember your kindness.”

“Naoko’s side is not a problem. I can have Riko handle it. Even if it means giving a favor, it’s not a problem. But I have no confidence in John’s side. You all know why. This kind of thing can’t be solved just by us stepping in. At least I don’t have that kind of confidence. You have to put in the effort to get the reward. You can’t just not want to put in any effort. You should at least show some attitude. You all know what happened at the party the other day!”

Mitsui and his ilk were fully aware of all this, but they still harbored many expectations. In short, they only wanted to take advantage without paying the price. However, in the current situation, they couldn't have such good fortune. If they wanted to get everything they wanted, they had to pay the price. It was impossible for them to be unwilling to pay any price and only want to take advantage. Greed has its limits.

In an instant, those guys fell silent. It was impossible to make them pay the price; they couldn't accept it. After all, many of them had nothing to do with petrochemicals and wouldn't sacrifice their own interests for the development of petrochemicals. No one was willing to accept such an outcome, so the scene suddenly became awkward.

(End of this chapter)