America: My Time

Chapter 90 Teaching
Chapter Ninety Teachings
John believes that no matter how much these Japanese companies struggle, it's futile. As they continue to erode their American counterparts' market share, this conflict is inevitable, and they will inevitably face pressure from the US government. These Japanese companies only see the trade conflict between the two countries and the pressure from their competitors and the US government, but they fail to see the essence of the matter. The most important reason for this trade conflict is the issue of technological content!

The technological content of American companies has been declining, and various industries in the United States have underestimated the competitiveness of foreign products. Take Japan as an example. Many people now choose Japanese products, and many of these customers are from the United States. However, they are now abandoning American products.

Why is this the case? The reason is simple: American products haven't changed; they're still using the same technology. Japanese products, on the other hand, are constantly being upgraded, and their prices are decreasing, creating a significant contrast. In this situation, it's natural for consumers to choose. If American products continue to lag behind market changes in terms of innovation, their market share will continue to shrink—this is inevitable. As long as this market doesn't change, the trade conflict between Japan and the United States will not end.

John's words made Akio Morita and the others ponder deeply, and no one spoke. As top figures in Japan, they knew far more information than others. John's viewpoint was indeed very good. Changing the mindset of the American people was very important, and communication between the two countries was also an opportunity for them—an opportunity to expand into the United States!
Although John's reasons sound appealing, this so-called opportunity is merely an illusion. Even if Japanese companies conduct thorough due diligence, they will pay a heavy price if the acquisition is successful, because the American consortium has already made comprehensive preparations.

From John's perspective, even if an agreement is reached on currency adjustments, it won't have a significant impact on the US economy, at least not in the short term. This is because Americans only see a one-sided problem, focusing solely on currency issues, or perhaps it's intentional on the part of US financial groups. The biggest problem for exports and trade isn't currency, but technology and costs.

John's familiarity with semiconductor storage is enough to illustrate everything. The United States' semiconductor storage is now far behind Japan's, and there is a generational gap that cannot be caught up with in a short time!

Enterprises need time to upgrade and transform, but for American semiconductor companies, there is simply no time left, or more accurately, no capital to invest. For memory chips, technological backwardness is difficult to change in the short term, and no one is willing to continue investing in this backward area because they know it is very likely to be a waste of money.

Intel eventually abandoned memory chips, as did Motorola. It was precisely this abandonment of memory chips by the US semiconductor industry that allowed Japan to dominate the memory chip market, which ultimately led to intervention from the US government, which imposed mandatory penalties on Japanese semiconductor companies, causing them to suffer a blow.

The fundamental reason for the trade issues between the two countries is the technical problem. John will not say it out loud, but the more intense the trade dispute between the two countries is, the more beneficial it is to him, and the faster he can accelerate his investment layout in Japan!

John's performance pleased the Japanese present. They considered him a potential partner and someone worth investing in and collaborating with. Since they wanted to increase their publicity in the US, they could give the money to any TV station, so why not to John, a potential partner who had a "good impression" of Japan?

John had no idea that his remarks would bring such benefits, that they would lead people around Akio Morita to have such 'ridiculous' thoughts, and that he would receive huge advertising revenue from various industries in Japan even before taking over NBC!

John's performance earned the approval of top Japanese figures like Akio Morita. While they were chatting and laughing, Naoko, along with Riko, met quite a few women. Many of them were Japanese celebrities, so they shared a common language. However, Naoko felt uneasy as she listened. They were all talking about being someone's mistress or being kept by high-ranking executives of large corporations, as if discussing their own backgrounds. Naoko blushed immediately.

Although Naoko knew this was a true reflection of the lives of many Japanese entertainers, a situation many entertainers face, she still found it hard to bear. Riko understood perfectly well that Naoko's situation was different from theirs, and that she had far better opportunities, a fact she greatly envied.

When a group of men get together, they're bound to talk about women; when a group of women get together, they're bound to talk about men, and their discussions are often even more heated than the men's. Naoko, despite being an idol, had never experienced such a heated topic before and was finding it a bit overwhelming. However, John was currently discussing important matters with Akio Morita, and Naoko didn't want to interrupt. Even with Riko's company, she still couldn't quite handle the conversation of these yaoi fans.
Riko noticed Naoko's discomfort, so she took Naoko to a corner to eat. For such a party, the food and drinks were top-notch, and the parties would invite entertainers to perform. While sitting in the corner, Naoko suddenly spotted a familiar friend!

Naoko greeted the familiar figure, "Yoshie-chan, what are you doing here?"

When her name was called, Yoshie Kashiwabara turned around: "Oh, it's Naoko-chan. I was invited to be a guest performer. And you two?" Looking at Naoko and Riko, Yoshie Kashiwabara was somewhat puzzled; their attire didn't seem like that of someone there to perform! Naoko asked疑惑地问道: "Guest performer? You're an invited guest performer?"

In fact, this party invited not only Yoshie Kashiwabara but also Seiko Matsuda. It was a party hosted by the First Industrial Bank, so the scale of the event was naturally quite large!
Riko, who was standing nearby, explained, "Singing and dancing are usually indispensable at parties of this level. They often invite celebrities and idols to perform. It's just that you've been well protected and haven't had much contact with them. Today, not only Yoshie is invited, but Seiko is also among those invited. Almost all the famous singers and idols in Japan are on the invitation list."

Naoko nodded: "I see!" This explanation made Naoko realize just how grand the party was!
Yoshie Kashiwabara smiled shyly and asked softly, "Naoko-chan and Riko-chan, what are you here for? Aren't you guest performers?"

Naoko gently shook her head and said, "No, we are not performing guests!"

"If you're not a performing guest, you must have come with a big shot; you have connections!" Kashiwabara Yoshie immediately nodded in understanding and said, "Naiko-chan, Riko-chan, I need to go to the dressing room to prepare, so I won't keep you company!"

Unlike Naoko and Riko, Yoshie Kashiwabara couldn't be as free. Performing guests had tasks to complete and couldn't just sit and rest in this corner. Kashiwabara was simply curious about who Naoko's powerful backer was. Although she knew Naoko had transferred agencies, Kashiwabara didn't know Naoko's true backing. It was because Elite Agency's reputation was too low; if Naoko's resources hadn't remained unchanged, Kashiwabara would have thought Naoko had been abandoned by the agency!

Both being from Osaka, Naoko and Yoshie Kashiwabara had a good relationship. Naoko was older than Yoshie and took good care of her. So she called out to Yoshie Kashiwabara, who was about to leave, "Yoshie-chan, come over to my and Riko-nee's place for a chat after the performance. It's been so long since we've seen or contacted each other!"

For entertainers like Naoko, Riko, and Yoshie Kashiwabara, they are usually very busy with endless work, so their time is extremely tight. Even when they meet on a program, they don't have time to chat or share their feelings. However, Naoko's situation has improved significantly recently. Her agency hasn't been assigning her as much work, so she's living a more comfortable life.

Yoshie Kashiwabara hesitated and said, "Is this appropriate? I wasn't invited, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Naoko turned her gaze to Riko. She lacked experience with such large-scale parties and needed Riko's help in this matter!

Riko smiled calmly and said, "It's alright. Actually, many of the performers stay at the party after their performances, so no one will mind. Besides, the party is a great opportunity to network. Naoko and I invited you, so who said no one invited you? Come on, don't worry so much!"

"Riko-nee, thank you!" Naoko thanked Riko.
"Naoko, you need to learn to adapt to your current status. Don't have too many concerns. You don't need to worry about such trivial matters. You have someone backing you now, so there's no need to fret too much. You need to show your strength and adapt to your new role!" Although this matter was insignificant in Riko's eyes, not worth mentioning, or even something she wouldn't take to heart, Riko used this opportunity to teach Naoko how to handle such small things and how to adapt to her current status. Riko was very dedicated to teaching Naoko because she deeply understood how powerful the person behind Naoko was.

(End of this chapter)