wavenovel Chapters 1521 and 1530: Becoming a Creditor of Japan!!
Chapters 1521 and 1530: Becoming a Creditor of Japan!!
Chapters 1521 and 1530: Becoming a Creditor of Japan!!
"Next, please welcome the jury of this year's Tokyo International Film Festival!"
The host, Mari Yoshimura, said,
"After a long and careful evaluation process, they selected the shortlisted works."
Led by Naoki Nagayama, Nagisa Oshima, Kon Ichikawa, and others filed out, bowed to the audience on stage, and then sat down in the side jury seats.
Next, the opening ceremony will feature clips from some of the nominated films, all of which have been carefully edited.
However, at that moment, a staff member quietly approached and whispered a few words to Naoki Nagayama:
"Naoki-san, Prime Minister Doi wishes to meet with you!"
"?"
Naoki Nagayama was surprised, but he didn't ask any questions and quietly stood up and left the judging panel. At this moment, everyone's attention was on the big screen, and not many people noticed that one of the judges was missing.
Upon arriving at the small room by the side door, Naoki Nagayama saw Shuichi Itō standing in the corridor by the door. Upon seeing Naoki, Itō immediately waved and called out. So, without any security check, the Secret Service personnel next to him let Naoki Nagayama in.
"Is the Prime Minister's security this lax?"
Naoki Nagayama also joked with Shuichi Itō,
"Didn't you even check if I was carrying a weapon? Aren't you afraid of being assassinated?"
"Naoki-san! Are you kidding me?!"
Shuichi Itō made a sarcastic remark.
"What reason would a young, wealthy man like you, with your immense wealth and status, have to assassinate a prime minister whose term is only four years long!"
"That makes so much sense!"
Naoki Nagayama nodded, saying that he himself wouldn't think he would assassinate the prime minister.
"By the way, what does Prime Minister Doi want with me?"
"Let's get to know these young talents."
Shuichi Itō led Naoki Nagayama to the door and knocked.
"It'll probably be about supporting large-scale cultural exchange events, or maybe sponsoring something. Anyway, be careful!"
Hehehe
This is a rather luxurious lounge, fully equipped with a sofa, coffee table, and even a television, making it perfectly suitable for entertaining guests.
After the door opened, Doi Tagako could be seen talking to her secretary. When she saw Nagayama Naoki enter, she smiled warmly.
"Mr. Naoki Nagayama, I have long admired your name, but we have never had the chance to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Doi! Please take good care of me!"
Naoki Nagayama bowed very politely in greeting.
"The Prime Minister is extremely busy; it's already lucky to even get to meet him!"
"Haha, come on, have a seat. Shuichi-san, please have a seat too."
Doi Tagako gestured to her secretary to pour tea, and then said,
"I've heard a lot about Naoki-kun from Shuichi-san, and I've wanted to meet him for a long time, but Naoki-kun rarely attends banquets, so I've never had the chance. Until now!"
I personally dislike social situations with too many people.
Naoki Nagayama smiled and said,
"Comparatively, I prefer spending time at home with my family, reading, and making movies."
Shuichi Itō, standing next to him, rolled his eyes inwardly. He clearly drank just as much when he went to Roppongi!
"Haha, Naoki-kun is completely different from ordinary young people!"
Doi Tagako said with a smile,
"That's true, an ordinary young person couldn't possibly achieve the remarkable results that Naoki-kun did."
This was followed by another round of praise, which Naoki Nagayama naturally accepted sincerely, deeply moved. The two then engaged in a warm and friendly conversation.
However, this was not the reason why Doi Tagako specifically invited Nagayama Naoki!
"Naoki-kun, after the legislation on building a nation based on culture was completed, the first project the cabinet considered was to build a national art museum as a place for the inheritance and performance of traditional arts such as opera, enka, and dance, to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the Japanese people."
I wonder if the Shuyou Group would be willing to contribute to the preservation of Japan's traditional culture?
Here she comes! Doi Tagako is clearly here to raise funds!
She thinks the people at Shuyou Group are stupid and rich, right?!
"The National Theatre?!"
Naoki Nagayama was surprised. The new National Theater in Japan was going to be very famous in the future, but what did this have to do with his friend?!
Tree Friends doesn't have any business related to plays or operas.
"Doi-san, has the project been approved yet?!"
"Many veteran artists in the art world have already made suggestions to the cabinet!"
Doi Tagako's expression remained gentle.
"Building a nation on culture is certainly a good policy. That's why our predecessors wanted to build a new theater that would benefit Japanese culture."
"."
The smile on Itō Shuichi's face froze. Tagako Doi hadn't discussed this with him beforehand!
They actually went straight to Naoki Nagayama, and made him promise to contribute on their very first meeting?
Don't underestimate the significance of a promise between two people. Even though the amount wasn't mentioned, as long as Naoki Nagayama agreed, the entire art world would be buzzing the next day with news that the Nagayama Group was going to heavily support the new National Theatre of Japan.
Then, if they don't produce satisfactory donations, their reputation in the arts and culture field will become utterly ruined.
In Japan's society, where "reputation" is valued above all else, this is absolutely the biggest threat.
"I see~"
Naoki Nagayama nodded, his mind racing as he considered how to respond. While money wasn't a problem for him, giving it himself was completely different from being forced to give it.
"Mr. Doi, who will be in charge of operating this new National Theater after it is completed?"
"Of course, it will be a dedicated management organization, and the ticket revenue of the Japanese National Theater will also be invested in Japanese cultural undertakings."
"I see."
Naoki Nagayama reiterated that this is purely a donation, and the tree enthusiasts gain no benefit other than a reputation.
but
"Since Doi-san has spoken up, then of course, Tree Friends should contribute to the cultural cause of Japan!"
Naoki Nagayama shifted the favor to Tagako Doi, making sure she owed him one.
"However, direct donations might not be appropriate."
Just as Doi Tagako was about to speak, Naoki Nagayama cut her off:
"The impact of the Recruit case hasn't subsided yet. If we make a large donation directly, it will make people think that Shuyu is bribing Doi-san!"
"How about this: After the policy of establishing the nation through culture is passed, Mr. Doi can push the Ministry of Finance to issue ultra-long-term 'construction bonds' with a fixed interest rate and a maturity of 30 years. The goal can be set clearly: to revitalize the cultural industry and build cultural infrastructure."
Once Naoki Nagayama started talking, he went on and on.
"Our Shuyou Group will purchase these government bonds. We can accept a lower interest rate, like 5%. However, Shuyou can only absorb a maximum of 1000 billion yen at present. We'll have to find others to buy the rest."
1000 billion yen represents the majority of Shuyu Capital's remaining funds in Japan! Much of Shuyu Capital's capital has already been transferred to the United States.
Tree Friends Capital definitely needs to keep some funds in Japan, otherwise what kind of Japanese company would it be? In addition, the Ministry of Finance will also come knocking on our door.
"1000 billion?!"
Tagako Doi was extremely surprised. Her initial expectation was only a few billion yen, and she would be grateful if it reached 10 billion yen. After all, the total budget for the new National Theatre was only around 70 billion yen, and it was impossible for Tsukiyu to bear the entire cost.
I never expected Naoki Nagayama to be so generous this time!!!
This money can be used for more than just one theater; it can be used for many other places as part of cultural infrastructure!
Not to mention how many resources Doi Tagako could leverage with this money!
As for using government bonds, that's certainly not a problem; you might not even be able to borrow that much money from a bank!
This is a 30-year ultra-long-term government bond, and Naoki Nagayama only asked for a low interest rate of 5%, while the highest interest rate for Japanese government bonds is now 8%!
This not only avoids the risk of accepting bribes, but also promotes the implementation of cultural policies and allows her to fulfill her promises to the art world. It's clear that Naoki Nagayama is thinking of her best interests!
It's overflowing with love!!
If it weren't for her own aging and past beauty, and Naoki Nagayama's youthful good looks, Doi Tagako would have thought that Naoki Nagayama was pursuing her!
"Yes!"
Naoki Nagayama nodded, his tone tinged with embarrassment.
"That's all the liquid funds the tree growers have right now. After all, there are many investment options."
"1000 billion is more than enough!!"
Tagako Doi smiled, and the crow's feet on her face smoothed out.
"Naoki-kun, this has really helped me a lot!!"
"Oh, not at all, this is all for the development of Japan's cultural industry!!"
Faced with Doi Tagako's endless praise, Naoki Nagayama remained humble, perfectly embodying the image of an entrepreneur who sacrificed his family for the country!
Finally, Doi Tagako, with a beaming smile, personally escorted Naoki Nagayama to the door and saw him off.
After leaving the meeting room, Shuichi Itō quickly pulled Naoki Nagayama to the stairwell:
"Naoki-san, how could you agree to that?! 1000 billion yen!!!"
"what happened?"
Naoki Nagayama spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Does Shuichi-san think we've been taken advantage of?!"
"Of course!!"
Shuichi Itō, who grew up during an economic upswing, said this matter naturally.
"Government bonds are the lowest-yielding investment option; even bank deposits offer 6-7%! And you're only offering 5%!"
"Ha ha."
Naoki Nagayama smiled.
"Shuichi-san, have you forgotten what I told you before: after the bubble bursts, the Japanese economy will enter a downturn?"
"Huh?"
Shuichi Itō exclaimed in surprise,
"Naoki-san, what do you mean?"
"At that time, bank deposit interest rates will drop, possibly even to zero; stock market returns will also decline, possibly even turning negative; and even government bond yields will approach zero."
"This period of time may last for one or two decades."
"At this point, you can see how sought-after a 30-year ultra-long-term fixed-rate government bond is, right?!"
"!!!"
Shuichi Itō looked at Naoki Nagayama in surprise.
"Naoki-san, you weren't exaggerating before, were you?!"
Although he believed Naoki Nagayama's prediction that the economic bubble would burst and the Japanese economy would decline, he never imagined such a specific scenario, let alone that it would last for so long.
"Am I exaggerating?"
Naoki Nagayama was somewhat surprised, then told Shuichi Itō,
"I never exaggerate when it comes to investments. Xiu Yi-san, just you wait and see!"
"."
Itō Shuji steadied himself.
"So, Naoki-san, you've devised a plan to have Doi-san issue special construction bonds."
"Yes! Just wait a few years, and you'll see if the Japanese government has a headache!"
Furthermore, once you hold Japanese government bonds, you become a creditor of the Japanese government, which can sometimes make you even more important. After all, Japan probably doesn't want you to sell the bonds directly to the University of Tokyo, right?
At this point, Naoki Nagayama frowned slightly.
"Shuichi-san, didn't Doi-san tell you about this beforehand?"
"No, I just found out too!!"
Shuichi Itō frowned as well. Generally speaking, matters concerning his friends should at least be discussed with him first. This sudden approach to Naoki Nagayama was something he found very puzzling!
"Well"
Upon hearing this news, Naoki Nagayama sensed something was amiss!
First, his uncle Kumahara from his hometown was tricked into investing, then Shuichi Itō was alienated from the cabinet, and finally today he was forced to donate money.
I have a feeling that someone is plotting something against us tree enthusiasts!
After returning to the VIP seats, the opening ceremony was not yet over, but it was already drawing to a close.
"Naoki-san, you're back!"
After seeing Naoki Nagayama, Yoshimura Otomo said,
"Want to go see the premiere of 'Kiki's Delivery Service' later?"
"Kiki's Delivery Service" will premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival and will be screened at the NHK Hall. Interested guests are welcome to attend, and a dinner will also be held at the same time.
"No, thank you." Naoki Nagayama shook his head. "Akina and I will make a brief appearance, and then we'll head back!"
"All right."
Yoshimura Daitomo was already familiar with Naoki Nagayama's habits; after all, the opening ceremony was already over, so it didn't matter what Naoki Nagayama did.
"Oh, right."
Naoki Nagayama, recalling the suspicious points from earlier, questioned Otomo Yoshimura.
"Otomo-san, have there been any problems with Tree Friends' business and operations lately?"
"question?"
Yoshimura Otomo paused for a moment,
"Everything seems to be going smoothly, so some unexpected events are within the normal range."
"That"
Naoki Nagayama stroked his chin.
"Has anyone contacted any of our well-known artists?"
It's important to know that all the artists under Shuyou's management are top-tier or even first-tier artists in Japan, each capable of standing on their own and becoming the pillar of the small agency.
"this?!!"
Yoshimura Daitomo also became serious and thought back for a moment. However, Shuyou's treatment was among the best in the industry; unless an artist wanted to become an exploited wretch, it was unlikely that they would have the idea of leaving Shuyou!
"It seems like I haven't heard that everyone really agrees with Shuyou's corporate culture."
Upon hearing this, Naoki Nagayama once again thought of the film sector. However, since his friend's film business was basically based on him as the core competitiveness, he didn't seem to sense anything was wrong.
The main projects right now are "Fast & Furious" in editing and "Sorry, I Love You" in filming. As for the other smaller projects, they have no impact on the overall picture.
Are they planning something during the film's release? There's no reason for that.
"Otomo-san, check this out when you get back. I have a feeling something's not right."
Naoki Nagayama gave a word of advice, then looked at Kyon Kijima, who was eating beside him.
"Use Kijima Ne when necessary!"
"Hi!!"
Yoshimura Otomo nodded subconsciously, but then immediately realized what he meant.
"Naoki-san, is Kijima Kyō."
"Huh? Aren't I called Kijima Kyō?"
"You called Kijima Ne."
"How could that be? Otomo-san, you must have misheard!"
"."