章節 479: Chapter 479: Sanwa Consortium
Soon, Fukuhara Kazuyo saw Ma Tengdong and Xia Yu exchange a few words before leading Xia Yu and his party towards him. Fukuhara immediately went over to them.
"Chairman, this is Mr. Fukuhara Kazuyo, the Vice Manager of Sanwa Bank."
"Mr. Fukuhara, this is our Chairman, Xia Yu."
Ma Tengdong introduced them immediately.
After the introductions, Xia Yu and Fukuhara Kazuyo shook hands and greeted each other.
"Mr. Fukuhara, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Mr. Xia, it's an honor to meet you!"
After some pleasantries, Fukuhara Kazuyo and Xia Yu exchanged business cards and then Fukuhara took his leave.
After waving goodbye to Fukuhara Kazuyo, Xia Yu carefully examined the business card he had received. When he saw it was Fukuhara's personal card, which not only listed his position as Vice Manager of Sanwa Bank but also as a director at Ube Industries, he paused in thought and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
Xia Yu realized who this person was. In later years, Fukuhara would become the chairman of Ube Industries, a core figure in the Sanwa Consortium, and also one of the vice managers of the San Shui Society.
At this stage, however, he was still in his growth phase. Although he held significant power, he had not yet reached the highest echelons of the Sanwa Consortium.
To understand this better, one must know about the six major financial groups in Japan.
Among Japan's six major financial groups, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Fuji were evolved from the old four major conglomerates, each controlled by a prominent family: the Iwasaki family, Mitsui family, Sumitomo family, and Yasuda family respectively.
In contrast, the Sanwa Consortium and the Keigen Consortium were later developments, somewhat loosely organized and lacking the cohesive strength of the old four conglomerates. Their overall strength was also weaker.
Among the six major financial groups, the Sanwa Consortium was the weakest. It was formally established in 1967, with its base in the Kansai region of Japan and consisting of 44 major enterprises. Its financial and heavy industry sectors were weak, with only Sanwa Bank being a significant player and the core of the consortium. The 44 member companies were essentially linked clients of Sanwa Bank.
Moreover, the Sanwa Consortium had 136 associated companies with a shareholding rate exceeding 10%. It had strong capabilities in industries such as steel manufacturing, telecommunications, liquefied gas, ceramics, and rubber.
The management of the Sanwa Consortium was conducted through the San Shui Society, which met on the third Wednesday of every month. The San Shui Society's members were the presidents of the 44 founding major companies, with internal ranks including General Manager, Deputy General Manager, and regular members.
Xia Yu knew that Ube Industries was an important part of the Sanwa Consortium and ranked among the top five in terms of importance and strength within the consortium.
The controlling family of Ube Industries was the Fukuhara family, the former lord family of Ube City. The company was involved in industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, metal manufacturing, and energy, and was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It was a component of the Nikkei 225 stock index, a monopoly giant dominating the economic lifeline of Ube City in Japan.
In later years, Fukuhara Kazuyo would become the head of the Fukuhara family, succeeding to the position of president of Ube Industries, and also serve as one of the vice managers of the San Shui Society.
The San Shui Society controlled the Sanwa Consortium, meaning that Fukuhara Kazuyo would become a core figure in the Sanwa Consortium in the future.
Of course, this wasn't the main point. The key was that according to Xia Yu's memory, Fukuhara Kazuyo was not a settled character. He was ambitious but lacked relative ability.
While Fukuhara's capabilities were sufficient to control Ube Industries, he was keen on restoring the Fukuhara family's former glory, aiming to align himself with the Iwasaki, Mitsui, and Yasuda families, and bring the loosely controlled Sanwa Consortium under the Fukuhara family's control.
Fukuhara Kazuyo was the type of person who would use any means to achieve his goals, even willing to trade the consortium's interests or seek external assistance.
Knowing this, Xia Yu was alert.
The Sanwa Consortium's small size and loose organization, along with its lack of a clear leader, suggested that many people might have such ambitions.
Within the Sanwa Consortium, it was certain that Fukuhara Kazuyo was not the only one with such ideas.
With so many opportunities in Japan in the future, Xia Yu might as well consider making some moves. However, that was a matter for the future. For now, he could take the opportunity to gather detailed information about the Sanwa Consortium and strengthen his own capabilities to find opportunities.
Recollecting his thoughts, Xia Yu kept these considerations in mind and followed Ma Tengdong into the company.
Due to the large number of people, Ma Tengdong took everyone to the conference room and arranged for tea.
As soon as Xia Yu sat down, Ma Tengdong handed him the signed loan agreement: "Chairman, here is the loan agreement between our company and Sanwa Bank."
Xia Yu casually flipped through it and saw that the loan amount was twenty million dollars. This amount was more than sufficient to open forty "Comic Reader" stores, including purchasing the properties. The remaining funds would definitely be enough for the company's expansion.
Xia Yu tossed the loan contract back to Ma Tengdong and said淡淡地说道: "You manage the funds as you see fit. Just provide me with a financial report later."
Xia Yu's attitude made Ma Tengdong feel both moved and complicated. He could only silently encourage himself not to disappoint Chairman Xia Yu.
After drinking a cup of tea, Xia Yu felt bored sitting around and suggested to Ma Tengdong that he wanted to tour the branch.
Ma Tengdong immediately led Xia Yu on a tour of the branch, providing explanations along the way.
"Chairman, the Japan branch currently has 105 employees and is still recruiting. Each employee was personally interviewed and hired by me to ensure the company's capability and overall effectiveness."
"The main tasks of the company at this stage are to adapt 'Comic Reader' for the Japanese market and handle its distribution in Japan. Additionally, we have a task of adapting 'Dragon Ball' into Japanese, and future tasks will include adapting and producing the other three anime series."
"The company operates on both anime and manga fronts and will establish internal training programs. In the future, employees from the Hong Kong headquarters will be sent here for professional development to enhance the overall strength of the headquarters."
---
As Ma Tengdong continued his explanations, Xia Yu occasionally nodded, gaining a more intuitive understanding of Jiuding Anime Co., Ltd.'s Japan branch.
After visiting the animation production studio, Xia Yu thought about the many classic comics in his mind. He had only utilized four of them so far. At the current pace, if the original owner didn't create more, it would be too slow.
He suggested to Ma Tengdong: "The overall situation is good, but we could use more talent. Currently, our magazine only features 'Comic Reader.' However, the foundation for the 'Mo Fan Rui Ran' four-issue series has been laid. If we have enough staff, I can provide some themes for you to start producing those comics. When the time is right, we can split one magazine into four issues."
Hearing this, Ma Tengdong was stunned and looked at Xia Yu with excitement. Seeing the calm and confident expression on the Chairman's face, Ma Tengdong felt a surge of joy and eagerly nodded, saying: "Chairman, I understand!"
Xia Yu nodded slightly and said淡淡地说道: "Don't forget to also develop original talent internally. Aim to produce a few completely independent comics."
These indifferent words made Ma Tengdong snap out of his excitement and nod solemnly: "Chairman, the company is already incubating comics and has several relatively satisfactory themes. To ensure the reputation of 'Comic Reader,' the company is planning to establish another comic magazine as a subordinate magazine. Only when it stands out there will it be promoted to serialization in 'Comic Reader.'"
"Hmm, that's a good approach."
Xia Yu smiled slightly, offering a bit of praise.
Afterward, Xia Yu rested a bit and let Ma Tengdong continue with his tasks, while Wang Qi and others went to Chuo District to start their work.
As for Xia Yu, he planned to take Li Qian out for a tour. Arriving in Chiyoda District, a famous comic haven with the renowned Akihabara nearby, Xia Yu naturally intended to explore and see if he could discover any business opportunities.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票