Chapter 482: Pocket All the Money, Leave All the Debts to Japan!
Upon hearing Lin Haoran's remarks, Mr. Tanaka's face showed a proud expression.
He smiled and nodded slightly, humbly saying, "Mr. Lin, you flatter me. Indeed, Japan has poured countless efforts into its development over the past years and has been fortunate to achieve some remarkable results.
However, the road of economic development is never smooth. Especially now, with the global economic environment growing increasingly complex, we face both challenges and opportunities.
We are actively seeking new breakthroughs to ensure steady progress in the future.
At the same time, Japan has always kept its arms open, warmly welcoming entrepreneurs from all over the world to invest and start businesses here, especially outstanding entrepreneurs like yourself, Mr. Lin.
Here, on behalf of the Japanese government, I sincerely invite you to visit Japan, to seek development opportunities together and achieve mutual success."
Hearing this official invitation, Lin Haoran was slightly surprised but inwardly smiling.
Proactively going to Japan to invest and being officially invited to invest by the Japanese government were two completely different matters.
The former was his own initiative, a venture likely fraught with unknown challenges and barriers.
The latter, however, signified recognition and support, paving the way for his investments and removing many obstacles.
For him, this was undoubtedly a great boon.
In fact, Lin Haoran had already considered Japan as a key target for future investments.
The goal, naturally, was to earn even more money.
After all, the 1980s were famously known as Japan's bubble economy era — considered one of the easiest periods in history to amass tremendous wealth.
At the height of their confidence, Japanese tycoons once boasted they could buy all the land and properties in the United States and then lease it back to Americans at high prices.
Japan in the 1980s was a place of endless feasting, dazzling lights, overflowing wine, and nightly extravagance — the epitome of capitalist opulence.
Everyone in Japan firmly believed that stock and real estate prices would only continue to rise forever.
In such an environment, almost any business could flourish — even investing blindly in the stock market would yield profits.
Earning money from the Japanese was something Lin Haoran especially enjoyed.
From his understanding, Japan's bubble economy began in the mid-1980s, and right now, it was only the early 1980s.
This meant he still had plenty of time to prepare his strategy.
Lin Haoran had already made up his mind: he would enter Japan in force before the market became overheated — aggressively acquiring land and developing real estate while also venturing into the stock market, given that another hallmark of a bubble economy was the unrestrained surge of stock prices.
When the bubble truly inflated, even he wouldn't be able to predict just how much his assets might appreciate.
Those lands and stocks, once seen as astronomically priced, would become priceless.
Even he might not be able to imagine the extent of the wealth and status he would achieve by then.
Furthermore, Lin Haoran also planned that, just before the Japanese economic bubble burst, he would slowly withdraw from the market — pocketing all the profits and leaving the debts behind for Japan to deal with.
As someone with knowledge of future events, he understood well that Japan's economic boom was an illusion.
When reality set back in, it would leave behind only ruins and a mountain of debt.
But what did that have to do with him?
He simply needed to enjoy the feast — and leave before the party crashed.
That was Lin Haoran's true reason for wanting to heavily invest in Japan.
At present, his Land Corporation, Wanqing Group, and Hong Kong Electric Group mainly focused on Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
In Japan, only a few small enterprises under Land Corporation had minimal business presence.
Thus, Japan remained largely an untapped market for him.
Previously, he had considered using Nintendo's influence — after a chance encounter with its president — to help enter the Japanese market.
Now, being directly invited by the Japanese government was a far superior entry point.
"Thank you very much, Minister, for the invitation. It's truly my honor," Lin Haoran said with a smile, his tone filled with genuine anticipation.
"Visiting Japan has long been one of my aspirations. I have always been highly interested in the Japanese market, especially now, when the opportunities are abundant.
I believe that through this visit, I can better understand Japan's market environment and thoroughly prepare for my investments."
"Excellent," Mr. Tanaka said warmly. "It would be our honor to have a distinguished entrepreneur like you visit. Please inform me in advance once you finalize your plans, and I will ensure that your visit is arranged with the utmost hospitality."
As he spoke, Mr. Tanaka reached into his suit pocket, carefully pulling out a business card and respectfully presenting it with both hands.
Lin Haoran accepted it with a smile, carefully examining it before placing it into his pocket.
He then took out his own card and politely handed it back.
The banquet continued until around nine in the evening.
After bidding farewell to Bao Yugang and his family, Lin Haoran and his parents left the Bao residence, heading home on foot.
Outside, bodyguards Li Weiguo and Li Weidong were already waiting near the villa.
Though Deep Water Bay was a wealthy district and appeared safe, it wasn't absolutely secure.
Incidents like the kidnapping of Li Chaoren's son were proof enough.
Thus, even for the short 200-meter walk, proper security was essential.
Despite Lin Haoran's current glory in the business world, he had undoubtedly made his share of enemies.
Even those he hadn't personally wronged might harbor ill will out of jealousy.
After all, not everyone liked seeing someone else's success.
Under escort, Lin Haoran and his parents safely returned to their villa.
Tonight, he wouldn't be returning to his house on Shixun Road.
Since he had come all this way back to Deep Water Bay, it only made sense to stay the night.
Reflecting on tonight's gathering, the biggest unexpected gain was undoubtedly meeting Japan's Foreign Minister, Mr. Tanaka.
In doing so, he had essentially established a vital connection within the Japanese government.
Moreover, as the Japanese Foreign Minister — or Gaimu Daijin — Mr. Tanaka held one of the most important cabinet positions in Japan, overseeing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, usually reserved for heavyweight members of the ruling party.
It was clear: Uncle Bao truly was Lin Haoran's lucky star.
Every encounter with Bao Yugang seemed to bring Lin Haoran unexpected opportunities and fortune.
This time, through Bao's introduction, gaining an ally as influential as Japan's Foreign Minister would undoubtedly open major doors for his future business ventures in Japan.
Returning home, Lin Haoran went up to his attic room.
Instead of rushing to shower and sleep, he opened the study — a room he hadn't entered in quite a while.
Sitting in a recliner, he began to think deeply.
The study was spotless — clearly cleaned regularly despite its disuse.
Lying back in the recliner, Lin Haoran closed his eyes, but his mind remained extraordinarily active.
He had always planned to invest in Japan.
The biggest hesitation had been the lack of personal networks there.
Japan was notoriously insular toward foreign investors.
For example, in the automotive sector, most Japanese buyers overwhelmingly preferred domestic brands like Nissan, Toyota, and Honda.
Even if foreign cars had better quality and designs, they struggled to gain meaningful market share.
This kind of protectionism permeated many industries, making it difficult for outsiders to penetrate the Japanese market.
Thus, while he had been cautiously optimistic about entering Japan, he knew it would not be easy.
Now, with Mr. Tanaka's backing, things would be much simpler.
"In Hong Kong, whether I'm here or not doesn't make much difference," Lin Haoran muttered to himself.
"Land Corporation, Hong Kong Electric Group, and Wanqing Group are all running smoothly and growing fast.
Maybe it's time I seriously consider going to Japan.
If planned properly, it would be like picking up money off the ground for years to come.
Compared to Hong Kong — a small market despite its rapid growth — Japan, with over 100 million people and a highly developed economy, offers prospects far beyond anything Hong Kong could ever match.
It's decided!"
Lin Haoran's eyes snapped open, his mind made up.
In the United States, he needed little active management — his Huanyu Investment Company there could quietly acquire shares in promising listed companies as planned.
But Japan was different.
Japan's development model, similar to Hong Kong's in many ways, especially its real estate boom, was something that couldn't be matched by the vast, sparsely populated U.S.
Thus, in Japan, his main focus would be real estate.
With the upcoming economic bubble, the returns would be astronomical.
Of course, he would need to start from scratch in Japan.
But that didn't deter him.
Land Corporation was already Hong Kong's largest real estate company.
If he brought an elite team from Land Corporation to Japan to lay the foundation, development would proceed much more smoothly.
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