Rebirth in Japan: The Heiress Who Conquered the World

She reached out and flipped the document back to the front.

”Is not the government preparing to discuss the security responsibilities of major enterprises? Saionji can actively support it.”

”We can even write the standards a bit stricter.”

Shuichi was somewhat surprised.

”Stricter?”

”Of course.”

Satsuki smiled.

”If you want to get the qualification, you need a 24-hour crisis center, a person in charge who has undergone unified training, regular reviews, backup lines for communications, and complete records for equipment and personnel deployment during major events.”

”That way, it will not sound like the government is opening a backdoor for Saionji.”

After she finished speaking, she remembered something else.

”Do not rush to touch automatic weapons for the special security qualifications either. Bringing it up too fast at a time like this will keep the people at the National Police Agency from sleeping collectively.”

”Let us start with a grading system for training, equipment imports, facility security, and personnel protection.”

”Once the framework is in place, if we really encounter matters that require expanding permissions in the future, it will be easy to add things to it.”

Listening and listening, Shuichi’s expression gradually became somewhat subtle.

He had already caught on.

What Satsuki said was ’making the system stricter.’

But her true meaning was to first turn that door into an official, government-recognized gate.

As long as the gate was left there, how wide it could be opened in the future was just a matter of time.

”What else?”

Shuichi asked.

Hearing this, Satsuki instead raised her eyes to look at him.

”Does Father also find it interesting?”

”I want to know how much money you plan to spend.”

”...”

Satsuki lowered her head nonchalantly.

”We will calculate this later.”

Shuichi immediately felt something was wrong.

”You speak first.”

”We do not even have a plan yet, how would we know the specific numbers?”

Satsuki turned the page.

”However, if the government is prepared to do cross-departmental crisis information collaboration, we can be responsible for the first batch of pilots.”

”What does this have to do with Saionji?”

”It has a lot to do with it.”

Satsuki picked up a pen and drew a few very simple boxes in the blank space.

”Why was this investigation slow?”

”The police have police data, immigration has immigration data, and customs, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and banks all have their own records.”

”When you need to check someone, everyone first makes a phone call, then sends a fax, then confirms the procedures, and finally can piece things together.”

She drew a few lines between the boxes.

”If there are major shootings, transnational crimes, or attacks on critical facilities in the future, there should be a dedicated rapid joint investigation system.”

Shuichi looked at the boxes she had just drawn on the paper.

”So you are planning to let SIS do this set of things?”

”Start with the pilot.”

Holding the pen, Satsuki added another line between two of the places.

”Odaiba is already doing the group’s internal data system anyway, so there is no need to touch the entire government right off the bat.”

”First connect SIS, Saionji Finance, insurance, and logistics, then find a communication company willing to participate, along with a government department with a genuine need.”

”Saionji will be responsible for equipment and technical personnel, and the government will be responsible for defining the rules clearly. Once the first set of things is truly running and proves that this method is more effective than calling everywhere and sending faxes now, it will not be too late to talk about expanding the scope.”

Shuichi nodded.

There was no particular problem with this train of thought itself.

But as he thought further along Satsuki’s words for a moment, he quickly noticed another problem.

”Equipment and technical personnel are handled by Saionji, so the first set of systems should also be built with our money, right?”

”Mm.”

Satsuki still kept her head down looking at the document.

”Since it is a pilot we proposed, the first batch will be borne by Saionji first.”

”The lines themselves do not use much, and the scope is not large. If we really have to wait for the government to recompile budgets, bid, and bring several departments together, who knows how long it will drag on.”

Shuichi originally just confirmed it casually.

Hearing this, however, he slowly frowned.

”What about the joint training you mentioned earlier? If we are going to have people from the police, banks, communication companies, and these designated enterprises train together in the future, we surely cannot continue to borrow SIS’s own venue.”

”So it is best to build a dedicated one.”

Satsuki raised her head.

She thought for a moment, as if estimating the scale in her heart.

”It does not need to be too big at the very beginning. Crisis communication, facility security, personnel evacuation, and medical rescue can all share the venue, and most of the equipment itself is already what we have. When you really calculate it—”

She paused for a moment.

”It should not be very expensive either.”

Shuichi looked at her.

Satsuki blinked and quickly added another sentence:

”Relatively speaking.”

The car was quiet for a moment.

The road outside had already entered the urban area.

The traffic on weekend mornings was a bit less than on weekdays, but when passing through several major intersections, one could still see quite a few pedestrians waiting on the roadside.

Someone noticed this black motorcade that obviously exceeded the specifications of an ordinary enterprise, and their gaze followed the vehicle in the middle all the way until the motorcade drove past the intersection before retracting it again.

Satsuki was completely oblivious to this.

Her attention was still on the document on her lap.

That training center just now obviously reminded her of another matter.

”Right.”

She picked up the pen again.

”We can also set up a dedicated public safety technology fund.”

Shuichi’s frown deepened a bit more.

”Saionji pays again?”

”The first sum can be borne by us.”

Satsuki answered very naturally.

”As for the specific amount, it cannot be calculated right now. It mainly supports technologies like communication, data processing, crisis medical care, personnel identification, and protective equipment.”

”Of course it would be best if the government is willing to fund it together; it does not matter if the budget is insufficient in the first few years. Anyway, Saionji itself will use many of these things as well.”

As she spoke, she flipped back to the page she had drawn on earlier.

The more she looked at it, the more she felt this matter could indeed be done.

”Besides, this attack has directly placed our medical support system in front of everyone.”

”Helicopters, trauma doctors, ambulances, and the entire emergency transfer system should not always serve Saionji alone forever.”

”In the future, if the police have special tasks or other major enterprises have major accidents, they can completely purchase this service as needed.”

”Connecting it with SIS’s crisis communication and computing power, if the government is willing to hand over the first batch of pilots to us, there are actually many things that can be put into it later.”

Hearing this, Shuichi finally raised his hand.

”Wait.”

Satsuki’s words stopped.

”What is wrong?”

Shuichi did not answer immediately.

He took back those pages Satsuki had written along the way and read them from beginning to end.

Anti-social forces screening was just one of the items.

Following that were the crisis management system for major enterprises, the cross-institutional information collaboration system, the public safety technology fund, the joint training center, and the medical support system already prepared for further expansion.

Some things could indeed be charged for in the future.

If some formed a scale, they could also bring long-term orders to Saionji’s communication, medical, equipment, and information industries.

But those were matters for the future.

Right now, the equipment had to be prepared by Saionji, the system had to be built by Saionji first, the technicians were SIS people, and the training center was also prepared to be funded by Saionji.

Now, Satsuki even planned to shell out the money to support the related technological research and development together.

This was not something that could be solved by casually taking a few billion yen to make a demonstration project.

Shuichi raised his head and looked at his daughter, who was still waiting for him to speak.

”Satsuki, I roughly understand what you are planning to do.”

”Mm?”

”But I still have one question.”

He placed those pages of paper between the two of them and gently patted them with his hand.

”What on earth is the use of these things to Saionji?”

Satsuki was stunned for a moment.

”Of course they are useful.”

”I am asking what Saionji can get from them.”

Shuichi glanced at her.

”After you have talked for so long, my biggest feeling hearing this is that whatever the government lacks, you are prepared to shell out your own money to fill it in for them first.”

”We buy the equipment, we build the system, we dispatch the technicians, and the training center is also our money. Now there is an extra fund.”

”You were not this generous when you spent money in the past.”

By the end of his speech, there was a bit more doubt in his tone.

”That is why I want to know, what on earth are you buying?”

”Banks re-screening violent group-related companies, I can understand this. We were originally prepared to take over the business left behind after those cleanups.”

”Expanding the security system can also make things a bit more convenient for S.A. in the future.”

”But what about the other things you just mentioned?”

”Building systems for the government, providing equipment for them, training people for them, and setting up funds with your own money.”

The more he talked, the stranger he felt.

”If you keep doing this, you will not see much income in the first few years, but instead, you will have to shell out money from Saionji’s account one by one.”

”The government lacks a system, would not it work to let the government buy it themselves?”

Satsuki looked at her father.

After two seconds, she suddenly smiled.

”Father.”

”Mm?”

”Do you think money is expensive to Saionji now?”

Shuichi was taken aback.

This question seemed to need no answer at all.

Just the summary of North American funds he saw in the hospital room two days ago had already given the word ’money’ a very strange meaning to Saionji.

More than 40 billion US dollars in realized profits were still lying overseas, and domestically they owned a large number of companies that continuously generated cash flow.

Even if he risked his old life to spend it every day, spending a few billion yen a day, he would not finish spending it until he grew old and died.

Therefore, what truly restricted Saionji from moving forward was long no longer how many zeros were left in the account.

Satsuki obviously knew the answer too.

”So, you see.”

The smile on her face became increasingly obvious.

”Money is the cheapest thing in here.”

Shuichi looked at her.

Satsuki spread out the documents in her hand again.

”If the government spends its own money to build the first set of systems, they can look for NEC or Fujitsu, and the next time they hold a public bidding, whoever is cheaper will replace whoever.”

”But what if the first set of things was built for them by Saionji?”

She tapped the boxes she had drawn earlier with her finger.

”SIS sends engineers in to help them decide how data is exchanged, how lines are connected, how equipment is authenticated, and who to look for first when problems arise.”

”Once the first batch of people get used to using it, when the second phase expands, can they completely bypass us?”

Shuichi’s gaze slowly fell onto those boxes.

Satsuki continued:

”Take crisis management for example.”

”The first batch of training facilities was built by Saionji, we participated in the teaching materials, and we also assisted in selecting the equipment. The heads of banks, airports, and communication companies all come here for training.”

”After a few years when a new batch of people changes, they will still come.”

”By then, whether Saionji sells those sets of equipment or collects that bit of training fee, is it that important?”

Her voice already carried obvious joy.

”And the standards.”

”As long as SIS participates in the first version of interface design, in the future when the government adds a new department, it must be compatible with the old system; when a bank changes a mainframe, it must also ensure that the original data can continue to be exchanged.”

”They can choose not to use Saionji’s machines.”

”But it is hard for them not to use the rules participated in and formulated by Saionji.”

Shuichi completely understood now.

Spending money for the government was just the most superficial thing.

Satsuki was using what Saionji lacked least right now in exchange for things whose prices could not be written on the balance sheet at all.

Qualifications to enter the government system.

Positions in participating in standard formulation.

Interfaces that long-term exist in the national security system.

As well as a kind of dependence that, once formed, would become increasingly difficult to replace over time.

She actually intended to make the government form a dependency on Saionji.

Satsuki obviously became happier the more she thought about it.

”Did not Father always say in the past that Saionji’s relationship with the government is too deep and sometimes very troublesome?”

Shuichi looked at her suspiciously.

”When did I ever say that?”

”Probably said it.”

”...”

”Anyway, the meaning is about the same.”

Satsuki quickly brushed past this question.

”But thinking about it now, a deep relationship is nothing at all.”

”Political figures will change.”

”Mr. Kaifu is Prime Minister today, but he will eventually step down in the future. The lawmakers who support us will also retire, factions will be recombined, and even bureaucrats who currently have a good relationship with us may be transferred to other positions in a few years.”

But the system will not be replaced so easily.

Nor will the standards.

Saying this, she leaned her body slightly forward, her black skirt hem draping down her knees.

”As long as the government begins to rely on the things provided by Saionji, our relationship with this country will no longer be just a few lawmakers, a few bureaucrats, or a few political contributions.”

”The police need our technology.”

”Banks conduct reviews according to the standards we participated in formulating.”

”Major enterprises use the crisis network we helped establish.”

”Saionji’s position is reserved within the nation’s communications, data, security, and medical rescue.”

Satsuki looked at Shuichi, her eyes carrying a sort of almost boastful smile.

”By that time, even if they want to kick Saionji out, they have to first think about what to do after lacking these things.”

Shuichi was silent for a long while.

”So the money you mentioned just now—”

”Admission tickets.”

Satsuki answered very briskly.

”Just spending a little money can reach our hands into places we could not get into at all originally.”

”It is very cheap.”

She thought for a moment, and then added with a smile:

”Once the government truly gets used to using it, Saionji will not just be a simple company or financial clique anymore.”

”By then, what we control will be the Japanese government itself—”