An Investor Who Sees The Future

While I was in Berlin, invitations poured in from all corners.

Leaders of neighboring countries all expressed their desire to meet with me, and President Blanc grasped my hand, insisting I visit Paris.

There was also talk of attending the EU summit.

I was in the midst of a whirlwind of meetings with business leaders and politicians when a Japanese man paid me a visit at the hotel where I was staying.

His name was Okamoto Takeo.

He was none other than Japan’s Foreign Minister, the man in charge of the nation’s diplomacy. Known as Prime Minister Okazaki’s confidant, he was infamous for spouting all sorts of outrageous remarks concerning issues like comfort women and forced labor.

”It’s been a while.”

I feigned a surprised expression.

”I never expected to meet you like this in Berlin, of all places, not Korea or Japan.”

He probably hadn’t expected it either.I asked him, ”Do you happen to remember what you said to me when we last met?”

Foreign Minister Okamoto wore a bitter expression.

During the Nishida Securities incident, he had visited OTK Company, but I had turned him away at the front gate. As he got into his car, he’d told me I would regret it… but looking at the current situation, it seemed I, at least, wouldn’t be the one regretting.

”What brings you here?”

Foreign Minister Okamoto said, as if sighing, ”What is it that you want?”

Was it because he now believed the money and technology I possessed were my true power? His expression and attitude were vastly different from before.

”This isn’t something I started, so is what I want really important? What’s important is what Japan wants.”

”What the Japanese government wants is the swift recovery of Japan-Korea relations. The dispute between our two countries benefits neither.”

I agreed on that point.

”And what about the Nishida Securities order mistake?”

”There will be no further demands for compensation or apology at the government level.”

I nodded. ”That’s only natural.”

Given the existing Japanese Supreme Court precedent, I had no obligation to return it in the first place.

The reason they had kept pressing so hard must have been to shift their responsibility onto me, thinking they could recoup at least something.

It takes power to protect what’s yours. If I hadn’t had any, I would have returned the Toyota shares long ago, and in this current matter, I would have been the one to go and bow my head first.

”Then, we would now like to hear what CEO Kang Jin-hoo desires.”

I thought for a moment, then said, ”I don’t particularly want anything. However, as a citizen, I hope Japan-Korea relations return to how they were before.”

***

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi made an announcement to the press.

”For the development of Japan-Korea relations, Japan will proactively review the issues of comfort women and forced labor, and will continue to engage in dialogue. Furthermore, the Japanese government clearly states that it upholds and will continue to inherit the Kono Statement and Murayama Statement, which acknowledge responsibility for war crimes.”

The Blue House immediately welcomed Japan’s decision, responding that both sides should strive for friendly Japan-Korea relations. Prime Minister Okazaki called President Heo Chang-min, and the two spoke for nearly an hour, agreeing to hold a Japan-Korea summit as soon as possible.

As Japan, which had previously denied its past wrongdoings, shifted towards acknowledging responsibility, the President’s and the New Politics Party’s approval ratings soared.

Other opposition parties also issued welcoming statements. However, the Liberty People’s Party was unable to hide its bewilderment.

They had continuously criticized the government, claiming that raising past historical issues was causing national division, but now Japan itself had acknowledged responsibility.

Representative Yeon Nakyeong, who heard the news during a press conference, quickly changed her tune.

”I believe that the role of our Liberty People’s Party members was crucial in bringing about Japan’s change in attitude regarding the comfort women and forced labor issues. Despite the malicious and biased media coverage, the efforts of our party members to normalize Japan-Korea relations have led to this diplomatic achievement...”

Her utterly absurd remarks sparked outbursts from all sides, and the press conference hall descended into chaos. A banner fluttered above Representative Yeon Nakyeong’s head. It read: ’The LDP’s Return to Power in Japan and the Establishment of Prime Minister Okazaki’s LDP-Dominant System.’

- Huh? What did you guys do to try and take credit?

- What efforts did the Liberty People’s Party make?

- So, are you saying it’s all thanks to the Blue House and the New Politics Party?

- Nah, they didn’t do anything either, Kang Jin-hoo did it all~

- But what’s with that banner? That’s photoshopped, right?

- Of course, it’s photoshopped. Those pro-North leftist media scumbags. How dare they slander the patriotic conservative Liberty People’s Party with such a fake photo! They should be sued for spreading false information and thrown in jail immediately.

- LOL, you won’t believe it, but that’s real.

- Holy crap! Is that even possible? This isn’t the Japanese Diet.

- But Kang Jin-hoo is really something. Did he single-handedly get one over on Japan?

- Having capital and advanced technology is this important~

- LOL, he kept all that money, over 2 trillion yen, without paying a penny in compensation. Burp!

- If Kang Jin-hoo still had the Toyota shares, there might have been room for negotiation. But he sold them all on the market and took the money. It’s practically impossible to return it now~

- Poor Yeon-kazaki ㅜㅜ

- It’s time for the Liberty People’s Party to step up for Japan! They should all resign from their parliamentary seats in protest!

- That’s right! Representative Yeon Nakyeong should be the first to shave her head and lead an anti-government struggle!

After the announcement, Japan subtly lifted its sanctions, and container ships laden with materials and parts quickly crossed the Korea Strait.

As Japan-Korea relations entered a thawing mode, Russia and China also changed their stances. Rosatom decided to re-include Japanese nuclear power companies in the TWR project, and China toned down its anti-Japanese sentiment, once again permitting group tours to Japan.

European and American automakers, who had been watching the situation, resumed placing orders for parts with Japanese companies, and related businesses in Japan breathed a sigh of relief.

Japan, too, was generally welcoming, but only Kato Nakamura, president of the Japan Innovation Party, raised his voice to criticize Prime Minister Okazaki and Korea.

”This is Japan’s humiliating diplomacy! Aren’t you ashamed to bow your head to Korea? The sanctions should not be lifted until we receive an apology and compensation from Korea!”

Until now, his supporters had cheered such remarks, but this time, it was the opposite. After all, things are different when you’re the one doing the hitting versus when you’re the one getting hit.

A Japanese business association issued a joint statement strongly criticizing the Japan Innovation Party.

”What can possibly be gained from self-imposed sanctions?”

”Why continue sanctions that only harm Japanese companies?”

”Why don’t you understand that Korea is not the pushover it used to be?”

”President Kato should stop just talking and commit seppuku in protest!”

***

I received a call from Taekgyu.

[What? Why are you stopping already? Did Representative Yeon Nakyeong tell you not to push Japan into a corner, so you stopped?]

”...Did she say something like that?”

I hadn’t paid any attention to what the Liberty People’s Party was saying, so I didn’t know.

”It’s about time to stop, isn’t it? Ronald also told me to take it easy.”

Ronald had been forcibly preventing Washington’s political circles, influenced by Japanese lobbying, from intervening. If the dispute had escalated further, the United States would have stepped in to mediate.

[What a shame. It would have been really fun if this had gone all the way.]

”It probably wouldn’t have been much fun. Think about what happened during the Senkaku Islands dispute.”

In 2010, Japan arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain operating near the Senkaku Islands, and China protested vehemently.

The Chinese government, using its usual tactics, pressured the Japanese government by banning tourism to Japan and halting rare earth exports. Eventually, Japan released the Chinese captain without punishment. However, China went a step further, demanding a government-level apology and compensation, and Japan bowed its head.

Up to this point, it might seem like China achieved a perfect victory, but the reality was different.

The incident severely worsened relations between the two countries, and the Japanese people were enraged by what they saw as humiliating diplomacy. The approval ratings of the Democratic Party, which had barely managed to seize power, plummeted, eventually leading to the LDP’s return to power and the emergence of Prime Minister Okazaki.

From China’s perspective, it was a self-defeating move that brought down a government friendly to them. Moreover, realizing that China could use rare earth elements as a weapon to pressure Japan at any time, Japan diversified its import sources and developed technology to extract rare earths from e-waste, significantly reducing its reliance on Chinese imports. Furthermore, Japanese capital pulled out due to uncertainty, dealing a major blow to the Chinese economy.

If I hadn’t stopped, Japan, too, would likely have decided to see things through to the end. So, it was probably best to pretend to be swayed and accept the outstretched hand at this point.

”Even if Japan cries wolf, are they really going to collapse?”

Just as they say Korea is the only country in the world that underestimates Japan, Japan’s economic power is, in fact, on an unbelievable scale.

I mean, the GDP of an East Asian island nation is higher than that of Germany, the UK, and France. And it possesses a correspondingly massive domestic market.

It’s not a country that will easily falter just because it lags in nuclear power or automobiles.

No matter how you slice it, Japan is an important partner for Korea. This is true in diplomatic and military fields, but especially so economically.

Further deterioration of relations is not good for Korea either.

Trade is not a zero-sum game where one side’s loss is the other’s gain. Just as logistics create added value, trade brings significant benefits to both sides.

In fact, Korea played a large part in Japan becoming the world’s second-largest economy.

There was the Korean War boom, but after that, the Korean economy grew so tremendously that it was called the ”Miracle on the Han River.” From Japan’s perspective, a huge market had emerged right next door.

To put it bluntly, the profits gained from colonial exploitation pale in comparison to the profits gained through subsequent trade.

In reality, the colonial rule practiced by the great powers during the age of imperialism was not very profitable. There were considerable downsides, such as the costs of infrastructure development and administration in the colonies exceeding the benefits, or development in the home country being pushed aside due to focusing on colonial development.

Colonialism disappeared for the same reason slavery disappeared.

It’s better to pay wages and hire workers who work voluntarily than to use slaves who are unwilling to work, constantly looking for ways to escape, and require supervision. More importantly, slaves don’t consume, but workers enrich businesses through their consumption.

Similarly, it’s far more efficient to grow an economy and reap profits through trade than to plunder other countries at gunpoint through colonialism.

When a poor country becomes able to make a living, its people buy clothes, smartphones, and cars. And to use smartphones, base stations must be built; to drive cars, roads must be paved. That much of a new market is created.

Developed countries help underdeveloped and developing countries grow with various forms of aid, not because they are benevolent, but because it’s profitable.

Just like Korea, which once received aid from the U.S., is now an important American ally.

”It wasn’t just the U.S., but Russia never really intended to completely exclude Japan from the TWR project or let Japanese capital withdraw from the start. They were just playing along with me for a while to gain an advantage in economic cooperation and territorial disputes.”

Thanks to that, we achieved a mutually beneficial outcome. President Vysotsky is also very pleased with his significantly increased approval ratings.

Taekgyu smacked his lips.

[Tsk, well, can’t be helped then. So, are you going to stop the purchase negotiations with the Europeans too?]

”What are you talking about? That’s a separate matter. This is just the beginning for that.”

To reiterate, the trade deficit with Japan alone is 30 trillion won per year. Of course, since we process and assemble imported materials and parts and sell them to other countries for profit, it’s actually a net gain, but high trade dependence is a serious problem.

Regardless of how Japan-Korea relations turn out, my plan to diversify import sources remains unchanged.

Just as Japan diversified its import sources and developed new technologies when China banned rare earth exports, Korea needs to do the same.

With Japan lifting its sanctions, it’s now the European companies that are in a hurry. Korean buyers can now pit both sides against each other and sign contracts with whoever offers better terms.

[Oh! Smart!]

Actually, it wasn’t my idea.

”This was Hyunjoo noona’s idea, wasn’t it?”

Hyunjoo noona had predicted things would turn out this way and had also told me what to do next. It’s amazing how accurately she predicted it, as if she had foresight.

I guess not just anyone can be the Golden Gate branch manager.