The Tyrant Billionaire

Who took it? Naturally, it was the high-ranking officials who split the assets among themselves.

This was only one instance; before the United States could exploit Japan, Japan first underwent a wave of internal consumption. The country's treasury, currency reserves, gold reserves, and essential materials—many of these assets vanished, so when the Americans arrived, they declared Japan's treasury depleted.

In truth, much of it had been hidden away.

The $60 million in investment that Robert Downey received wasn't even a large amount.

After meeting with fund manager Robert Downey, Hardy proceeded to encounter the chairman of an antique collateral loan finance company, the chairman of a gold-backed loan investment company, the owner of a real estate mortgage finance company, and the head of a land mortgage finance company.

At the event, these investment firm heads were actively networking with Japanese and American entrepreneurs, more enthusiastically than anyone else. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire

They even tried to draw each other into investing in their financial firms, without truly understanding each other's backgrounds.

They all had a single mastermind, yet they were unaware of the existence of other similar companies.

The only ones with complete knowledge of all these firms were Hardy and Henry.

Hardy watched all their movements, finding it rather amusing.

How amusing, indeed, that his economic forum had conveniently brought these swindlers together. But he was happy to see this happening.

Recently, these companies had been flourishing in Japan, advertising extensively in the newspapers, gaining more popularity than Japanese domestic firms.

Every so often, they would announce their latest earnings.

Initially, many Japanese citizens remained cautious. However, seeing others profiting handsomely, more and more people became tempted.

Those with capital invested in the funds.

Those with antiques used them as collateral.

Those with gold used it as collateral.

Even those without these assets often had real estate or land, which could also be used as collateral. The funds from these mortgages then flowed into investment companies.

Recently, Wells Fargo reported to Hardy that the mortgages from these companies had reached around $300 million.

With continuous promotional campaigns, Japanese society as a whole entered an investment-driven era. Watching others mortgage their assets and earn money non-stop, people who held back felt almost foolish, leading many to mortgage their only assets.

Now in Japan, whether working in offices or running businesses, everyone was discussing stocks, futures, the U.S. stock market, and even specific stocks and emerging industries.

It was as if they were all investment experts.

The Japanese people's enthusiasm for investing had been fully ignited, marking the beginning of an era of nationwide investing.

Around the heads of those collateral finance investment companies, there were Japanese entrepreneurs, bankers, and even government officials.

These figures, full of pride, confidently discussed the bright future of the U.S. stock and futures markets.

A faint smile crossed Hardy's face.

The more influence they gained, the more money they amassed, and the more he earned. When the bubble burst, the damage to Japan's economy would be greater. Yes, there would definitely be people who wouldn't accept reality and might jump from buildings. But this is war—an economic war, which in essence is no different from a real war, with casualties and sacrifices.

The first economic forum was a major success, and the following day, reports of the conference made headlines, with headlines that excited many Japanese citizens.

"Japan's Economy Expected to Return to Its Best Period."

The article covered the Prime Minister's report on the national economic situation and Hardy's speech, followed by an analysis of Japan's future economy. With U.S. investment, Japan's economy indeed showed explosive growth.

This year's GDP was expected to reach 80% of prewar levels, with hopes of matching Japan's historical peak in the coming years.

This was not mere empty talk.

Japan's economic situation was indeed promising; however, few were aware of the underlying factors. The nation's major banks and corporations were now under American control, with the biggest beneficiaries being American companies.

In fact, a similar scenario unfolded later in South Korea where many well-known private companies were backed by European, American, and Japanese capital.

While the GDP figures appeared impressive on the surface, most of the profits were being taken by foreign interests. Finance is also a form of warfare, one that has never ceased.

The latter part of the article highlighted American financial investment companies, noting that the heads of these firms had all attended this year's forum. Not only were citizens investing in these companies, but many Japanese banks and businesses were also leveraging these financial firms, signaling Japan's entry into the investment era.

Japan had not yet restored its stock or futures markets, but through these financial companies, people could engage in financial investment, and the profits came from American funds.

This line carried a somewhat inciting tone, suggesting to the Japanese people that they could profit from the Americans—a subtle psychological form of revenge, letting the Americans work and generate wealth for them.

AN (Keep in mind that psychological attacks are executed by experts. So, every time you feel a hint of excitement when making a deal, check again—you might already be falling before you realize it.)

Time quickly passed, and June arrived.

The Japanese Singing Competition began its auditions, making the ABC Tokyo Television Tower lively and bustling, with countless people coming to participate in the auditions.

According to the television station's statistics, Over 3,000 people had registered.

Every evening, the television station broadcasted the audition proceedings, drawing the attention of the entire Japanese population to the singing competition.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Misora Hibari, I'm 13 years old, and I come from the Isogo Ward of Yokohama City," a little girl said sweetly to the camera.

"My name is Aoki Aiko, and I come from Tokyo," a pretty girl said, bowing to the camera.

"My name is Saotome Masako."

"I'm Araki Yumiko, from Saga in Kyushu."

Hardy, however, paid little attention to the background noise of various affairs. He had once again traveled to Hong Kong, this time with the purpose of inspecting the progress of his business ventures and developments.