Reinventing the Millennium

From late September to early November, many well-known companies in Japan experienced intensive thunderstorms.

Infighting at Olympus revealed financial fraud, Sony's huge losses led to the resignation of its leader, and Takata airbags and Akebono brakes caused Japanese automakers to launch recalls around the world.

In addition, Kobe Steel leads the trend of customer self-inspection, Toshiba's century-old suspected fraud has not yet been resolved, Mitsubishi Electric and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have problems again, and at the same time, the world-renowned Panasonic and Sony compete for the title of No. 1 loss maker.

Oh, yes, there is also Kobayashi Chemical, whose own executives jumped out to expose the fraud.

Abnormal situations in Japanese companies are emerging one after another. The faces of senior executives bowing and apologizing are constantly refreshing the media pages, and a series of class actions have been launched around the world.

If it weren't for the plummeting stock prices of major companies, the evaporation of hundreds of millions of dollars in market value, and the plunge of the Japanese stock market, this would be like a performance art from the Japanese business field.

European and American public opinion was dumbfounded, and Chinese public opinion was dumbfounded, including Japanese public opinion... dumbfounded.

It stands to reason that everyone is broadly in the same camp, but...

The basis of all the turbulence is that many companies have really engaged in protracted fraud and suffered serious losses.

This is something that the Japanese media has always been unable to avoid. At present, they can only use "Don't generalize" to appeal to the trend of public opinion on multiple occasions. However, in China, the headlines have been inlaid with words such as "pain" and "darkness".

It's so painful!

Both Fopole and SEC have refuted the rumors!

Who is leading this great fraud? What's the purpose? And...how many fake companies are left that have not been exposed?

It is difficult to determine the mastermind behind the scenes, and many Japanese media even believe that there is indeed some kind of investigation by relevant US departments that cannot be announced. But things have already happened. The external factors are on WikiLeaks' side, but what about the internal factors?

"We invited Mr. Fang Zhuo, CEO of Yike Company."

Based on the current situation, TV Tokyo thought that the truth would become clearer and clearer, and saw Mr. Fang appearing in Tokyo as an external director of Sony, so they reconfirmed their invitation to be a guest on the program to discuss the situation of Japanese companies.

As the host introduced the identity of the guests, the warmest applause broke out.

The guests present today are all well-known. SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son has made very successful investments. Ghosn’s reforms at Nissan have won applause from both countries. Tadashi Yanai, the head of Fast Retailing Group, has also attracted much attention in Japan, but relatively Compared to the founder of Yike, the enthusiasm of the audience said it all.

Fang Zhuo stood up with a smile, waved to the audience and the camera, and then sat down and chatted with Sun Zhengyi next to him.

Invitations for programs in Japan have come to him from time to time since he was in New York, but actually talking about the situation of Japanese companies under the camera is really... heart-stirring.

While listening to the host's introduction, Fang Zhuo thought over the work of the Gasoline Man team in his mind. Mr. Kong, who had experienced two shootings, was still very cautious in doing things.

Today, in addition to the Four Kings of Success, there are also the Four Warriors of Failure who silenced the audience. They are all parties involved in recent incidents involving Japanese companies.

Woodford, the former CEO of Olympus, started the turmoil with civil unrest.

In addition, there is Kobayashi Chemical's whistleblower, Toshiba's defender, and Takata's criminal president.

The team behind this discussion show aims to "face failure head-on and talk about issues."

The four guests who did not receive applause looked heavy. Everyone had their own reasons for coming here, but it was still extremely uncomfortable to bear such an atmosphere at the scene.

"Everyone knows that our domestic companies have been experiencing high-profile disturbances recently. Since September, many top 500 Japanese brands have had problems, which is undoubtedly distressing."

"But behind these dense problems, do we also need to reflect on the nature and find solutions?"

"Ghosn led the reform of Nissan, Masayoshi Son invested in various industries, Masayan Yanai made the country's richest man, and Mr. Fang created Yike's success in the global market."

"We really hope to hear their perspectives on domestic companies and get inspiration from them."

Host Tobi Tokuda's formal opening remarks were sincere.

The four guests nodded slightly.

Tokuda Tobi did not mention the corresponding failure lessons of the other four guests, and directly threw the first question to Mr. Fang, the head of Yike: "Mr. Fang, I see that you are also very concerned about the recent fraud scandal. What do you think? Did you tell us?"

Fang Zhuo wanted to say a lot, but he chose the first sentence to say to Nissan's Ghosn: "I have always admired Mr. Ghosn's reforms of Nissan. I am here today and really want to know what is happening with the implicated Nissan company." idea?"

Frenchman Ghosn's reform of Nissan is a famous business case.

Later, as he was arrested in Japan and successfully escaped from Japan, both he and Nissan became more famous.

This time, Nissan is also one of the main forces in recalling cars by Japanese automakers.

Ghosn's polite smile froze when he heard this. Mr. Fang really knows how to talk.

He gave a statement consistent with the company: "Nissan will never tolerate quality issues. It is not only evaluating subsequent larger-scale recalls, but will also adopt stricter standards for suppliers."

Fang Zhuo immediately praised: "Actually, Nissan is the most commendable reaction in this incident. It found problems and solved them. Mr. Ghosn and Nissan have set an example for many companies. I am most concerned about the whole incident." It’s fraud related to driving safety.”

He frowned: "For example, Toyota, another Japanese car manufacturer, not only uses counterfeit suppliers, but is also the major shareholder of Sugon Brake. This makes me extremely shocked."

The meaning behind Fang Zhuo's words is obvious. Is it possible that a major shareholder like Toyota doesn't know about Sugon Brake's fraud?

Host Tobi Tokuda saw many viewers nodding along and quickly said: "Toyota has issued a statement. It is not clear about the fraud of Sugon brakes. It is Sugon's own behavior."

Fang Zhuo pointed at Takada Shigehisa, the head of Takata Corporation, who was sitting opposite him: "Takata Corporation has never admitted to fraud before."

This time, Shigeru Takada, who decided to face the public directly, saw that the spear was really pointed at him. He didn't know whether he should nod or stand up and bow. However, bowing now seems to have a negative effect.

Fortunately, the spearhead does not just poke at one person.

Fang Zhuo continued to point to Woodford, the former CEO of Olympus: "Olympus's Takeyuki Kukawa also said that he would sue Woodford."

He added: "Sony's previous second quarter financial report said that the situation was good. Well, Tokuda Tobi, do you think I should believe the statement from Toyota?"

It is true that major shareholders may not necessarily know the company's operating conditions because they may not be involved in daily operations, but in today's fraud scandal, Toyota's situation seems suspicious.

The credibility of the statement was reduced by the joint efforts of each company.

Tokuda Fei was speechless.

"Since we have to face the problem head-on today, I think the biggest problem that needs to be faced head-on is that we don't face the problem head-on." Fang Zhuo looked serious and interacted with Ghosn again, "Mr. Ghosn, what do you think?"

Ghosn, who was not interested in Toyota, smiled and expressed his attitude tactfully: "President Fang said so, I don't need to say anything anymore."

Fang Zhuo nodded: "Having said that, facing problems head-on does require a process. Just like Nissan, I noticed that the vehicle recall in the Chinese market was not started immediately before, but it seems that it is about to start now?"

Ghosn's expression paused again. Hey, Mr. Fang, where are you from?

He responded: "Actually, it's because we need to conduct a detailed assessment."

"So, I just said that Nissan is a model for responding to this incident." Fang Zhuozhi repeated what he just said, and then glanced at Shigehisa Takada of the Takata Company opposite.

Host Tokuda Tobi noticed Mr. Fang's glance and followed up: "What does Mr. Fang think of Takata's response?"

Takata Company is the highest-ranking member of the Four Warriors who failed today. It was directly the leader, Shigehisa Takada, who was involved. The reason may be to improve the public image.

Moreover, because Takada Shigehisa took over the company from his father, many public opinions also believed that he was a bit innocent and a bit of a scapegoat when he was caught in the whirlpool. It was the previous CEO who should come forward to apologize.

"To this day, Takata Corporation has not delisted because of the inaction of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the stock price has not dropped to 10% because of the luck of the speculators." Fang Zhuo said lightly, "Takata Corporation has no future, and bankruptcy is the only way out. For Takada Shigehisa to dare to appear here is not courage, but shamelessness."

No hesitation, no mercy.

This answer was beyond the expectations of the host, the audience and the guests. Is today's conversation going to be of such a sharp standard?

Takada Shigehisa couldn't sit still after being criticized. He stood up and bowed first, and then said: "Private Marseille, Mr. Fang, Takada has indeed let you down. We are dealing with the problem with the most serious and urgent mood."

"I neither bought your company's stocks nor the cars equipped with your airbags. What do you have to say to me?" Fang Zhuo said. "What you're sorry for are the innocent people who died in the accident because of your airbags. The investors who bought your stocks are the manufacturers who used your airbags. You bow to Ghosn better than you bow to me."

Shigehisa Takada had sweat on his forehead and immediately bowed to Ghosn again.

Fang Zhuo pointed from the side: "Please raise your hands if you have purchased models equipped with Takata airbags, so that Mr. Takata will notice your existence and that you are not numbers on the report, but real people just like him." People, let him know that in addition to bowing to important customers like Ghosn, he also bows to you."

Some viewers immediately raised their hands.

Shigehisa Takada straightened up and immediately bowed to the audience after hearing these words.

When he finished bowing this time, he bowed to the camera again without waiting for Mr. Fang to speak.

The camera captured Shigehisa Takada dripping with sweat.

After Takada Shigehisa bowed like this, he was already sweating profusely when he sat down. Seeing that Mr. Fang didn't speak again, he couldn't help but want to complete some restoration of the company's image: "I'm sorry, we will work hard and do our best. Remove cars equipped with substandard products..."

Fang Zhuo only listened to half a sentence before interrupting: "It's hard for me not to express my disgust for Takata and Mr. Takada, because among the several fraud cases I have seen, Takata Company is the worst. Even though the case has been reported by the media, Takata previously denied product problems and claimed in 2009 that it was a voluntary recall by the car company, which is an exception."

"In fact, the biggest reason why Takata uses ammonium nitrate as the gas generating agent for airbags is that it is cheap. Airbags are something that car owners may not be able to use for many years. Don't other equipment manufacturers know how cheap ammonium nitrate is? "

"Takata ignores the particularities of the company's industry for the sake of profit. The shamelessness and greed here are truly unforgivable."

"I really can't imagine how Mr. Takada tried to explain it in front of the camera."

Fang Zhuo made a suggestion: "If I were Mr. Takada, I would immediately go back to compensate customers and file for bankruptcy. This would not only make up for part of Takata's responsibilities, but also set an example for Japanese companies."

"If I were Mr. Takada, perhaps I would be saddened by the bankruptcy of my family business, but I would be filled with great courage for the development and elimination of Japanese companies."

Takada Shigehisa looked pale: "I, I, I..."

"Eradication of the evils of Japanese enterprises, eradication of long-standing business abuses." Fang Zhuo looked at the head of Takada in front of him, who had only taken over the family company for a few years, and said calmly, "Please start from Takada."

"Uh, uh..." Shigehisa Takada opened his mouth, his throat slipped, and he was unable to speak. The host even suspected that he was out of breath.

The whole place was silent.

Made in Japan is the pride of the world, and its image has been questioned for many years in the past two months. The audience was disappointed and pained, and naturally disgusted with Takata, which is one of the companies involved.

At this moment, with Mr. Fang's criticism, Takada, who was speechless and sweaty, received no mercy at all.

Takada Shigehisa felt everyone's gazes, and felt that the knife inserted in his heart seemed to be pressed hard on the handle by the man opposite him. He stood up with some difficulty, and he didn't know how many times he had bowed in this period.

"Hiyi."

Shigehisa Takada bowed deeply, stood up this time, turned around and walked backstage, ending this TV program.

The host Toda Tobi watched Takada Shigehisa leave and didn't try to persuade him to stay. He didn't know whether he should persuade him to stay. Today's program had an effect, but was the effect too strong?

Will Takata really go bankrupt? Takada Shigehisa was forced to have a caesarean section without going back, right?

Once Qian Chou was dissected, he could perfectly respond to Mr. Fang's questioning without having to bankrupt the company himself.

Tokuda Fei looked at the vacant guest position, and the other party said helplessly: "Mr. Fang, you criticized one of our guests..."

"Didn't you invite me here?" Fang Zhuo asked, "Didn't you let me say whatever I want?"

Tokuda Fei wiped his sweat, it was indeed the case, but he didn't expect Mr. Fang's demeanor to be so impressive.

Son Zhengyi, who was sitting next to him, also wiped his sweat for some reason. What happened? Sitting next to him like this, he was a little sweaty. (End of chapter)