Reinventing the Millennium

Since the Wikipedia revelations, the collective fraud scandal among Japanese companies has had far-reaching consequences.

To this day, many media outlets still write articles analyzing the rare and long-term consistent fraud by Japanese companies, and try to explain this commercial art behavior that is both concentrated fraud and exposed from different angles.

However, no matter what international public opinion is, no matter how investors around the world sue counterfeiting companies, Japan's administrative agencies are very ambiguous in handling this.

This counterfeiting confrontation with Nikon started by Xiong Xiaoge is remarkable, and it adds a less serious footnote to the behavior of "Japanese corporate counterfeiting". After all, Nikon only has a few customers for its lithography machines, unlike ordinary people. It has nothing to do with consumers and will not affect more groups.

So, why did the Tokyo Prefectural Prosecutor’s Office suddenly end up under the banner of “protecting the image of Japanese companies”?

To be precise, it is the Tokyo Prefectural Police Special Investigation Department. Its predecessor can be traced back to the "Concealed and Hidden Material Incident Search Department" established by MacArthur when he was in Japan. It was used to search for assets that the Japanese army plundered and concealed during World War II. It was later integrated into "Special Investigation Department".

The Special Investigation Department is subordinate to the District Prosecutor's Office, but Japan has only established this department in three cities: Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. In principle, its level is not high and it is administratively managed by the District Prosecutor's Office. However, its investigations are completely independent. The procedure is directed by the Chief of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office.

Such a low-level and high-authority department is like a sharp knife. The effect of using it is quite like cutting down the faint king at the top and cutting down the slanderous officials at the bottom.

However, Xiong Xiaoge couldn't figure out why the knife could be inserted into Nikon at this time.

Are you just a good CEO of Shiyi?

Is it just because you, Mr. Fang, have gathered small interest groups?

Is it just based on your looming collusion in counterattacking the short sellers?

As for the Nikon vice president's secret collection of money, Xiong Xiaoge quickly accepted it after the initial shock. Kong Guangtou's trip to Tokyo was probably a shady job.

Not only was the vice president of Nikon arrested for investigation, it was uncertain whether other people would receive money or not, or simply be paid.

Xiong Xiaoge was stunned for a long time, with thoughts rolling around freely in his mind, compiling several possible scenarios of the matter, but what he finally said was a prediction.

"If this is the case, the real progress of Nikon's division's business will be made public soon..."

Fang Zhuo had already drank a cup of tea while Lao Xiong was thinking about it. He nodded and said, "It's very possible. You have to trust the special prosecutors of the Special Investigation Department."

"It's such a big effort, it's really..." Xiong Xiaoge finally gave his own evaluation, "It's really unscrupulous."

Fang Zhuo glanced at Lao Xiong slightly. Lao Xiong might have thought this matter was complicated. In fact, the work was very simple, and it was more of a natural influence.

"I still have to thank you for your willingness to show up. China's number one investor can still be good at dancing." He also gave his own evaluation.

This time Xiong Xiaoge spent time and energy, and after he criticized Nikon, SoftBank's Masayoshi Son also spoke out in a biased manner, saying that "the truth becomes clearer with each passing day" and was unwilling to presuppose Xiong Xiaoge for no reason. Pigeon stance.

Of course, many things are intangible. SoftBank also participated in the investment in "Dada" domestically this time. Fang Zhuo did not meet Masayoshi Son, but only knew that they were very optimistic about the development of online ride-hailing.

Is this related to Son Zhengyi’s voice in the Nikon incident?

Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, things are going in the direction of helping Nikon reduce its burden.

No matter what the method of reduction is, it is still reduced...

As soon as the news of the Tokyo prefectural inspection came out, Nikon's stock price also fell.

The previous doubts and public opinions caused by Xiong Xiaoge did not shake Nikon's stock price at all, but as soon as the actual actions appeared, Nikon was involved in the fraud scandal as if it was the next Sony.

Why did the Special Investigation Department take away several senior executives of Nikon?

Is it because of fraud in the semiconductor business, or is there a problem in a more important business?

This is something that requires speculation, but judging from the previous fraud cases, it seems that there is no need to speculate.

Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Mitsubishi have all faked their products, so why doesn’t Nikon do the same?

Not fresh, not fresh.

Therefore, the decline in stock prices is nothing new.

Some European and American media have even begun to tease that another corporate executive in Japan is going to bow and apologize.

Of course, Nikon was suddenly attacked, and not everyone watched the situation suddenly turn around. The major newspapers were silent, and their own tabloids opened fire, giving the title "Enemy's special search department is here".

However, such reports were removed from the shelves due to pressure after only half a day.

The Special Investigation Department is targeting fraud to maintain image, and this time it is not just arresting Nikon people. It seems less targeted and more like a righteous charge.

As the target of the charge, Nikon's Vice President Akihiro Ono was very depressed.

He was sitting in Nikon's office when someone directly led by the Special Investigation Department broke in and captured him, and his heart immediately went cold.

However, the first thing Ono Akihiro thought of was not the PPT machine, but his own abnormal financial situation. The money he received from the consulting company three months ago was still in his account...

I don’t know if this process is rigorous or not, and whether it can prevent inquiries from the Special Investigation Department.

Adhering to the mood of giving it a try, Ono Akihiro spared no words in the face of the investigation, but only two days later he learned from the prosecutor that the consulting company had admitted to the fact that money was stuffed.

After all, he was not a person who often broke the law. After hearing the bad news, Ono Akihiro had no choice but to take it seriously. He first explained his own affairs clearly. He had some public powers privately granted to him, established several handbag companies, and took some public funds from Nikon.

As Ono Akihiro's personal problems became a breakthrough, the company's business behavior naturally had nothing to hide. In his view, there was no way around the slow progress of the precision equipment business.

Although Nikon has done a good job in PPT and has planned its technical route, EUV lithography machines cannot be directed at Nikon alone. Like light source technology, it was originally hoped that Gigaphoton, which also makes LPP light sources, could continue to promote technological development that meets the indicators. However, one of its shareholders withdrew its capital directly in 2011.

There are problems with the key light source technology. Cymer in the United States belongs to the ASML camp. It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw. What should Nikon do?

All I can do is... hold on.

Besides, Nikon is not trying to fool people with this thing.

Ono Akihiro was originally talking about the small problems in the precision equipment business. He believed that these should be understandable. Nikon's failure was not a matter of company strategy, but a biased referee and manufacturer, which directly excluded Nikon from the system. .

"Mr. Kondo, this is not intentional fraud by Nikon, it's just that the research progress is not as good as expected!"

"Moreover, ASML and the United States are responsible for Nikon's failure to perform as expected!"

"As long as we are given time, EUV can be made!"

Ono Akihiro was a little excited when he confessed to this point.

The prosecutor Shoichi Kondo who participated in the trial had no expression on his face and mentioned the public opinion issues of the past few days: "What's going on with Nikon and the Chinese Xiong Xiaoge?"

"Xiong Xiaoge is the president of IDG, a well-known investment institution. He believes that Nikon's precision equipment can be spun off for more focused development, and he is willing to invest funds in the new company. However, he regretted it when the cooperation was about to be concluded, thinking that we There are problems with the research and development of EUV equipment." Ono Akihiro told the truth, "Given his relationship with the chairman of Huaxia Ice Core, we all felt that he had no good intentions from the beginning and was just an intermediary channel for Ice Core Fangzhuo. "

"Why did he know that there were problems with the research and development of the equipment?" Kondo Shoichi asked.

Akihiro Ono was a little hesitant when he heard such a question. There are still different opinions within the company about this. He could only say vaguely: "It may be related to Intel. We had joint research and development with Intel, but later we did not continue to invest. If it weren't for the company Information has been revealed internally, and Intel may have speculation.”

Nikon has previously made two EUV1s, one installed in the Japanese chip alliance Selete, and the other installed in its own factory for use by Intel.

However, as ASML suddenly produced results, Intel also turned more to that direction. This move disappointed Nikon and also caused some loss of confidence in the research and development of EUV.

In short, a variety of factors have caused the current situation of Nikon EUV.

This matter should be understandable. It is just a small fraud at most. Slow research and development is not a lie.

Akihiro Ono described in detail the situation of Nikon's internal businesses. In the EUV lithography machine segment, which has attracted the attention of the Special Investigation Department, he also detailed Nikon's various difficulties and off-site factors.

However, when the Tokyo Prefectural Police Special Investigation Department announced the news, Nikon's slowness was regarded as a typical example, directly confirming the doubts raised by the president of IDG.

——Nikon EUV lithography machine is fake!

——Vice President Akihiro Ono accepted bribes, which may be related to IDG President Xiong Xiaoge!

——IDG President Xiong Xiaoge returned to China early just to avoid the investigation of the Special Search Department!

——Another counterfeiting company, where will the Japanese company go?

Since the Tokyo Prefectural Prosecutor's Office has taken action, it is natural to disclose the situation to the outside world and highlight its achievements. Ono Akihiro, who was the first to be broken through, confirmed that Nikon does have problems. Therefore, this time, the Special Investigation Department is on the right footing as always. Defeat evil with justice.

Many Japanese media have extensively reported on new corporate fraud, all worried about whether there will be a new round of fraud. In the mouths of some media, Nikon's EUV lithography machines are far inferior to ASML, and they are not as good as ASML. Basically, it is exchanging air for research and development, which is really a discredit to the country's manufacturing industry.

In this situation, in addition to driving the stock price lower in the secondary market, the Nikon Precision Equipment team is also under great pressure.

Tobi Ishikawa is a member of Nikon's extreme ultraviolet project team. He has been paying close attention to the reports since Xiong Xiaoge accused his company of fraud in R\u0026D. He also believes that the Chinese people are exaggerating. It can be said that we did not meet expectations, but we cannot say that we are completely fake. .

The R\u0026D and manufacturing of EUV are inherently difficult. Can the Chinese understand this?

Ishikawa Tobi was quite happy when he saw the media speaking for his family, thinking that he could get the understanding of his compatriots. However, when the vice president was arrested, subtle changes occurred in public opinion and the surrounding area.

When the Tokyo Prefectural Prosecutor's Office issued the initial announcement, subtle changes became more obvious.

In the past, Ishikawa Tobi received looks of respect from his neighbors, but in recent days, what he has seen is very complicated. From time to time, there are greetings similar to "Ishikawa-kun went to study the lithography machine again."

The frivolous or shady words hurt the proud Ishikawa Tobi. Who should be blamed for all this...

Blame ASML? Blame America? Blame the team? Blame yourself?

Ishikawa Fei was a little confused and at a loss.

On February 13, he received a call from a headhunter who politely introduced the interest of a Singaporean company and wanted to make an appointment to talk about new job opportunities.

The name of this Singaporean company is "Singapore Advanced Optics Institute".

From business divestiture to being criticized, to being confirmed by the District Attorney, and finally being the judge of public opinion, Ishikawa Tobi was under a lot of pressure, and he also had new considerations after hearing the departmental benefits promised by the Singapore company.

Or, can you really go to Singapore and give it a try?

Ishikawa Fei took the time to chat once and learned the details of "Xinguang Institute". However, when he saw the name "Yike" appeared in the shareholder position, he couldn't help but feel shocked.

How come there is Yike?

The company invested by Yike wants to recruit talents in the research and development of photolithography machines. Is there such a coincidence in the world?

Or is it that Shin Kong Institute has been paying attention to talents in this field, and this time it saw Nikon's fraud and came to poach people?

Ishikawa Fei didn't need to explain to the other side, he made up reasonable reasons for himself.

So, do you need to take advantage of such an opportunity?

Ishikawa Fei was hesitant. On the one hand, he was familiar with the company and his hometown, and on the other hand, he was unfamiliar with the competitive salary. However, Shin Kong was established not long ago, and the future may not be very stable.

Newspaper reports, public condemnation, the eyes of colleagues and neighbors...

Ishikawa Tobi took three days off and decided to fly to Singapore to see if this new "Shinko Institute" was reliable.

When he arrived in Singapore, he received warm hospitality from the Shin Kong Institute and...

During lunch, Ishikawa Fei noticed someone at the dinner table who seemed familiar.

"Have we met somewhere?" Fei Ishikawa felt the aura of his compatriot and asked directly in Japanese.

Sure enough, this is a Japanese.

"Ishikawa-kun, I am Shinji Kitamura. Maybe we met before when I went to Nikon. I used to be an employee of Gigaphoton, and I was responsible for optimizing the conversion efficiency of the jet system." Shinji Kitamura politely replied, "Now I am Work at Sunbeam Institute.”

Ishikawa Tobi was shocked. Gigaphoton is the light source supplier that cooperates with Nikon, and its own EUV's slowness also has its share of the credit.

"Why did you join the Shinko Institute?" Ishikawa Fei asked.

"With a good industrial environment and active R\u0026D investment, Shin Kong Institute recognizes me very much and is willing to respect me in terms of salary." Nobuji Kitamura's answer was relatively straightforward.

Sunbeam Institute respects people very much. How do you respect people?

Respected by salary.

Ishikawa Tobi's mood was complicated. Shinko Institute seemed quite ambitious, but... Nikon couldn't do it, so how could it be done here when it was just starting out...

He expressed this doubt tactfully.

"The longer the research and development cycle of Shin Kong, the longer the salary cycle of the respect I gain." Kitamura Shinji gave his own consideration.

Ishikawa Tobi was suddenly enlightened. From the time when Shin Kong Institute started to getting on the right track, this time will provide valuable respect. Naturally, the longer the better...