Chapter 493: Acquiring the First Skyscraper in Tokyo!
Japan, Tokyo, Chuo Ward, in a 19-story building, Lin Haoran, Kenneth Ho, and Zhao Xin were sitting inside a small office.
This was Land Corporation's office in Japan — modest, with only a little over 200 square meters of space.
In Hong Kong, it wasn't even as big as Lin Haoran's private reception room.
Previously, Land Corporation's business in Japan was limited, with only about twenty employees stationed here, so there had been no need for a larger office.
But now, with plans to expand aggressively and a significant increase in staff, a bigger headquarters was a must.
Chuo Ward was Tokyo's most prosperous and central district, home to the city's core business district.
Their office was located on the 16th floor. Through the glass windows, Lin Haoran could see the Imperial Palace about a kilometer away, with the bustling cityscape of Tokyo stretching before him.
The vibrancy and clamor of Chuo Ward seemed sealed behind the glass, leaving only tranquility and grandeur within sight.
Lin Haoran's gaze passed over the golden rooftops of the Imperial Palace and drifted across the dense spread of mid-rise and low-rise buildings.
He couldn't help but feel a tinge of emotion.
Compared to Hong Kong, Tokyo's urban skyline was much less dramatic.
The reason was simple — Tokyo, despite being a major international city, wasn't short of land.
Thus, high-rise buildings weren't as numerous, especially in the city center.
Currently, the tallest building in Asia was located in Tokyo — Sunshine 60 Tower — but it wasn't even in Tokyo's traditional downtown core.
It stood northwest of central Tokyo, in the Ikebukuro commercial area.
By contrast, Tokyo's famed Ginza district had relatively few skyscrapers.
Because of this, even from just the 16th floor, the view was impressively expansive.
Tokyo's urban planning emphasized blending tradition with modernity, rather than pursuing clusters of high-rises like Hong Kong.
In the 1970s and 80s, Hong Kong's economy had exploded, its population was dense, and land was incredibly scarce.
Skyscrapers shot up like bamboo after rain.
Thus, Hong Kong's skyline in the late 20th century far outshone Tokyo's.
Still, Tokyo had its own charm.
Yesterday afternoon, Lin Haoran had met with the Prime Minister at the Kantei.
The Japanese leader warmly welcomed him and stressed that Japan was a prime destination for investment.
Lin Haoran expressed that after his inspections, he was very interested in investing heavily across infrastructure, trade, manufacturing, and finance.
The Prime Minister promised to provide him with favorable policies and even told him,
"If you encounter any problems while investing in Japan, you can call me personally."
Such a direct promise left Lin Haoran somewhat amazed.
It reminded him of his visit to the United Kingdom, where he had also been treated with great respect.
By contrast, during his time in the United States, no government official had even met with him.
The conversation concluded with the signing of a preliminary investment agreement, marking the formal beginning of Land Corporation's large-scale investment in Japan.
With the Japanese government's backing, Lin Haoran felt even more confident about succeeding here.
"Boss," Kenneth Ho spoke, handing over some documents,
"after these two days of field inspections, combined with information from our Tokyo office, I recommend we immediately purchase a building here to serve as our headquarters."
"After negotiating with several real estate agencies, I've identified a 28-story skyscraper near Ginza.
The owner, originally in the export business, has suffered heavy losses over the past two years and is now desperate to sell."
"This building stands out in the Ginza area. It's relatively tall and is currently on the market.
The initial asking price is about 16 billion yen, but I believe there's room for negotiation."
"To put things in perspective," Kenneth continued,
"Tokyo's average property prices are currently about half those in Hong Kong."
"If Tokyo's real estate market rises as you anticipate, this is a very favorable investment."
Lin Haoran quickly did the math.
At the current exchange rate of about 1 HKD to 40 JPY, the 4 billion HKD he brought over was worth roughly 160 billion yen.
Thanks to Citibank's Hong Kong branch, his funds had already been exchanged and transferred to Citibank Tokyo.
Flipping through the materials, Lin Haoran saw that the building was quite new, completed in 1975 — only six years old.
Although it sat on the outer edge of Ginza, it was still within Ginza's boundaries.
Acquiring such a property for only 16 billion yen — roughly 4 billion HKD — was an absolute bargain.
If this building were in Central, Wan Chai, or Causeway Bay back in Hong Kong, it would easily be worth over 1 billion HKD.
Tokyo's Ginza district was the heart of Japan's most expensive commercial zone.
Acquiring a building here, just before the economic bubble, promised astronomical returns.
Was there any investment simpler and more profitable than real estate during a boom?
Hardly.
"Such a prime location, and it's been on the market for over a month without a buyer?" Lin Haoran asked, a little surprised.
Clearly, while Japan's economy was strong, it hadn't yet entered the frenzied phase of the bubble.
Most people simply couldn't foresee the insane growth that lay ahead.
"Inquiries have been made," Kenneth explained,
"by several well-known Japanese companies, but they found the price too high and negotiations stalled.
Also, the owner is desperate to sell — meaning if the price is right, we can close the deal quickly."
Lin Haoran nodded thoughtfully.
"Good. Let's take it," he said.
"Of course, if we can negotiate the price down, even better.
We shouldn't compare Tokyo's prices directly to Hong Kong's.
We need to evaluate everything based on local standards."
"Also, once we secure the building, we'll immediately establish Land Corporation Japan Branch."
"I want a grand opening ceremony, inviting top Japanese elites.
That'll also be your time to shine, Kenneth."
"I won't be staying in Japan forever.
The future of our business here depends largely on you."
"Building connections with Japan's political and business leaders will be crucial for your success."
"I have high expectations for you — don't let me down."
Kenneth Ho listened solemnly and nodded.
"Boss, don't worry.
I will give it my all to develop Land Corporation's operations in Japan.
This opportunity is priceless."
Lin Haoran looked at Kenneth with satisfaction.
He knew that this young man had rare commercial vision and leadership potential.
Patting Kenneth's shoulder encouragingly, he added,
"Very good.
I trust you.
Handle the building negotiations personally.
Show our sincerity and strength if needed, but secure the best possible deal."
Kenneth's greatest strength was negotiation —
and Lin Haoran trusted him fully.
Sure enough.
Two days later, on February 11th, Lin Haoran received Kenneth's excited phone call.
"Boss, great news!
After two days of intense negotiations, we've secured the building for 13.8 billion yen!"
Lin Haoran couldn't help but smile.
13.8 billion yen — roughly 3.45 billion HKD —
far lower than the original asking price, and even lower than Tokyo's market averages.
Kenneth had not disappointed.
In just two days, he had closed the deal — and saved 2.2 billion yen.
Although a few tens of millions HKD wasn't a huge sum for Lin Haoran,
every small victory accumulated into massive gains over time.
Thus, securing this skyscraper officially marked Land Corporation's launch in Tokyo.
Lin Haoran had chosen to operate under Land Corporation's name rather than founding a new company for a simple reason:
Land Corporation was now a fully private entity —
meaning all its future profits were directly his.
Moreover, with Ma Shimin and Kenneth Ho at the helm, he was confident in the company's future.
Also, since he planned to pull out before Japan's bubble burst,
it would be much easier to liquidate assets through a branch office.
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