Two warm white spotlights converged on the center of the main stage.
The relentless clicking of camera shutters and the blinding white pulse of flashbulbs fused together, turning the front rows of the hall as bright as day. The commotion from the media section lasted nearly half a minute.
It ended only when the current Prime Minister, Kaifu Toshiki, stepped forward and positioned himself directly before the microphone, which had just crackled with static.
He raised his right hand, palm down, and made a pressing gesture toward the frenzied reporters below.
Several special security personnel at the edge of the stage moved in at once, using their bodies to form a deterrent line that blocked the front row of the media area from filming further.
The frequency of the flashes dropped sharply. The sound of shutters receded like an ebbing tide. The hall fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop would have been heard.
The two spotlights met at the edge of the wooden podium.
Kaifu Toshiki placed both hands on the sides of the lectern and stood upright, facing the hundreds of zaibatsu leaders and bank executives who controlled the lifeblood of Japan's economy. The guests composed themselves. Hundreds of eyes fixed on the nation's highest executive.
Kaifu adjusted the microphone slightly.
"Pillars of the financial world, good evening."
His voice was steady, carried evenly to every corner of the hall by the matrix speakers mounted in the four corners.
"Tonight, my schedule originally called for handling government affairs at the official residence. However, after learning that Saionji Industrial was spearheading this dinner to provide relief for unemployed workers, I changed my plans at the last minute. I came uninvited."
He pressed both hands against the sides of the podium, his gaze level as he looked at the business titans in the front row, their expressions varied.
"I stand here on behalf of the Cabinet and the Ministry of Finance. We wish to express our sincere respect to the entrepreneurs present who have stepped forward and proactively shared the social burden while the national economy faces turbulence."
That flawless opening packaged sudden political pressure as commendation for the financial world. After a brief pause, Kaifu's tone grew heavier as he cut to the point.
"Recently, the macro-policy adjustments jointly implemented by the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan were meant to eliminate irrational speculative elements in the market and guide the fundamentals of the national economy back to a sustainable, steady growth track.
During this critical cycle of structural adjustment, some small and medium-sized enterprises have faced short-term cash flow difficulties because of excessive leverage. That is the inevitable pain of industrial upgrading."
"However, the Cabinet will never stand by while grassroots employees are displaced by corporate bankruptcies. Maintaining overall social stability and guaranteeing the basic livelihood of our citizens is the government's responsibility.
At the same time, it is also a national responsibility that must be borne by the major financial institutions and zaibatsu enterprises that enjoyed the dividends of the past five years of economic prosperity."
He leaned forward slightly, his hands tightening on the edge of the podium.
"Tonight's dinner is a concentrated review by the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet of the financial world's sense of social responsibility and loyalty.
The government hopes to see that, at this moment when the national economy faces the test of transformation, each of you will demonstrate accountability matching your scale and overcome these difficulties together with the government."
The moment he finished, a dense barrage of camera shutters erupted from the media section in the front row.
Kaifu Toshiki stepped back half a pace, yielding the microphone.
Saionji Shuichi stepped forward. He faced the guests and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"The Prime Minister's instructions are engraved in the hearts of the Saionji family."
Shuichi's voice was deep and resonant, carrying above the brightly lit hall.
"As a co-initiator of this relief fund, the Saionji Group should naturally set an example in this collective effort."
He raised his right hand and extended his index finger.
"The Saionji Group will inject ten billion yen into the designated account of the joint relief fund."
Shuichi paused for half a second before delivering the final three words.
"In pure cash."
A collective intake of breath swept the room.
The instant that astronomical figure landed, the flashes below the stage exploded into a frenzy. The blinding white light merged into a sea of illumination, making Shuichi and Kaifu Toshiki, standing side by side, appear imposing and unassailable.
Ten billion yen. In pure cash.
In the outer areas of the hall, several presidents of mid-sized real estate companies went weak at the knees and could barely hold their champagne glasses. One man even loosened his tie and gasped for air.
The figure Shuichi had thrown out could not be matched by all the small and medium-sized enterprises in the hall combined. What it truly established tonight was a harsh yardstick: each company would be expected to bleed according to its size.
In a public setting personally overseen by the Prime Minister, the initiator had put forward ten billion yen in hard cash. If the zaibatsu titans and bank executives at the top only offered a billion or so as a token gesture, the media would brand them as "resisting the national bailout" by tomorrow.
For the small and medium-sized business owners on the periphery, already mired in debt, this was even closer to a death sentence.
The giants at the top were cutting off their own limbs to minimize losses. If the smaller players tried to buy peace with a few million yen in spare change, they would inevitably invite a stricter tax audit from the Ministry of Finance. They would have to empty their last reserves—selling machinery, mortgaging property—just to meet the passing grade.
The Saionji family wanted them dead.
...
At the junction of the Seibu Group's seating area and the Fuji Bank buffet table, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's fingers stalled midair as he held his wine glass. The golden surface of the champagne rippled, and a few tiny bubbles burst against the glass.
The smile on Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's face did not fade, but his grip tightened visibly.
Ten billion.
Ruthless… that girl…
If the Seibu Group matched that figure tonight and put ten billion in cash on the table, the daily cost of special heavy oil for the Hokkaido Gokurakukan, plus several short-term bonds due next month, would drain Seibu's liquidity completely. By tomorrow morning, the capital chain of his vast empire would suffer a substantial rupture.
He absolutely could not withdraw that money from Seibu's current accounts.
But he also could not back down in front of the Prime Minister and the media. He had to maintain the face and social standing of the "Seibu Emperor."
Holding his glass, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki swept his gaze across the crowded room.
Within seconds, he needed to find a wallet large enough and unwilling to refuse him publicly in this setting.
His gaze passed over several sweating trading company presidents and locked onto Vice President Kagawa of Fuji Bank, standing at the edge of the buffet table.
Hmm… isn't this our good partner?
A sharp glint crossed Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's eyes. He strode toward the buffet.
Kagawa was holding a goblet, wondering how to package the remaining few hundred million in discretionary funds on the branch's books to look presentable. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that tall, oppressive figure approaching.
Before Kagawa could react, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki was at his side.
Under the focus of more than a dozen cameras and lenses, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki reached out with his left arm and pulled Kagawa's shoulder close. Their bodies were pressed together in an intimate posture.
Tsutsumi Yoshiaki raised his champagne toward Kaifu Toshiki on the main stage and toward the entire media presence.
"Prime Minister!"
His powerful voice drowned out the surrounding noise.
"The Seibu Group will fully respond to the Cabinet's call. To demonstrate our confidence in the fundamentals of the national economy, the Seibu Group has decided to jointly establish the 'Sei-Fuji Revitalization Fund' with our most solid strategic partner—Fuji Bank."
(Note: Fuji Bank was one of the Seibu Group's "main banks.")
Ah? No… no, I don't want to!
Kagawa felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body nearly petrified on the spot, but his reason screamed at him to get away.
He subconsciously tried to break free from Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's arm.
But Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's grip tightened, pinning the vice president even closer to his side.
"We will jointly inject fifteen billion yen into this fund!"
The hall erupted again in thunderous applause and a barrage of flashes.
Vice President Kagawa froze.
Cold sweat beaded at his temples. The business smile on his face stiffened into a plaster mask.
He felt a little bit dead.
Tsutsumi Yoshiaki could not produce that much cash. He was forcibly dragging Fuji Bank into sharing the cost of this sky-high donation. By the literal meaning of "joint investment," 7.5 billion in hard cash would have to be transferred from Fuji Bank's accounts.
Even more fatal was that Tsutsumi Yoshiaki had completed the political binding of "Seibu Group and Fuji Bank are in the same boat" under the witness of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance officials, and the national media.
If Kagawa declined now, citing the need to consult the board, he would be publicly slapping the current Prime Minister in the face and defying the national bailout consensus.
But if he stayed silent and accepted by default, then tomorrow, when the Ministry of Finance issued tightening orders and required major banks to clear high-risk real estate credit, Fuji Bank would lose all legal and moral standing to forcibly call in loans from the Seibu Group.
You established a joint charity fund with them in front of the Prime Minister last night, and this morning you send legal counsel to seize their assets? The Ministry of Finance's auditors would come for Fuji Bank first.
Tsutsumi Yoshiaki was using Fuji Bank's money to buy himself a death-exemption medal from loan recalls, right in front of the political meat grinder.
"Vice President Kagawa, for our shared social responsibility."
Tsutsumi Yoshiaki turned his head and smiled as he clinked his glass against Kagawa's.
The crystal rang out, crisp and clear.
Kagawa swallowed dryly and raised his glass, stiffly completing the poisoned toast before the cameras.
...
More than ten meters from the buffet table, beside a champagne tower, Mitsubishi Group Supreme Advisor Iwasaki Hiroya and Mitsui zaibatsu leader Yagi stood side by side, coldly watching the kidnapping drama unfold.
Yagi chuckled, his finger tracing the rim of his wine glass.
"Tsutsumi Yoshiaki still can't shake his crude methods. Extorting his main bank in public… the behavior is unsightly." Yagi took a sip of red wine.
"He may have saved his cash flow for now, but he's completely offended Fuji Bank. Once the heat dies down, Kagawa and his people have plenty of financial means to trip him up in secret."
Iwasaki Hiroya folded his hands over the top of his sterling silver cane. He looked at Kaifu Toshiki and Saionji Shuichi on the high platform.
"In the face of survival, methods don't matter. What matters is that he did transfer the risk."
Iwasaki leaned on his cane and calmly stepped toward the main aisle in the front row.
"However, facing the cash trap set by the Saionji family, simply handing over money is ultimately an inferior move."
He stopped three meters from the stage. The surrounding guests parted for the supreme helmsman of the Mitsubishi Empire.
Iwasaki straightened his back and bowed slightly toward Kaifu Toshiki.
"Prime Minister."
Iwasaki's voice was low and magnetic, reaching the entire venue.
"The generosity of the Saionji family and the Seibu Group is indeed a model for the financial world. However, the Mitsubishi Group believes that while pure cash relief solves immediate needs, it easily breeds dependency and cannot fundamentally resolve the wave of unemployment caused by the bankruptcy of small and medium-sized enterprises."
He raised his right hand and presented Mitsubishi's solution in a calm tone.
"The Mitsubishi Group is willing to provide more constructive assistance. To stabilize overall employment, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation will recruit five thousand skilled technical workers nationwide who have lost their jobs due to corporate bankruptcies."
Iwasaki looked around the room and announced the staggering figure.
"The Mitsubishi Group will establish a special fund of twenty billion yen. All of it will be used for internal pre-employment training, placement, and welfare distribution for these five thousand new workers."
A wave of exclamations rose from the crowd.
Shuichi stood on the stage and watched Iwasaki Hiroya below. A flash of admiration crossed his eyes.
This old fox, weathered by decades in the sea of business, had delivered a solution far superior to Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's.
And this was part of the "foundation" of old zaibatsu like Mitsubishi. The most important factor was that they had their own bank.
Iwasaki's twenty-billion-yen donation was, in reality, moving money from Mitsubishi Bank's left hand to the right hands of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation.
The twenty billion would remain entirely on the books of Mitsubishi Group's own subsidiaries and training institutions. Not a single yen of liquid cash would actually leave the Mitsubishi system.
Not only did it evade the cash-flow bleeding trap set by the Saionji family, it also used five thousand jobs to earn the highest possible political reputation and social goodwill in front of the nation.
A flawless internal circulation of the zaibatsu.
But then again… Satsuki hadn't expected this trap to inflict real damage on these zaibatsu anyway.
Shuichi stepped forward and gripped the microphone stand again.
He smiled and raised his glass, toasting Iwasaki Hiroya from a distance.
"Iwasaki-dono's pragmatism and foresight are truly admirable. It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. The Mitsubishi Group has provided an excellent relief model for the financial world."
Shuichi's tone was gentle as he smoothly drew Prime Minister Kaifu into the conversation.
"Since this is a national-level relief action personally witnessed by the Prime Minister, to ensure absolute transparency of the donations and to give the public a clear account, the Saionji Joint Fund is willing to provide full assistance."
Shuichi looked at Iwasaki and delivered his counterattack.
"The Saionji family will gratuitously dispatch professional financial audit and human resources supervision teams to be stationed at the major core factories of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation. They will assist with—and 'supervise'—the salary payments and the implementation of special funds for these five thousand workers."
The smile on Iwasaki Hiroya's face faltered slightly.
Shuichi's move struck directly at the Mitsubishi Empire's most sensitive weakness.
The internal financial operations and personnel scheduling of the Mitsubishi Group had always been an extremely closed black box. Shuichi was using "public transparency" in front of the Prime Minister as leverage to openly plant Saionji family eyes and auditors inside Mitsubishi's most critical heavy-industry factories.
Under the flashes of hundreds of media outlets and the Prime Minister's gaze, refusing this "free supervision and assistance" would be tantamount to an admission of guilt. It would announce to the world that the twenty billion yen was just financial sleight of hand.
There was no room to retreat.
Iwasaki Hiroya quickly adjusted his expression. He took a glass of red wine from a passing waiter's tray and raised it slightly toward Shuichi on the stage.
"The Saionji family's enthusiasm is naturally something the Mitsubishi Group is happy to accept."
The two men toasted each other from across the surging crowd.
Under the incessant flashes, they completed a bloodless exchange of interests.