The Tyrant Billionaire

Now he had truly angered the big shots in the financial world. He had initially hoped to run for president again, but with the seven major conglomerates against him, who would fund his campaign?

MacArthur now regretted his earlier decision.

He should have just handed over the factories.

Now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Before he could finish lamenting, a third telegram arrived. "General, it's from President Johnson."

In the telegram, Johnson used a harsher tone, instructing MacArthur to immediately return the factories to the seven conglomerates. Furthermore, he warned MacArthur not to interfere with Japan's economic activities in the future, as Hardy was in full control of that sector.

Although MacArthur was prideful, he knew he had angered too many powerful people, and if he wanted to maintain his position, he had to back down.

He called for his aide.

"Notify the military that is guarding the factories to allow the conglomerates to take possession. Also, call Hardy's office and tell them they can take control of the factories."

After saying this,

MacArthur crumpled the three telegrams into a ball and threw them into the wastebasket.

Since becoming the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan, he hadn't been treated like this in a long time. In Japan, whether it was the emperor or the prime minister, they all showed him the utmost respect.

When Hardy's office received the call from the military, informing them they could take possession of the factories, Hardy smiled at the report.

"So, even the proud MacArthur knows when to admit defeat. I thought he'd try to stand up to the seven conglomerates."

MacArthur was politically naive, but he wasn't truly foolish.

He was just one of many generals the U.S. military had stationed abroad, and he wasn't irreplaceable.

Hardy ordered his team to take possession of the factories. This time, the U.S. military was much more cooperative. After verifying the necessary documents, they handed over the factories and immediately withdrew. The factories were now fully in the hands of the seven major conglomerates.

These military-industrial factories were all part of Japan's heavy industry.

Kawasaki Steel, Kobe Steel, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Shinko Copper, Yokosuka Shipyard, Mitsubishi Tooling, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi Aircraft Manufacturing, Mitsui Heavy Industries, Sumitomo Chemical, Maruzen Petrochemical…

In total, 306 factories.

These factories covered industries such as steel, shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing, firearms, machine tools, coal mining, coking, oil refining, copper and aluminum production, and chemicals.

It could be said that Japan's entire heavy industry and military-industrial base were contained within these factories.

After securing these factories, Hardy convened another meeting with the leaders of the seven major conglomerates to discuss how to handle them.

According to Hardy's plan, all military-related activities within these heavy industry companies would be eliminated, and they would be repurposed for civilian use. For example, the shipyards would be used to build commercial vessels like cargo ships, cruise ships, and fishing boats, but they would no longer retain the capability to build warships or submarines.

As for companies producing fighter jets, rifles, bullets, engines, torpedoes, missiles, tanks, artillery, radar, explosives, and howitzers…

All the equipment would be dismantled and melted down. Japan would no longer retain any military manufacturing capability, in accordance with United Nations requirements.

If it were any other country, they would have felt a deep sense of loss watching such production equipment be destroyed. But for the U.S., this was no issue. The seven major conglomerates already had their own military-industrial complexes, and their equipment, technology, and scale far surpassed Japan's.

The remaining equipment would be repurposed for civilian use.

Hardy's thinking was simple.

By destroying Japan's military-industrial foundation, they would set the country back significantly. Even if Japan were to reemerge as a strong economy in the future, as it did in the past, it wouldn't pose a threat to the U.S. Instead, its reliance on the U.S. militarily would make Japan the U.S.'s most important ally.

Hardy's goals from all of this were clear:

For him personally, Japan's economic development could tremendously boost his wealth, as it would no longer serve only as a manufacturing base for the U.S., but also as a strong consumer market.

For Japan, economic development and improving their standard of living is in their best interest. It's also better for Japan to avoid accumulating too much power, as raising U.S. suspicions could stagnate their economy, given that the U.S. is the primary market for Japanese products.

As for the U.S., having a wealthy ally to borrow money from when needed is far better than having a poor ally that constantly asks for help. What's even better is that this ally's military capability is weak and relies on the U.S. for weaponization, leaving the U.S. completely at ease.

When Hardy informed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru of the delegation's decision, Yoshida tried to maintain a smile, but Hardy could see that his smile was forced.

No doubt, the Japanese politicians and nobility would be disheartened when they heard the news.

...

Hardy arrived in Japan, wielding the power of supreme authority. At this moment, America's policy toward Japan remained at its strictest.

Everything was aimed at one goal:

Weaken Japan!

Hardy destroyed Japan's military-industrial foundation. For the Japanese, it was like a profound loss, as if they had lost their parents. But for the Americans, what Hardy was doing was absolutely right.
Discover exclusive content at empire

This is what they called political correctness.

Time flew, and soon it was September 13th.

On that day, Duncan came to report to Hardy.

"Boss, Henry says everything is ready. He's asking if we should proceed."

Hardy nodded.

"Proceed."

In the United States. Wisconsin. Madison.

Mr. Judson, the owner of Judson Trading Company, drove to his company after having breakfast at home.

Judson Trading Company was one of the largest in Madison, primarily exporting grains, food, and cotton.

A few years ago, Judson had been just a shoe factory owner, with his factory worth only tens of thousands of dollars. One day, he saw in the newspapers that his cousin, MacArthur, had become the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Japan. Judson got an idea. He handed over the factory to his partner and traveled thousands of miles to Japan.