The Tyrant Billionaire

"Reporters have discovered that Judson holds another identity: he is the cousin of General MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Japan. Before MacArthur went to Japan, Judson was just the owner of a shoe factory.

However, after MacArthur became the Commander, Judson quickly registered a trading company and began exporting grains and food, with Japan as the main trading destination."

"In just four short years, Judson became a multimillionaire. Now, Judson has been found to have concealed profits amounting to $6.08 million, and who knows how much more remains undiscovered. The question arises: were other individuals involved, and was there an exchange of power and money? This matter warrants further attention."

Once this news broke, it attracted significant public interest because it mentioned MacArthur's name.

Some newspapers reprinted the article.

Reporters even inquired at the IRS, and the response confirmed that the situation was real: Judson was currently in jail, and further investigations were ongoing.

On an ABC political talk show, several hosts also discussed the Judson tax evasion case, naturally bringing up MacArthur as well.

When Hoover read the newspaper at work, he frowned. While such matters could be handled covertly, once they became a public topic, operating in the shadows became exceedingly difficult.

Darkness fears the light.

Secret dealings fear exposure.

At that moment, the phone on Hoover's desk rang. It was the contact Hoover had reached out to. "This matter has been picked up by the newspapers and is attracting a lot of attention. It can no longer be handled privately. The matter we discussed earlier will likely be hard to follow through with."

After hanging up the phone, Hoover cursed.

The timing of this media exposure couldn't have been worse, making it impossible for anyone involved to take action.

When MacArthur received Hoover's notice that the story had been leaked to the press, and that covert maneuvers were no longer possible, he too erupted in frustration.

Now that Hoover couldn't handle it, who else could he turn to?

If Judson couldn't hold out and spilled everything, MacArthur would be ruined. If this matter wasn't resolved, he would live in constant anxiety.

There was no other choice. He immediately notified his wife, Joan, asking her to hire the best lawyer for Judson and visit him in prison. She was to reassure Judson that MacArthur was doing everything he could to save him, and if he were sentenced and lost his fortune, MacArthur would cover everything for him.

Even after sending the telegram, MacArthur's mind remained restless.

The sword of Damocles hung over his head, and no one could feel at ease under such pressure.

Wait a minute.

Hoover mentioned that the news was broken by Global Times.

Wasn't that Jon Hardy's newspaper?

Damn it.

Was Jon Hardy deliberately working against him? Ever since Hardy arrived in Japan, MacArthur's life had become increasingly difficult.

MacArthur's frustration was only just beginning. With Judson's tax evasion scandal linked to him, it was clear to anyone with a discerning eye that MacArthur was likely involved. It was just a matter of time before the full truth came to light.

On that same day, MacArthur received an order from the White House.

President Johnson had issued a directive.

From now on, all economic and cultural activities in Japan would be managed by Jon Hardy, and MacArthur was to no longer involve himself in economic or cultural affairs.

MacArthur was furious when he read the order.

Before this, MacArthur had been the true ruler of Japan, with absolute authority over all its affairs. He could decide the fate of the emperor, dissolve the cabinet at will, appoint officials, draft Japan's constitution and laws, and restructure its economic and cultural systems.

His power exceeded that of anyone else.

But now.

His authority was being stripped away, bit by bit. First, he lost control of economic affairs, and now even cultural authority was taken from him.

In the past, he would have fiercely argued with President Johnson to defend his rights. He had done so before. But now, with public scrutiny at its peak, he could only quietly comply with the order.

It was also a move to avoid suspicion.

Meanwhile, Hardy received a new appointment.

He was now in charge of managing Japan's economic and cultural affairs in full.

Previously, Hardy had been designated as an economic envoy, responsible for aiding Japan's economic recovery. However, many internal economic activities, such as determining the amount of grain supplied to Japan, were still under MacArthur's control. Hardy's role had mainly been in using funds to stabilize the economy, without direct administrative power.

Now, that power was transferred from MacArthur to Hardy, along with cultural authority.

This was exactly what Hardy wanted.

With Judson's arrest, the supply to Japan's black market was cut off. Duncan reported to Hardy that the goods in the black market were becoming scarcer, and prices were once again rising.

Hardy thought to himself,

Isn't this the perfect opportunity to make money?

Now that he controlled the supply of grain to Japan, he could decide how much to sell and how much to supply to the black market.

"Duncan, if I give you full control of the goods, can you manage the black market and gain control over more gangs?" Hardy asked.

A fierce look flashed in Duncan's eyes.

"Boss, I'm confident I can do it."

Hardy smiled faintly.

"Good, I'm leaving the black market operations in your hands. I want you to gain control over more gangs; we'll have use for them in the future."

"As for the money we make, route it through the Cayman Islands accounts."

Duncan nodded.

Hardy still had many plans to execute. The upper echelons had their role to play, and the underworld had its own functions. Hardy had risen from the gangs, so he knew just how powerful they could be.

Especially in Japan, where there was freedom of association, and gangs held a semi-legal status, making Japan the only developed country with legitimate organized crime.

Gangs made just as much money as corporations, if not more. It was said that in later years, the Yamaguchi-gumi earned over $80 billion annually.

The most important aspect was that they were deeply rooted in society, with greater influence over the average citizen than even the government or institutions. There were many things the government couldn't do that the gangs could, often with better results.

Think about Japan's later industries.

The automobile industry became its largest.

It accounted for about 45% to 50% of Japan's annual economy, making it Japan's leading sector.

Currently, it was completely controlled by seven major conglomerates.

The animation industry,

Which accounted for 18% to 25% of Japan's annual economy, became Japan's second-largest pillar industry.

It had not yet risen, but Hardy was now in charge of cultural affairs, and his group already owned a comic company. This was something he could fully develop later.

Then there was the adult industry,

Which accounted for 13% to 20% of Japan's annual economy, reaching a trillion-dollar scale. This industry was mostly controlled by gangs, and it was one of Japan's calling cards. Hardy would make sure not to lose control of this.

Without those teachers, It would be a major loss to the world's coming-of-age education.
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The world would lose much of its color.

In later years, Japan tried to cover up certain aspects, but Hardy planned to use his current authority to make them more open—much more open.

All for the happiness of men around the world."