Chapter 349: Japan

At the headquarters of Capet Pictures, in Charles's office.

Phyllis Jones handed over a letter received from Japan, "The Japanese Minister of Education, Noriaki Tokai, hopes that the senior management of Capet Pictures can visit Japan to discuss and exchange ideas on the cultural and economic industries between the United States and Japan."

"Make the arrangements. I'm going to Japan myself this time." 

Japan's hot springs were nice. Charles thought it would be good to soak in a hot spring and maybe spend Christmas there, too. Moreover, he kind of missed Kyoko Fukada and Haruka Ayase. 

Very quickly, Charles flew to Tokyo with his team.

The newly built Capet Tokyo headquarters building was quite to Charles's satisfaction. Located in Shibuya, the 12-story glass facade was truly impressive.

"Crows Zero is doing well at the box office, with a revenue of 2.5 billion yen. Not bad.

But why did Departures only make 1.8 billion yen? The movie has good reviews and has won quite a few awards at international film festivals!"

Charles looked at Masami Takahashi, asking if there had been enough promotion.

"Boss, when Departures first premiered in September, it didn't get many show times. It wasn't until it gained good reviews at the Shanghai International Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, and Busan International Film Festival that interest grew back in Japan. Now, with the push for the Golden Globes and the Oscars in the U.S., the public's expectations are higher, and the audience numbers are starting to increase," Masami Takahashi explained.

Charles nodded, "Departures has a high chance of winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. We should push for another wave of interest then!"

Masami Takahashi got excited, "Boss, no Japanese movie has won an Oscar in 50 years. If Departures actually wins, the national pride will be through the roof."

"Transformers only made 4 billion yen in Japan, less than half of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which made 10.9 billion yen and was the top of the year.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had a box office of 9.4 billion yen, and Spider-Man 3 brought in 7.1 billion yen, but Iron Man only made 1 billion yen, even less than The Pursuit of Happiness with 2.7 billion yen!"

Charles found it strange that Japanese audiences didn't seem as crazy about Marvel blockbusters as those from other regions.

After dismissing Masami Takahashi, He picked up his phone and called Lin Chi-ling, inviting her to join him in Japan for the hot springs.

Looking out of the window, Charles could see Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine in the distance. 

In the afternoon, Charles met with Japanese Minister of Education Noriaki Tokai and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer at the U.S. Embassy in Japan.

That evening, Charles returned to his high-floor apartment in Roppongi Hills. He specifically called over Kyoko Fukada and Haruka Ayase.

Leaning on the sofa, Charles hugged Haruka Ayase and kissed her several times. After a while, Kyoko Fukada got up from the carpet, covering her mouth and walked to the bathroom.

"Kyoko is terrific," Charles smiled, still in his post-pleasure state, as Haruka Ayase kissed him on the cheek.

"Nii-san, the new talents our company has been nurturing are doing quite well, and President Okada has outlined great development plans!" Haruka Ayase was now an icon of East Japan Co. and on par with Maki Horikita.

"That's good. If there's a chance, you can also try to explore markets outside of Japan," Charles was very focused on the Japanese entertainment market, though aware of its unique difficulties.

The world's second-largest economy, with GDP worth $4.4 trillion. The US has $14.5 trillion, with Germany being the third at $3.3 trillion.

Anime dominates Japan's film and TV industry, and Hollywood currently holds just over 40% of the Japanese film market.

"By the way, Cyborg She is set to release next year, but I think it's really well made," Haruka Ayase said with a smile.

Charles lifted her chin, "You're about to become a big star. You have several films coming out next year, don't you? Seems like there's a lot of work now!"

Haruka Ayase smiled; indeed, work was plentiful and her schedule packed.

"Haruka Ayase is quite popular now," said Kyoko Fukada as she came out of the bathroom, dressed in a sheer, low-cut nightgown, showing off her figure.

She sat on Charles's other side, linking her arm with his.

"Having work means making money. The global economy isn't great right now, and the entertainment industry is also affected by the broader environment," Charles mentioned. He would soon attend some US-Japan cultural industry exchange conference, just to make an appearance.

"Besides, in the Shibuya villa, apart from Keiko Kitagawa, Nozomi Sasaki and Satomi Ishihara are living there too, I've already moved out," Haruka Ayase whispered in Charles's ear.

"Oh, why did you move out?" Charles looked at Haruka Ayase, "Is it because you want to move to a similar villa in Shinjuku?"

"I'd like to live with Keiko. How about the two of us move together?"

Charles nodded, "Sure, I'm familiar with Keiko too."

"The Shibuya villa can still house two more people," Kyoko Fukada chuckled, "I think Mariko Shinoda and Haruna Kojima from AKB48 are around the same age, they could move in too!"

"That's fine, you arrange it," Charles agreed with a smile. He hadn't gotten to know the AKB48 girls well yet.

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