Chapter 1166

On the day of the vernal equinox, day and night reached a balance. In the evening, as day and night were about to transition, a grand meeting was being held.

In the evening, many media reporters gathered at the entrance of the Tokyo Imperial Hotel, most of whom were members of the Tokyo Film Journalists Association.

They were all waiting at the hotel entrance, waiting to capture the moment that was of great significance to the Nihon film industry.

As time drew near, more and more cars stopped at the entrance of the Imperial Hotel, and then the big shots of the entertainment industry in everyone's eyes walked out of the cars one by one.

"That's Haruki Kadokawa! The boss of Kadokawa!"

"That seems to be director Kobayashi from Shochiku... Oh, and director Masahiro Shinoda!"

"Toei's car is here too... Looks like some executive!"

"Wow wow... Look, Ken Takakura!"

"Keiko Matsuzaka!!"

"......."

With the exclamations of the reporters, many familiar names appeared. Of course, the media who had been hanging around the entertainment industry for a long time couldn't even name many of the other guests... However, they were all behind-the-scenes big shots closely related to the film industry.

One guest after another arrived at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel at about the same time, attracting countless flashes and cheers...

This film industry association inaugural meeting, although not widely publicized, had so many big shots from the entertainment industry gathered together, which in itself represented extremely high attention, not to mention the numerous stars present.

Inside the venue, a huge banner hung on the background wall of the main stage, with the bolded characters "Tokyo Film Industry Association Inaugural Meeting and First Election Meeting" being very eye-catching.

Naoki Nagayama, Shuichi Itō, and Otomo Yoshimura were all busy.

Naoki Nagayama, as the face, had to entertain the guests; Shuichi Itō was watching the meeting process; and Otomo Yoshimura was responsible for handling various unexpected accidents that occurred in the venue, ensuring the smooth holding of the meeting...

"Haruki-san... Sashi-buri!"

Seeing his old acquaintance Haruki Kadokawa arrive, Naoki Nagayama greeted him with a smile.

"Naoki-san..." Haruki Kadokawa shook hands with a smile, and then looked at the venue, which was gradually filling up, and sighed, "What a grand scene today!"

"It's all thanks to the support of friends..." Naoki Nagayama said, "After all, the industry association is to maintain the interests of all members!"

Haruki Kadokawa shook his head; these polite words were just said for the sake of it. After all, having exhausted all efforts to set up such a big game, you say it's to seek benefits for everyone? Are you kidding?!

He looked at Naoki Nagayama in front of him, and the talented young man he saw for the first time a few years ago appeared in his mind... Although he was still as handsome now, he already had the aura of a settled big shot, making it hard to believe that he was only twenty-five~

"Naoki-san, please ask Tree Friend to take good care of Kadokawa in the future!"

"What is Haruki-san saying... Kadokawa is a major shareholder of our Tree Friend! Haha~"

"Hahaha~"

Smiles appeared on both of their faces, as if they were close friends~

Masaki Kobayashi, who was walking inside, originally wanted to come over to say hello. At this time, he whispered to Masahiro Shinoda:

"As expected of a great director... This acting..."

As time passed, the time for the Tokyo Film Industry Association inaugural meeting was about to arrive.

Naoki Nagayama, who was in the front row, stopped chatting with Takako Ikebō from the Ministry of Education and Ken Harada from the Economic Planning Agency, and found Shuichi Itō:

"Shuichi-san, is it about time? Are there any important guests who haven't arrived yet?"

Shuichi Itō saw that the seats in the first two rows of the venue were already full, and nodded:

"Everyone who should be here is here..."

"Then let's get ready to start!"

"Hai!"

With the approval of the person in charge, the lights in the venue first dimmed, and then the spotlight on the main stage lit up, and the opening performance began.

This time it was a traditional geisha performance, and they even invited the Nihon national treasure-level "Oiran" Mineko Iwasaki to perform a fan dance. Yes, the kind in "Memoirs of a Geisha"~

Amidst the melody of the shamisen, the graceful dance of the geisha on stage attracted the eyes of everyone present. Everyone was immersed in appreciating Mineko Iwasaki's performance, and the venue, which had been somewhat restless, quieted down.

After the performance ended, amidst the applause of the audience, Otomo Yoshimura walked onto the stage with a microphone...

Yes, Otomo Yoshimura, as a candidate for secretary-general, also served as today's host!

In a formal meeting, the host is a very important role, responsible for organizing and guiding the meeting process and ensuring the smooth progress of the meeting. The host is also an important part of the meeting.

"Minasan, thank you all for coming to the Tokyo Film Industry Association Inaugural Meeting!"

Otomo Yoshimura's face was rosy, his voice was loud, and he scanned the big shots of the entertainment industry present, even feeling that he had reached the pinnacle of his life... Once upon a time, he was just a small fry, but today he was standing on the stage!

"Next, I invite director Shuichi Itō to come on stage to give the opening speech!"

Upon hearing this, Shuichi Itō also walked onto the stage with high spirits.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening..."

"In the past, the Nihon film industry has made great progress, providing countless job opportunities and creating GDP..."

"Producers, directors, screenwriters, actors... and more behind-the-scenes staff all need a body that can represent the entire film industry..."

"The Tokyo Film Industry Association is born out of everyone's expectations!"

Watching Shuichi Itō giving a long speech on stage, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hated this kind of speech the most... If he were asked to go up and speak, he would definitely be annoyed to death!

Because of this, he only chose the title of a standing committee member~

This kind of speech was naturally drafted by the publicity department in advance, and the words spoken were all high-toned, sounding like very lofty language...

But in fact, it was just to inform everyone that our Tokyo Film Industry Association is about to be established!

"Naoki-san..."

A soft call came from the side. Naoki Nagayama turned his head to see Takako Ikebō whispering, as if she were a primary school student whispering in class, and she didn't pay much attention to the speech on stage,

"I heard the casting for 'Departures' has been finalized?"

"Hai, the male lead has been finalized; it's Tomokazu Miura!"

Naoki Nagayama answered,

"The female lead hasn't been decided yet."

"Ah, it's actually Tomokazu Miura!"

Takako Ikebō was immediately pleasantly surprised. At her current age, Tomokazu Miura's most popular time was exactly her youth.

At that time, Tomokazu Miura was a national heartthrob; maybe he was even Takako Ikebō's idol!

"Is Ikebō-san a fan?"

"You could say that..." Takako Ikebō smiled softly, "I used to watch his TV dramas often... at least before he got married."

"......" Naoki Nagayama didn't know what to say for a moment.

Did you stop being a fan after he got married?! As expected, it's a high-risk thing for male actors to get married!

"I really miss it!" Takako Ikebō sighed, "In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed..."

"Ha, then being able to see Tomokazu Miura's film this time should satisfy that nostalgia!"

"How can one person be enough? He and Momoe Yamaguchi must be together! At that time, Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi were tied together!"

Takako Ikebō said,

"If Naoki-san has the ability to invite Momoe Yamaguchi out of retirement, that would be truly amazing!"

"....... This.... is a bit difficult! Momoe-san has completely retired!"

"I was just saying~"

Takako Ikebō also said casually; she was just chatting, and the opening speech on stage was too annoying.

And just amidst their whispering, Shuichi Itō had finished his speech.

Otomo Yoshimura walked up again and said with a smile:

"Next item, reading the Tokyo Film Industry Association Charter!"

"......."

This was an even more boring process, but it was an indispensable step for the inaugural meeting. The association's charter represented the rules and regulations of this association and was the cornerstone of this organization.

This reading took half an hour, making everyone in the venue feel a bit drowsy... but Otomo Yoshimura himself was full of energy.

"The Tokyo Film Industry Association Charter (draft) has been read. The next process of the meeting... electing members of the association's leadership!"

Finally, it was the main event!

"Next, nomination for the candidate for the first chairman of the Tokyo Film Industry Association! Members of the film industry association present can make nominations!"

In fact, it was called self-nomination, but everyone in the venue knew that the nominations of ordinary people were just going up to make a fool of themselves!

Only candidates nominated by big companies like Toho and Toei, as well as producer representatives, director representatives, and government agency representatives—these heavyweight representatives—could possibly serve as chairman.

At this time, Shuichi Itō naturally couldn't nominate himself, so Naoki Nagayama raised his hand:

"I nominate... director Shuichi Itō to serve as the first chairman of the Tokyo Film Industry Association!"

Seeing Naoki Nagayama from Tree Friend make the nomination, most people showed an expression of having expected it long ago!

The establishment of this Tokyo Film Industry Association was carefully planned by Tree Friend, so it was only natural to want a chairman's spot.

After Naoki Nagayama spoke, there was even a long time without anyone else making a nomination... making people feel the powerful influence Tree Friend had in the entertainment industry today.

Fortunately, they had arranged for shills~

"I propose—supervisor Ryo Kuroda to serve as chairman!"

"I propose—...."

One familiar or unfamiliar name after another was reported, and then it was time to vote... However, since the initial members of the first inaugural meeting of the Tokyo Film Industry Association were all representatives, the number was not large, so they voted by show of hands directly.

Otomo Yoshimura said with a microphone:

"Members who support director Shuichi Itō, please raise your hands!"

For a time, with the raising of hands by the big shots from several sides, the people in the venue raised their hands one after another. It had already been negotiated with Toho, Toei, and even big agencies long ago; no one would want to fight for it...

The number of hands raised clearly exceeded half; there was no need for other candidates to vote again!

"Then the result is already very clear!"

Otomo Yoshimura said,

"The candidate for the first chairman of the Tokyo Film Industry Association is—director Shuichi Itō!"

Applause rang out. All members of the venue were clapping... Although there were some internal operations, director Shuichi Itō, who was famous, indeed had the ability to serve as the chairman of the film industry association!

Shuichi Itō also sat on the podium next to him with a full face of smiles, and the nameplate in front of the stage clearly marked the title of "Chairman"~

"Next, nomination for vice-chairman..."

"Next, nomination for secretary-general!"

"......."

Vice-chairman Ikuo Suō, vice-chairwoman Atsuko Tōyama (Ministry of Education), secretary-general Otomo Yoshimura...

The same steps were carried out 10 times. One chairman, two vice-chairmen, one secretary-general, plus six standing committee members formed the standing committee of the Tokyo Film Industry Association.

Of the 10-person first committee, Tree Friend occupied 3!

Relevant proposals and daily operations could be handled by the standing committee, and the basic work of the Tokyo Film Industry Association could already be launched.

After announcing the establishment of the standing committee, everyone immediately voted on the previous association charter, allowing this charter to be implemented and have validity...

This is the essence of democratic elections, giving power to a small group of people~

The standing committee of the first Tokyo Film Association had been established, and the charter review was over, so the basic purpose of today's inaugural meeting had been completed.

"Minasan, next will be the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the establishment of the Tokyo Film Industry Association..."

Secretary-general Otomo Yoshimura stood on the stage, still serving as the host,

"Please come forward, standing committee members..."

As the ceremonial ladies brought up the ribbons and scissors, Shuichi Itō, Naoki Nagayama, Otomo Yoshimura, and others all stood on the stage...

"Next, I announce..." Shuichi Itō took the microphone, "The Tokyo Film Industry Association is officially established!"

The scissors fell, the ribbon broke, cheers rang out, and there were ceremonial fireworks sprayed from the side... plus the applause and shutter sounds from under the stage...

The Tokyo Film Industry Association was officially established in such a lively atmosphere.

It seemed to represent that the Nihon film industry had entered a new history~

After the inaugural meeting was a banquet, and a charity donation banquet.

"In order to support practitioners in the film industry, encourage the healthy and orderly development of the film industry, under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, and with the support of important companies in the film industry such as Tree Friend, Toho, Toei, Shochiku, and Kadokawa..."

Shuichi Itō said while holding champagne with the guests,

"The first task after the establishment of the Tokyo Film Industry Association is to establish the 'Tree Friend Support Fund'..."

The naming rights for the support fund were ultimately not sold. Everyone came to the entertainment industry to make money; no other party could invest more than a billion in funds just for a naming right...

"The fund will be temporarily managed by Tree Friend Capital, and its profits will be used for the support of association members, as well as support for film projects... Specific projects can be proposed by members, and the standing committee will screen them..."

"....."

Shuichi Itō briefly talked to everyone about the composition and goals of the fund, and then began today's important work—asking for money!

"The funding sources for the Tree Friend Support Fund will consist of government appropriations and donations. The specific list will be announced to the public, and the use will also be supervised by all members..."

"The following banquet will hold a charity auction, and the proceeds will be directly transferred to the support fund..."

Next, the pre-arranged performances went online, and under the direction of the master of ceremonies, the donation process also began...

The guests who came today were all famous people in the entertainment industry. Donations of hundreds of thousands were offered casually, and then they received the prepared souvenirs~

Naoki Nagayama was chatting in the crowd with a glass of champagne, but suddenly bumped into Ikuo Suō.

"Naoki-san..." Ikuo Suō raised his champagne, "Today's inaugural meeting went very smoothly!"

"President Suō..."

Naoki Nagayama raised his glass to signal,

"Indeed... but this was all in the plan, wasn't it?"

"Hahaha, Tree Friend's preparation work is very much in place." Ikuo Suō looked at the young man in front of him, and a wave of emotion surged, "I didn't expect Naoki-san to be able to accomplish this great thing at such a young age!"

"It's all thanks to the support of friends..."

Naoki Nagayama was a bit wary of this big shot who looked kind but had a dark heart, and didn't say much.

"Tree Friend Support Fund... the capital pool exceeds 5 billion..." Ikuo Suō was even somewhat eager, "With such a large sum of money, can Naoki-san's Tree Friend Capital manage it?"

"Haha, Tree Friend Capital has managed even larger funds!" Naoki Nagayama laughed, "Please rest assured, President Suō..."

"I mean..." Ikuo Suō's eyes revealed a strange light, "If there are good projects, would Naoki-san be willing to invest and take a look?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know Recruit?"

"Ah..." Naoki Nagayama seemed to have heard of it, "That 'Recruit Universe' that went public last year?"

"Yes." Ikuo Suō smiled, "I have a deep friendship with the chairman of this company, Hiromasa Ezoe... Recruit has a deep relationship with the Liberal Democratic Party and has participated in many government projects... The safety of these projects is guaranteed..."

"Is it a real estate project?"

"Hai, many real estate projects, and some financial projects..." Ikuo Suō said slowly, "Many government officials I know have participated... Guaranteed profit without loss!"

"......."

Government projects supported by executives definitely won't lose money, and the kickbacks are very rich... But why would such a good thing come to me?!

Naoki Nagayama was puzzled again. He had paid attention to Nihon's bubble era, and his brain tried hard to recall...

Suddenly, a term surfaced in his mind—"Recruit Scandal"!

A shocking case during the bursting of the bubble, where officials and businessmen colluded to seek benefits, making a fortune during the bubble era, and revealing their true colors once the bubble burst... Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education, all were involved in this corruption, and higher levels were no exception.

This major bribery case caused two prime ministers and cabinets to step down, dragged down two governments, almost caused the Liberal Democratic Party to lose its ruling status, and kept the Diet in turmoil...

More than 7,000 people were involved in this bribery case, including 40 Diet members and 50 social celebrities...

In the end, hundreds were arrested, dozens were prosecuted, and more than a dozen were sentenced...

It could be said that this bribery case, which shocked the entire Nihon, was also one of the pushers for the bursting of the Nihon bubble, directly causing ordinary people to lose confidence in the upper levels, and also leading to the distrust of the government by the Nihon grassroots afterwards.

"......."

After these messages surfaced, Naoki Nagayama looked at Ikuo Suō, who was still talking endlessly, and his heart was full of fear...

Ikuo Suō is trying to harm me!!

(End of chapter)