Chapter 67: Entering the Japanese Market
"How big is the order?" Su Yiyi asked excitedly.
Yang Wendong replied, "Fifteen thousand mouse glue boards and a thousand flypapers. And there's a check included — for 50% of the total payment."
"That's amazing! They paid 50% upfront?" Su Yiyi exclaimed, clearly surprised.
As the factory's financial manager, she had gradually become familiar with local business practices — and this kind of payment arrangement was rare. Most companies, even the more reliable ones, often delayed payments or made partial ones. Even their long-time partners, Zhao Chenguang and An Yongqiang, had become less prompt over time.
Yang nodded. "That's the contract we agreed on — 50% upfront, 25% upon delivery at the port, and the remaining 25% one month after that.
Maybe it's because they're a European company. Over there, payment practices tend to be more reliable. Can't really compare that to how things work in Hong Kong right now."
Back in his previous life doing business on the mainland, he had also preferred working with foreign companies. Never mind the price — when it came to payment, they were punctual, professional, and rarely delayed. Of course, that wasn't necessarily a cultural difference — it was mostly economic.
When a country or region became wealthier, companies had better cash flow and stronger credit. Even Hong Kong and mainland China would follow that pattern in the decades to come.
"This is really great," Su Yiyi said. "With this order, the factory's operations will improve significantly."
"Mm. It's definitely good news," Yang said with a satisfied nod.
Su Yiyi added, "We've got about ten thousand units in the warehouse. If we keep producing for a few more days, we'll reach the full amount.
Only thing is, Zhao Chenguang is probably going to place another order soon too. If we send everything overseas first, his shipment might be delayed."
Yang thought for a moment and said, "Send the overseas batch first. The Hong Kong market isn't in a rush — most retail points should still have stock. I'll speak to Zhao myself, he should understand.
But going forward, we need to boost production capacity. I'm planning to visit a Japanese trading company based in Hong Kong. The Japanese market is much bigger, so we have to prepare in advance."
"Japan?" Su Yiyi blinked. "Is it really bigger than the UK?"
Yang nodded. "Much bigger. Japan's economy might not be as strong as the UK's right now, but its population is higher. And more importantly, Japanese homes are mostly made of wood — ideal nesting grounds for rats. So demand will naturally be higher.
Plus, Japan is close to Hong Kong. With efficient customs and fast sea freight, we can get products to customers in under a week. Compare that to the UK — even by fast ship, it takes over three weeks."
"Right, that makes sense." Su Yiyi nodded. "There are a lot of Japanese companies in Hong Kong too. Maybe some of them already know about glue boards."
"Maybe." Yang chuckled. "But most of the Japanese and Westerners living in Hong Kong aren't exactly poor. Their homes might not even need this kind of product."
Su Yiyi thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe they don't need them themselves, but they've probably seen them. After all, Zhao Chenguang's distribution channels have put glue boards in lots of shops and stalls now. Even I've seen them when I go out grocery shopping. Foreigners shop too, right? Not all of them have servants."
"That's possible." Yang nodded. "But ultimately, exposure doesn't mean much. Doing business overseas means relying on local distributors. What everyday people know or don't know isn't that useful."
"Yeah, that's true," Su Yiyi agreed. "Even with advertising, our product isn't the kind that gets instant interest."
Yang said, "You all don't need to worry about the overseas side. Once Liming gets back, tell him to ramp up production. Even if we can't land the Japanese market, the UK side looks promising."
Rats were the same now as they'd be in the future. If glue boards became a global success later on, there was no reason they couldn't succeed now.
The only thing holding him back was lack of distribution channels — that slowed initial growth.
But now with George Smith handling the UK side, and with the product's high capture efficiency, follow-up orders were likely. Other distributors might even become interested after seeing the results.
July 10th, scorching hot weather.
Early in the morning, Yang Wendong, wearing a freshly bought dress shirt, arrived at Alexandra House on Queen's Road Central.
The building, part of the prestigious Hongkong Land portfolio, had been completed in 1953. At 22 stories tall, it was one of the tallest buildings in Central.
Inside, Yang was here to meet someone he had made an appointment with — Kojima Kawaken.
"Mr. Kojima, nice to meet you." Yang bowed politely to the roughly thirty-year-old man.
"You must be Mr. Yang Wendong," Kojima replied with a deep bow of his own. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yang smiled, though he felt slightly uncomfortable with the overly formal gesture. He had never gotten used to the Japanese bowing etiquette.
Just a little over a decade ago, the Japanese had committed unspeakable atrocities. But now, after being crushed in war, they had learned to bend their backs in humility.
In his previous life, magazines like Zhi Yin were always romanticizing Japanese politeness or German precision — raving about screws beside German sewers as if they were symbols of civilization.
Kojima continued, "Mr. Yang, after receiving your information from Mr. Li the barrister, I must say I greatly admire you. We Japanese have a deep respect for those who build success from nothing — especially in difficult environments."
Yang replied modestly, "The past had its share of luck. What matters is the future. I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial cooperation today."
When dealing with British businessmen, it was important to project strength and competence. But with the Japanese — whose culture had more in common with Chinese values — humility was key.
Especially in the 1950s, when Japan's technology hadn't yet reached its peak. Arrogance was not something they could afford.
Kojima nodded. "Very well, this way please."
They entered a neat and minimalist office.
Once seated, Kojima pulled out a glue board and asked, "Mr. Yang, I'd like to ask — would you consider selling the patent for this glue board?"
Yang raised an eyebrow. "What price are you offering?"
"I'm not authorized to set a price," Kojima said. "But if you're open to selling, I can report this to our head office."
"No deal unless there's a clear offer," Yang said flatly, shaking his head.
While he was open to selling the patent at the right price, he wasn't about to waste time with vague proposals.
He remembered too well the story of Huiyuan Juice in his past life — the company that banked everything on being bought out by Coca-Cola in 2008, only to be left hanging and ruined after the deal fell through.
Kojima nodded. "Understood. In that case, let's discuss cooperation instead."
Yang replied, "Sure. My proposal is simple: I sell the product to your company at a set price. What you do with it afterward is up to you."
In theory, manufacturers could control the retail end, but in reality, only very powerful brands like Coca-Cola could pull that off.
In most business relationships, especially when communication and infrastructure were limited, the distributors held more power.
Yang's principle was simple: the Hong Kong factory would sell at a fixed price to the distributor. What came next — pricing, marketing, logistics — wasn't his concern.
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