Industry Self-Rescue

Under Sega's efficient organization, an emergency meeting spanning animation, comics, games, and related industries was held in the "Crane Room), the most prestigious banquet hall at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo.

This place is home to almost half of Japan's subculture industry.

The Toei, Sunrise, and Tatsunoko; the manga industry —Shueisha, Kodansha, and Shogakukan; the game industry— Namco, Capcom, and Konami; and toy giants— Bandai, Sanrio, and Takara—were sitting solemnly in the audience.

The huge venue was completely silent, an invisible low pressure hanging over everyone's heads, as if foreshadowing an impending downpour.

Sega President Nakayama Hayao, holding Mike, stepped onto the podium.

"Gentlemen."

His deep voice, coming through the speakers, instantly captured everyone's attention.

"I've invited everyone here today not to listen to complaints, nor to have you all blame each other."

Nakayama Atsuo the entire room, his weathered face bearing the iron will and tenacity unique to entrepreneurs of the Showa era.

"Those useless cowards at the Metropolitan Police Department! They've been trying to catch one criminal for almost a year, and now they want to drag our entire industry down with them to divert public anger! And those old guys who make a living through borderline Variety, lowbrow dramas, or even in Kabukicho, they'd love for us to die! They want to see the market share vacated after we fall!"

These words were crude and vulgar, yet they struck a nerve like a sharp knife, hitting everyone's sore spot precisely, and many people nodded subconsciously.

"Rely on government departments? Humph, we all know their inefficiency. By the time those bureaucrats slowly come up with a result, our industries will have already been nailed to the pillar of shame!"

"We are businessmen; efficiency is life, it's money!"

He slammed his fist on the podium.

"I know that everyone here is thinking about the same thing right now—how to weather this storm."

"But I want to tell you all, you can't hide from it!"

"Because we are the eye of the storm! The media needs a target to boost sales, and politicians need a scapegoat to appease public anger."

And we are the most conspicuous, and also the easiest, target to attack!

His words shattered the last vestiges of hope in many people's hearts.

"If we don't stand up, don't distance ourselves from the real scum, and don't establish rules for ourselves, then soon, others will, in their own way, build a sturdy cage for all of us!"

A barely suppressed commotion arose in the hall, and many people's faces showed shock.

Nakayama Atsuo's voice suddenly rose, filled with an unquestionable determination.

"Therefore, I propose that we establish our own self-regulatory organization!"

"Animation, comics, games, and toys should each establish independent industry review associations! Together, they should develop a clear, explicit, and publicly transparent rating system!"

He paused for a moment, his gaze sharp as he swept across the entire room.

"We want to label our own work ourselves!" "All ages," "Recommended for ages 12 and up," "Rated 15 or older!" Clearly tell all parents and society what is a gift for children and what is entertainment for adults!

Just like the "Film Industry's" Eirin, we want to build our own "Eirin"!

"This—" A director from Konami finally couldn't help but speak hesitantly from the audience, "President Nakayama, isn't this self-castration? The authorities haven't even taken action yet, and we've already handed over the knife ourselves?"

Nakayama Hayao looked at him coldly.

"No," he shook his head, "This isn't handing over a knife, this is taking our own swords back from someone else!"

"We need not only a rating system, but also a joint statement to unequivocally resist and condemn any work featuring children as the main characters in pornographic depictions! We should proactively embrace regulation, but the rules for regulation must be written by ourselves!"

"We can invite respected members of society to supervise us, demonstrating our sincerity to the public and silencing their attacks! But our organization is only responsible for supervision and reminders, submitting the whistleblower materials to the Public Prosecutors Office; we will never act as judges ourselves! This is to prevent internal abuse of power and, more importantly, to deny the authorities any excuse to interfere in our internal affairs!"

"Also, don't forget to unite our political connections and speak out! Our emerging industries can't compare to the influence of those old-timers in Nagatacho! It's hard to say that those guys in the Metropolitan Police Department trying to keep their jobs aren't fueling this storm!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

After a brief silence, someone started clapping.

Immediately afterwards, applause erupted like wildfire, instantly engulfing the entire banquet hall and lasting for a long time.

As Nakayama Atsuo announced the start of a free discussion, the previously lifeless meeting room immediately came alive.

Executives from various companies quickly gathered in circles according to their industries, intensely discussing countermeasures.

Nakayama Takuya quietly slipped through the crowd and approached Yamashina Makoto, the president of Bandai.

"President Yamashina."

Yamashina Makoto turned around and saw it was Nakayama Takuya. He nodded and said, "Executive Director Nakayama, what can I do for you?"

"No, I'm just here to offer a small suggestion to President Yamashina," Nakayama Takuya said in a low voice.

"Bandai's Gundam models have always been popular among teenagers. But have you ever thought about what would happen if you sold a model that requires careful work with a hobby knife, glue, and sandpaper to a six-year-old child?"

Yamashina Makoto's brow furrowed, and he fell into thought.

"The potential risks of accidentally swallowing parts or getting cut by tools could be amplified by the media at this critical juncture as irrefutable evidence of 'unscrupulous companies poisoning children.'"

Nakayama Takuya continued, "But what if we had a rating system? This product is recommended for people aged 15 and up."

This line of small print not only helps Bandai avoid legal and public opinion risks, but also conveys a message to consumers: Bandai is a professional, meticulous, and trustworthy company.

"For younger children, we can focus on the SD Series, which can be assembled by hand. For more complex and expensive series, we can clearly indicate the appropriate age. This is not 'self-criticism,' but rather an excellent opportunity to refine our product line and further dominate the market! It's an opportunity to turn a crisis into a chance to build goodwill!"

Yamashina Makoto's eyes lit up instantly, as if a bolt of lightning had cleaved his train of thought!

Yes! This isn't just about self-preservation; it's a far more sophisticated business strategy!

"I understand!" Yamashina Makoto nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with genuine admiration as he looked at the young man. "Thank you for the suggestion, Executive Director Nakayama. We at Bandai fully agree! I will immediately push this forward within the toy industry!"

Having received an affirmative answer, Nakayama Takuya nodded slightly, saying nothing more. He turned and left, and in the instant he brushed past Yamashina Makoto,

With a flick of the finger, a neatly folded note was quietly slipped into the other person's palm.

The touch was slightly warm, and Yamashina Makoto instinctively clenched his fist.

He watched Nakayama Takuya's retreating figure, then calmly merged into the crowd at the other end of the venue, quickly chatting with several leaders from Shueisha and Kodansha, as if he had only come over to exchange a few casual pleasantries.