The first update

The friendship between the Soviet Union and Japan is far from being as friendly as it seems on the surface, after all, Ryzhkov's visit to Tokyo has an ulterior motive, the Soviet Union wants to vigorously develop the electronic technology industry, but the Paris Coordination Association has restricted the channels for Europe and the United States to transport high-end electronic products to the Soviet Union, so that Yanayev has to set his sights on the Asia-Pacific countries.

Without Clinton as US president, it is obvious that the third scientific and technological revolution in the United States -- the high-tech industry -- has not flourished as it has in history, but has encountered a fatal bottleneck. Although Microsoft has developed the dominant Windows 95 system, the momentum of the industry as a whole does not seem to be as smooth as expected, and after Black Monday in 1987, Mario should have been more active in taking measures to save the economy. The Federal Reserve Bank, for example, promotes economic growth by expanding the public supply of money. But he chose to be like President Hoover, who just watched the situation from the sidelines and did not take active measures.

In 1991, the US financial authorities could have loosened monetary policy and injected large amounts of money into the banking system, just as they did in 1987 after the stock market crash, and commercial banks lowered interest rates to ensure sufficient liquidity for businesses to avoid a credit crisis. However, the Federal Reserve Board is afraid of inflationary pressures and does not dare to act rashly, and there is a lot of resistance within Congress, resulting in the US economy is still in such a half-dead state.

Japan is even worse than the United States, where its real GDP growth rate fell sharply after the bursting of the bubble in 1991, from 2.5 percent in 1991 to less than 1 percent in 1992 and 0.4 percent in 1993. Japan throughout the nineties has been called the "Lost Decade".

Now it seems that the Soviet Union's choice to cooperate with Japan has a taste of taking advantage of the fire.

On the one hand, the two countries talked a lot about economic cooperation, and on the other hand, the Soviet Union encouraged the new domestic electronics industry to go abroad, and the large state-owned capital split from the State Electronic Computer Commission began to penetrate into Japan's electronics industry.

Ryutaro Hashimoto seems to see hope for an industry to get out of the predicament in this cooperation, but in fact, the Soviet Union is just digging traps on that Zhuangkang Avenue.

The KGB is now cultivating not only political spies, but also commercial spies, and the goals of this type of spies are very clear: satellite technology, electronic high-tech, and information network technology. At the same time, at Yanayev's behest, the KGB set up hacking groups earlier than ever to infiltrate military-grade cyber secrets in other countries. If Japanese electronics companies were to enter the Soviet Union, the pervasive KGB would have set its sights on anything meaningful.

All in all, Japan was nothing more than a stepping stone for the Soviet Union's economic prosperity, the last plunder of Japan at a time when its economy was in a downturn.

During Ryzhkov's trip to Japan, Yanayev personally told the other party that, at the beginning, at the request of Ryutaro Hashimoto, he would create the false impression that the Soviet Union was desperate for Japan to open factories on their territory.

"Introduce technology?" Ryzhkov asked that joint ventures are indeed beneficial for the introduction of foreign technology, but they can also deal a fatal blow to the country's fragile manufacturing industry, as evidenced by the open markets of Eastern European countries, for example.

"It's true that technology needs to be introduced, but it's more about plundering their technology." "This was the reason why our southern neighbors insisted on macroeconomic regulation of the market, and when the enemy wanted to plunder our industry, the government could use administrative means to block their plans," Yanayev said. In other words, I allow them to make money on Soviet soil, but I will never allow them to hold on to the lifeblood of an industry and create a monopoly of domestic industry by foreign capital. Capital is capital, politics is politics, and here is the USSR, not Japan, not the United States. ”

"On the other hand, we also emphasize that the new generation of Soviet companies going abroad will not only create foreign exchange, but also create a favorable environment for the Soviet Union to plunder the technology and resources of other countries. This is our plan for economic colonization. Yanayev pushed his glasses, which is equivalent to the Soviet version of the "bring in and go out" strategy, making full use of two markets and two resources to serve the country's economic construction.

"Of course, I am not an economic major after all, so I can only put forward some opinions for your reference, and you need to worry a lot about the implementation of the specific route. Comrade Ryzhkov. Yanayev sighed, "The Soviet Union almost lost in economic development and political structure, and during my term of office, I will solve this problem once and for all." ”

"I want everyone in the world to know that the development of socialism will never die."

Ryřikov's arm was lightly touched, and he came back to his senses to see Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto holding a glass of sake and toasting to Ryřikov.

It's state dinner, and Ryzhkov is sitting at a traditional Japanese table, looking back and looking around.

"I'm sorry I was rude." Ryzhkov hurriedly raised his glass and lightly bumped the wine glass in Ryutaro Hashimoto's hand, "Cheers to the new chapter of friendship between the Soviet Union and Japan." ”

Ryutaro Hashimoto smiled and drank it all.

"I wonder what Ryzhkov thinks about the current Japanese economy?" Ryutaro Hashimoto suddenly asked such a question, which caught the chairman of the Council of Ministers sitting across from him a little off guard. The other party raised his head and looked at Ryutaro Hashimoto's serious expression, not knowing how to answer.

"It's not appropriate to bring up such a topic at a state banquet, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The government of another country will be criticized by people with ulterior motives as interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. Ryzhkov pretended to be casual and joked, but in fact he was afraid of it. Everyone knows that the other party will definitely say something that makes him think carefully about how to answer.

"Don't get me wrong, Chairman Ryzhkov, that's not what I mean. Since the end of the eighties, the Soviet Union and Japan have also suffered a painful economic downturn, and even negative growth. However, you quickly reined from the precipice and soon began to recover. The Japanese economy has been stagnant, so I'm curious. ”

"Curious?" Ryzhkov said with a smile, "I am also very curious about how he did it." ”

"Him?"

Ryutaro Hashimoto's hand paused, he raised his head and asked with some incomprehension, "Isn't the rapid recovery of the economic strength of the Soviet Union in recent years due to the efforts between you and Prime Minister Pavlov?" Who are you referring to? ”

"Not exactly." With the help of this lively state banquet, Ryzhkov remembered the scene when Ryanaev suddenly summoned him in the Kremlin late at night. With almost no hesitation, he was re-promoted to Minister of Finance of the Soviet Union, responsible for the implementation of a series of economic policies designated by Yanayev. At first, even Ryzhkov had no hope for his position, and at this time the Soviet political model had become extremely ossified, but he did not expect that Yanayev would be able to reform the ills in a drastic way, making possible the otherwise impossible NEP.

Every reform can grasp the key points, and each time it is one step ahead of its opponents, it is no wonder that the European Union and the United States are not his opponents alone.

"We are just implementing Yanayev's policy and doing our part as we can. The greatest credit is still the route that Yanayev has already laid. ”

Ryzhkov is not modest, but gives a real answer.

"You mean that all this was arranged by Chairman Yanayev?" When Hashimoto was in charge of the Ministry of Finance, he had heard that the Soviet Union, the red leader on a rival of Stalin, had done everything that seemed like an impossible task, saving a declining empire and reforming a country that was struggling to return.

"He's more like a god who saves the Soviets." Ryzhkov picked up his glass and said seriously. (To be continued.) )