Chapter 902
Rejecting Japan's Conditions, A Sharp Counterattack
Hiroshi Amano felt like he had been waiting for a long time.
As a 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics and one of the inventors of blue LED, he enjoys a high reputation in the global scientific community.
Wherever he goes, he is always a guest of honor and an object of adulation.
But at this moment, he was sitting in the reception room of Galaxy Technology headquarters, having waited for a full forty minutes.
The tea was refilled three times, the magazine was flipped through twice, and the scenery outside the window was looked at countless times, but the person named Wang Donglai still did not appear.
Hiroshi Amano took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure.
He knew the significance of his trip.
This was not a typical academic visit.
Before he set off, he had been instructed to rigorously verify the extent of China's technological advancement.
However, immediately after landing, he was contacted by higher-level officials who conveyed a clear instruction: spare no effort to strive for cooperation with Galaxy Technology.
Technology licensing, patent swaps, joint research and development, and even, if possible, probing Wang Donglai's personal intentions.
"Professor Amano..."
The Secretary-General's voice still echoed in my ears: "This person's influence on the world's technological landscape has surpassed that of any single company. If he can cooperate with Japan, even if it's just to express some goodwill, it will be a huge diplomatic achievement."
Hiroshi Amano remained silent for a long time at that time.
He understood the weight of those words.
Japan's advantage in the semiconductor field is being gradually eroded by Galaxy Technology.
Shin-Etsu Chemical's market share in photoresist is declining, Tokyo Electron's orders for etching equipment are decreasing, and Nikon and Canon's lithography machines have long been left behind by ASML. Now, even ASML itself is in a precarious situation.
If new areas of cooperation are not found soon, Japan's semiconductor industry will completely lose its competitiveness within three years.
Not to mention the Xuanwu battery.
If Galaxy Technology is willing to grant licenses, Japan's automotive industry could be saved.
If you don't want to...
Hiroshi Amano dared not imagine the consequences.
So he waited.
What's forty minutes? He'd be willing to wait four hours just to see that person.
The door to the reception room finally opened.
A young man in a dark shirt walked in, his steps steady, his expression calm, revealing no emotion.
It was Wang Donglai.
"Professor Amano, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Wang Donglai said politely, but there was no apology in his tone.
Amano Hiroshi quickly stood up, a smile plastered on his face: "Academician Wang, you're too kind. It's worth waiting any amount of time to have the opportunity to meet you."
The two sat down.
Wang Donglai skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Professor Amano, you flew all the way from Tokyo, surely it wasn't just for the press conference?"
Hiroshi Amano was taken aback, not expecting the other party to be so direct.
But he was a worldly man, and quickly adjusted his demeanor, smiling as he said, "Academician Wang is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush."
He paused, organizing his thoughts, and said, "There are three main things I've come for."
"First, the achievements you have published—room temperature superconductivity, quantum computing, and breakthroughs in string theory—are all truly groundbreaking. The scientific community in Japan is eager to engage in in-depth cooperation with you to jointly advance research in these cutting-edge fields."
Wang Donglai didn't say anything, but simply nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Secondly, regarding the Xuanwu Battery."
Hiroshi Amano's voice became more sincere: "As you know, Japan's automotive industry, including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, is a global leader. Obtaining a license for Galaxy Technology's battery technology would be a huge opportunity for both of us. We can open up our patent pool, share the market, and so on..."
"Professor Amano."
Wang Donglai interrupted him, saying calmly, "Let's get straight to the third thing!"
Hiroshi Amano's words stuck in his throat.
Looking at Wang Donglai's young face, he suddenly realized that this man was neither a simple businessman nor a scientist.
He took a deep breath and slowly said the third thing: "The leader asked me to convey his greetings to you. If you are willing, Japan can provide you with any conditions you need. Permanent residency, the highest level of research funding, unrestricted academic freedom—everything is negotiable, as long as you are willing to consider it."
Wang Dong looked at him and suddenly smiled.
There was something in that smile that Amano Hiroshi couldn't understand.
"Professor Amano."
Wang Donglai said, "Do you know that you are able to sit here today with the approval of those above?"
Hiroshi Amano nodded: "I know, and I am very grateful for your arrangements."
"Then do you know why the higher-ups agreed?"
Hiroshi Amano paused for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Wang Dong asked and answered himself: "It's not because you have a lot of influence, nor because your conditions are so good, but because I want to see what you really want to do."
Hiroshi Amano's smile froze.
"Now I know."
Wang Donglai leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent: "Technology licensing, collaborative research—these are all pretexts. What you really want is to turn me into your tool."
"No, Academician Wang, you've misunderstood..."
Am I misunderstanding something?
Wang Donglai interrupted him, his gaze sharpening: "Professor Amano, I have a question for you—in 2000, during the Toshiba incident, you leaked Russia's submarine technology to the United States, causing Russia heavy losses. Are you aware of this?"
Hiroshi Amano opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
"In 1987, Toshiba Machine exported precision machine tools to Russia, violating the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM). Afterwards, Toshiba executives received lenient sentences in Japan, but in the United States, they were forced to apologize in mainstream media across the country. Were you aware of this?"
Hiroshi Amano's face began to turn pale.
"Going further back, during World War II, do I need to recount everything you did in China, one by one?"
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Hiroshi Amano remained silent for a long time before saying, "Academician Wang, that's all history now. We're talking about the future..."
"future?"
Wang Donglai sneered and said, "You don't even dare to face history, what are you talking about for the future?"
"Professor Amano, do you know what I admire most about you? It's not your craftsmanship, nor your technological prowess, but your mastery of the art of 'moral blackmail'."
“You’ve done wrong and you won’t admit it. If others don’t forgive you, they’re considered narrow-minded. If others don’t cooperate, they’re considered nationalists. If others reject you, they’re considered to be violating the spirit of ‘science without borders’.”
He turned around and looked into Amano Hiroshi's eyes: "You've been using this same rhetoric for a hundred years."
Hiroshi Amano's face turned bright red.
He is a Nobel laureate and a world-leading scientist, and has never been criticized to his face like this before.
“Academician Wang, what you’re saying isn’t fair to us.”
His voice trembled slightly as he tried to defend himself, saying, "I admit we've made mistakes in the past. But that's the work of the previous generation. My colleagues and I just want to do good research and advance science. What do those things you're talking about have to do with us?"
"It doesn't matter?"
Wang Donglai walked back to the sofa, sat down, looked directly into his eyes, and said, "Professor Amano, do you know how much money your Ministry of Foreign Affairs spends every year to hire people to praise you on the domestic internet?"
Hiroshi Amano was stunned.
"Do you know how many whales your whaling ships kill in the Antarctic every year?"
Hiroshi Amano was speechless.
"Do you know that your textbooks change 'aggression' to 'entry,' 'massacre' to 'incident,' and 'comfort women' to 'military nurses'?"
Every question felt like a slap in the face to Hiroshi Amano. "These things seem to have nothing to do with you, after all, you're not involved."
Wang Donglai asked, "You didn't participate in the decision-making, and you didn't do those things yourself. But you enjoyed all the benefits that came with it—a stable society, advanced technology, and a comfortable life. What right do you have to say 'it's okay'?"
Hiroshi Amano fell completely silent.
After a long silence, he raised his head, his voice hoarse: "Academician Wang, I acknowledge that the problems you mentioned exist. But science is pure and should not be interfered with by politics and emotions. If we refuse to cooperate because of historical issues, how can science progress? How can humanity develop?"
Wang Donglai laughed, a laugh tinged with sarcasm.
"Professor Amano, you're here again."
"Science is pure? Then why did you sign the COCOM Agreement? Why did you sign the Wassenaar Arrangement? Why did you join the United States in blocking our technology imports?"
"Why didn't you say that science was pure back then?"
Hiroshi Amano was speechless.
How do you think humanity should develop?
Wang Donglai continued, "Let me tell you, for humanity to develop, the first thing we must learn is respect. Respect history, respect facts, and respect those who have been hurt in the past."
"You enjoy the technology developed from the wealth plundered from China, while pretending those things never happened. You shout 'science knows no borders,' while following the United States in imposing blockades on us. You want my technology, yet you want to stand on the moral high ground and criticize me."
"What gives you the right?"
His voice rose higher and higher, then fell back down, regaining its calm: "Professor Amano, did you come here today with genuine sincerity?"
Amano Hiroshi opened his mouth, wanting to say "yes," but looking into Wang Donglai's eyes, he suddenly couldn't say it.
"you are not."
Wang Donglai answered for him, "Your sincerity is based on the premise that 'we can afford it.' You think that offering a high price and some conditions will sway me? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would be intimidated by the status of a Nobel laureate?"
He shook his head: "You're wrong."
Hiroshi Amano fell completely silent.
He knew he had lost.
We didn't lose because of negotiation skills, we lost because of fundamental issues.
This person doesn't care at all what they can give.
"Professor Amano."
Wang Donglai stood up and walked towards the door. "That's the end of today's meeting."
Amano Hiroshi grew anxious and stood up as well: "Academician Wang, are you really not going to reconsider? We can talk, we can talk about anything..."
Wang Donglai stopped and turned around.
"Anything is negotiable?"
He looked at Amano Hiroshi with a hint of amusement in his eyes, "Alright, I'll ask you a few questions."
"First, can you demolish that war criminal shrine? Can we discuss this?"
Hiroshi Amano's face froze.
"Secondly, when will your textbooks accurately depict that period of history? Can we discuss this?"
Hiroshi Amano was speechless.
"Third, can you truly admit the mistakes you made in history? Is this something we can discuss?"
Hiroshi Amano fell completely silent.
Wang Donglai walked back to him and stood still.
“Professor Amano, you keep saying that we can talk about anything, but there’s not a single thing that should be discussed.”
"What you want has never been cooperation, but one-sided exploitation. You want to use my technology to perpetuate your industrial advantages. You want to use my achievements to fill your research gaps. You want to use my reputation to enhance your international image."
He shook his head: "I'm not stupid!"
Hiroshi Amano stood there, his face ashen.
Wang Donglai walked to the door, opened it, and glanced back at him.
"Professor Amano, you are an excellent scientist. I acknowledge that. The invention of blue LEDs has benefited countless people. But scientists are, first and foremost, human beings. As human beings, we must have a sense of right and wrong, and a bottom line."
“You say science is pure, I don’t disagree, but scientists are not. Scientists have nationalities, emotions, and memories. Those who have been hurt, their descendants, will not forget what happened just because ‘science is pure.’”
"You want to cooperate? Fine. But let's talk again when you truly face history, when you truly apologize, and when you truly make amends."
He paused, then lowered his voice: "Before that, there's nothing for us to talk about."
The door closed.
Hiroshi Amano stood still, motionless.
After a long while, he slowly walked back to the sofa and sat down.
The tea on the table had long since gone cold.
Outside the window, the sunlight in Tangdu was just right, shining on his face, but it felt particularly dazzling to him.
He recalled what his leader had said before he left: "This person is very important; we must try to win him over."
He remembered his promise: "I will do my best."
But now, he has gained nothing.
He didn't even know how he left Galaxy Technology headquarters.
All I remember is that when I walked out of the building, the sunlight was blinding, and the security guard at the door looked at me calmly, as if I were an ordinary visitor.
He was not an ordinary visitor.
He is a Nobel laureate.
But here, in this country, in front of this person, his aura is worthless.
……
That evening, in the hotel room where Hiroshi Amano checked in.
He sat at his desk with a blank sheet of paper spread out in front of him.
He needs to write a report to the Prime Minister's Office detailing the outcome of the meeting.
But he couldn't write a single word.
How should I write it? Say that Wang Donglai refused? Say that he was left speechless by the questioning? Say that he couldn't answer any of the questions asked?
He recalled Wang Donglai's last words: "Before that, there was nothing between us to talk about."
That was rejection, and also judgment.
The trial is not just for Hiroshi Amano, but for the entire country of Sakura.
He suddenly remembered the nights he spent in the laboratory when he was young.
At that time, he felt that science was pure and undisturbed.
As long as results are achieved, they can benefit humanity and transcend national borders.
But now he understands that science can transcend national borders, but scientists cannot.
Because scientists live in history.
History, however, will not be forgotten.
The next morning, Hiroshi Amano boarded a plane back to Tokyo.
As the plane took off, he looked out the window at Tangdu City, which was receding into the distance.
That city was very large, with towering buildings and bustling traffic.
But what he truly remembered was not the buildings or the streets, but the words spoken by the young man in that meeting room.
"Scientists are, first and foremost, human beings. As human beings, they must have a sense of right and wrong, and a bottom line." (End of Chapter)