The man who cracked Japan’s crime gangs is back for a sequel
Jake Adelstein’s Tokyo Vice exposed Japan’s yakuza. Now he’s out of police protection and releasing a new book. From the upcoming May issue out on April 26.
His friends joke it is a miracle Jake Adelstein made it to 55. The former newspaper crime reporter and expert on Japan’s notorious crime gangs, called the yakuza, lived for years under Tokyo police protection. He survived death threats, beatings, health scares and years of hard drinking and smoking with the cops and crime bosses inhabiting Tokyo’s seedy underworld.
While he is wary of romanticising crime figures, Adelstein says he is actually writing about family loyalty, friendship and a group of people bound by a code of honour. And this is what fascinates audiences.
Michael SmithHealth editorMichael Smith is the health editor for The Australian Financial Review. He is based in Sydney. Connect with Michael on Twitter. Email Michael at michael.smith@afr.com
