Publisher Description

A riveting true-life tale of newspaper noir and Japanese organised crime from an American investigative journalist. Now a Max Original Series on HBO Max

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EITHER ERASE THE STORY, OR WE'LL ERASE YOU. AND MAYBE YOUR FAMILY. BUT WE'LL DO THEM FIRST, SO YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON BEFORE YOU DIE.

From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, first-hand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up.

At nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquility. What he got was a life of crime . . . crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. Working eighty-hour weeks for twelve years, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face-to-face with Japan's most infamous yakuza boss - and the threat of death for him and his family - Adelstein decided to step down . . . momentarily. Then, he fought back.

With its visceral descriptions and detailed exploration of the modern-day yakuza, Tokyo Vice is a deeply thought-provoking book: equal parts cultural exposé, true crime and hard-boiled noir.


'Expertly told and highly entertaining' GEORGE PELECANOS, writer and producer of The Wire

'Sacred, ferocious, and businesslike, Adelstein describes the Japanese mafia like nobody else' ROBERTO SAVIANO, author of Gomorrah

'Gripping and absorbing . . . A terrifying, deeply moral story that you cannot put down' MISHA GLENNY, author of McMafia

Notes

From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique and revelatory look at the seedier side of Japanese culture from the underbelly up. Equal parts cultural expose, true crime and hard-boiled noir.

Flap

'EITHER ERASE THE STORY, OR WE'LL ERASE YOU. AND MAYBE YOUR FAMILY. BUT WE'LL DO THEM FIRST, SO YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON BEFORE YOU DIE.' From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, first-hand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up. At nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquillity. What he got was a life of crime . . . crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. Working eighty-hour weeks for twelve years, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face-to-face with Japan's most infamous yakuza boss - and the threat of death for him and his family - Adelstein decided to step down . . . momentarily. Then, he fought back. With its vivid, visceral descriptions of crime in Japan and an exploration of the world of modern-day yakuza that even few Japanese ever see, Tokyo Vice is a deeply thought-provoking book: equal parts cultural expos

Author Biography

Jake Adelstein, a Japanese-schooled Jewish-American, worked for 12 years as a journalist on Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri Shinbun. In 2005, he became chief investigator for a US State Department sponsored study of human trafficking in Japan. Now a writer and consultant in Japan and the US, Jake and his family remain under death threats from one of Japan's most notorious crime bosses. He is the author of Tokyo Vice (2010), which inspired the 2022 HBO television series of the same name.

Review

Terrific. With gallows humour and a hard-boiled voice, Adelstein takes readers on a shadow journey throught the Japanese underworld and examines the twisted relationships of journalists, cops, gangsters. Expertly told and highly entertaining.
Sacred, ferocious, and businesslike, Adelstein describes the Japanese mafia like nobody else.
Gripping and absorbing ... A terrifying, deeply moral story that you cannot put down.
Hugely fascinating... utterly authentic. * Literary Review *
Fascinating * Books Quarterly *
thrilling * Financial Times *
Hardcore * Jewish Chronicle *
Gripping. * Catholic Herald *
Fascinating. * James Cracknell, Daily Express *

Promotional

A page turning insider's account of reporting on crime in Japan. Does for Tokyo what Homicide did for Baltimore.

Review Quote

Fascinating.

Promotional "Headline"

A page turning insider's account of reporting on crime in Japan. Does for Tokyo what Homicide did for Baltimore.

Details