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November 21, 2024
 

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Jake Adelstein

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Jake Adelstein
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jul 4, 2020
Nonaffiliated gangs seek to exploit vacuum left by the yakuza’s declining influence
Violent gangs are starting to make their presence felt in western Japan, with incidents of armed robbery and violent crime clearly on the rise.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 6, 2020
Crime syndicate puts brakes on fraudulent activities during pandemic
Gang leadership says it's wrong to “rob (elderly) individuals of the money they need to live.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 2, 2020
Japan's gangs find themselves in a losing battle to mark territory
Carrying a business card bearing a gang crest is 'effectively a license to collect cash,” a former gang member says. “Without the crest, it's just a sheet of paper.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 5, 2020
Examining the legal definition of a virus
Law enforcement agencies in Japan are struggling to define exactly what the new coronavirus is, and what it is not.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 2, 2020
Criminals are taking advantage of fear over COVID-19
Where some people see calamity, criminals see opportunity. As concern grows over the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan, the denizens of the underworld haven't lost any time trying to find a way to profit from the situation. Crime, like the virus, never sleeps.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Feb 1, 2020
What's in a name? For the yakuza, quite a lot
The Yamaguchi-gumi is one of the most feared crime syndicates in Japan and yet its name may become a relic of the past in 2020 if recent reports are to be believed.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 4, 2020
The importance of defining organized crime in Japan
The definition of a crime is a critical part of law enforcement. After all, what constitutes a crime such as theft is fundamental to working out whether or not someone is ultimately guilty of committing the offense.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 30, 2019
Telephone manufacturers unveil the perfect Christmas gift to combat bank transfer scams
Furikome sagi (bank transfer scams) have become such an entrenched part of life in Japan that you can't even make a bank transfer via an ATM these days without first acknowledging a notice reminding you to refrain from sending money to people you don't know.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 2, 2019
It's illegal to pay gangs ... but that's not the point
A set of revised organized crime ordinances went into effect on Oct. 1 in Roppongi, Kabukicho, Shibuya and 26 other designated special districts in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 4, 2019
Rip-off bars are taking advantage of Japan's tourism boom
With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Aug 31, 2019
Police warn Olympic ticket lottery winners to be vigilant
The second ticket lottery for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics closed on Aug. 19 for an estimated 4.16 million residents of Japan who came up empty-handed in the initial draw.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Aug 3, 2019
Re-examining 2001's fatal Kabukicho blaze in the wake of the Kyoto Animation attack
Police have described the torching of Kyoto Animation, which killed 35 people, as the worst case of arson in postwar Japan. Given the shocking details of the attack that have emerged since July 18, it's certainly not hard to believe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jul 6, 2019
As Japan prepares to open casinos, gangs won't be afraid to test security
Japan is currently creating a legal framework to operate casinos via a system of integrated resorts, but concerns persist that they'll be prime targets for organized crime once they're finally up and running by 2024.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 1, 2019
Historic justification for Japan's tattoo ban is no longer relevant
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games a little more than a year away, it's time for Japan to turn the page on tattoos. It's hard to argue with a straight face in this day and age that tattoos are exclusively used by members of the yakuza and ex-criminals. It's a no-brainer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 4, 2019
Japan's gang members are running out of places to hide
Membership in organized crime syndicates has been decreasing about 10 percent each year since 2011, according to National Police Agency statistics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 6, 2019
Solving the world's largest bitcoin heist
"Imagine someone stole everything in your store and you reported the crime to the police," says Nobuyasu Ogata, defense lawyer for Mark Karpeles. Karpeles, 33, is the former CEO of Mt. Gox, once the largest bitcoin exchange in the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 2, 2019
Google Maps could point users down the wrong path
One could almost be forgiven for thinking that con artists are a dime a dozen in Japan. They've been terrorizing elderly folk over the telephone in recent years with their ore-ore sagi ("It's me" scams) and sending threatening emails that warn recipients their computer has been hacked and compromising...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Feb 3, 2019
Rethinking the media's coverage of 'theatrical crime' in Japan
Ten minutes after midnight on Jan. 1, Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a rental car into pedestrians on Harajuku's famed Takeshita-dori, injuring nine people.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 5, 2019
Is international scrutiny of Japan's criminal justice system fair?
The Nov. 19 arrest of ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, his 23-day detention, his subsequent arrests and lengthy stay in detention has resulted in international scrutiny of Japan's criminal justice system. Is that fair?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Dec 1, 2018
23 days later: Getting arrested in Japan
Freedom is easy to take for granted — at least until it is taken away from you without warning.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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