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December 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 / 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 / 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.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

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Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
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