author

 
Menu
Search
 
November 21, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Jake Adelstein

Meta

Twitter

@jakeadelstein

Jake Adelstein
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 3, 2018
Fukuoka enlists artificial intelligence in fight against organized crime
Advances in artificial intelligence have come along in leaps and bounds in recent years, prompting police in Fukuoka and Kyoto to look into ways of using the technology to tackle organized crime.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 7, 2018
Beware of the ¥10 million business card
Business cards carry a lot of weight in Japan, so much so that they can be used to devastating effect if someone decides to deploy them for criminal purposes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Sep 1, 2018
Examining the motives behind mass murder in Japan
Japan is for the most part a safe country. Gun-control laws are so strict in this East Asian nation of more than 120 million that fatalities remained in single digits last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jul 2, 2018
Giving visitors to Japan something they can dance to
Is this a case of deja vu on the dancefloor?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 2, 2018
Can Hirokazu Kore-eda's success with 'Shoplifters' shed some light on poverty in Japan?
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for "Shoplifters," a critically acclaimed family drama that was partially inspired by real-life events.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 5, 2018
In Japan, a high-profile former gangster struggles to go straight
Everyone loves a tale of redemption. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be one of them. In a previous column, I introduced a man who had gone from being a greedy, violent, self-centered boss of an organized crime syndicate to become a compassionate male nurse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 31, 2018
'The Outsider' scores a few hits among the misses
Netflix last month released a yakuza film starring Jared Leto titled "The Outsider" to critical disdain. And as much as I expected to hate the movie, I didn't. It's portrayal of the world of organized crime in Japan after World War II is not entirely inaccurate. It even has its moments.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 3, 2018
Criminals in Japan are profiting from the public's fear of prosecutors
A new type of transfer fraud in which perpetrators take advantage of their victims' fear of prosecution has sparked concern among law enforcement officials in recent weeks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Feb 3, 2018
Scrutiny on initial coin offerings rises in wake of Coincheck theft
Crime involving cryptocurrencies appears to be on the rise at a time when the total number of reported crimes in Japan is falling.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 6, 2018
Giving former gangsters in Japan a chance can reap rewards
Fuji Television screened a popular TV series in 2009 called "Ninkyo Herupa" ("Yakuza Helper") that focused on the life of a former gangster who landed a job at a nursing facility for the elderly.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Dec 2, 2017
Life as a gangster in Japan just isn't as fun as it used to be
A number of theories have been put forward on the reasons behind the 2015 split of the country's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 4, 2017
Japan's crime syndicates are shooting themselves in the foot
Japan's organized crime syndicates appear to be embroiled in something of a power struggle.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Sep 30, 2017
Gangsters prefer to do things by the book
Japan's gangsters esteem tradition and prefer to do things by the book. As a result, they appear to love manuals — they have manuals for committing certain crimes as well as guides on how to avoid punishment for carrying out those crimes. Lately, however, gangsters don't appear to be paying as much...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Aug 5, 2017
Bitcoin exchange operator arrested amid new questions about Mt. Gox theft
Ever since Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy in February 2014, investigators have been puzzled by the disappearance of virtual currency worth hundreds of millions of dollars from its digital vaults.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jul 1, 2017
Are crime syndicates in Japan sitting on a gold mine?
The Japanese underworld loves gold — it has been the analog bitcoin of crime syndicates in recent years. The origins of gold are difficult to trace, and the material is easy to convert into cash and store. Crime syndicates are increasingly smuggling it, stealing it or robbing it from other smugglers...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 3, 2017
The not-so-shady world of Japan's singles bars
On May 22, the Yomiuri Shimbun published a curious article about Kihei Maekawa, a former administrative vice education minister who has said that he is willing to testify under oath about the Kake Gakuen scandal dogging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 6, 2017
Brazen heists suggest that crime syndicates may be back in business
Last month, three masked robbers grabbed a suitcase stuffed with cash from a businessman who had just withdrawn the money from a bank in Fukuoka. The businessman is believed to have been planning to use the ¥380 million ($3.5 million) to buy gold.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 1, 2017
Gangsters in Japan aren't quite as intimidating as they used to be
The National Police Agency announced last month that the number of crime syndicate members fell below 20,000 in 2016.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 4, 2017
How much time does it take to save a life?
How much time does it take to save a life? Five hours? Five minutes? Five seconds?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Feb 4, 2017
Honesty is the best policy for lost property
Last month, I withdrew some money — ¥100,000 to be precise — from an ATM near Tokyo's Shibuya Station.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER