Jake Adelstein's Blog, page 97

Politicians and yakuza, not so different

News of Ichiro Ozawa's questioning by prosecutors in relation to the Rikuzan-kai campaign fund scandal has flooded the dailies and the news for much of the past few days as investigators dig deeper into what may be a possibly destabilizing blow to the DPJ. Ozawa was put in the hot seat after the arrest of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a DPJ lawmaker who was formerly the secretary general's privately hired secretary.

Something interesting about the incident is the language used in Ishikawa's statements...

Everything I Ever Really Needed To Know I Learned From The Yakuza or The Cops

Entry 01.  "There Are No Small Promises."

When I was a young reporter, circa 1995, I made an appointment with a Sumiyoshikai (住吉会)boss, Kaneko Naoya, at his office in Minami-Ginza at 7pm.  I showed up at 7:20. And Kaneko was pissed. Unreasonably so, or so I thought.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I said apologizing.

"Why were you late?"

"I had some work to do."

"Why didn't you call?"

"I guess I should have."

"No, 'I guess I should have' isn't good enough. You should have at least called.  And you should...

Failed pick-up line: "I'm a yakuza boss"

Sankei News reported that a 34-year-old man was charged with rape after a rather dodgy incident where he told a woman that he was a yakuza member and forced her to have sex with him last December.

Naoki Kambara, a part-time worker at a shipping company, threatened a young woman on a street in Tokyo's Kokubunji City on Dec. 17, telling her that he was the "number two" of a yakuza group. He forced her into a public toilet where he performed obscene acts on her before bringing her to a nearby...

"Where Is The Romance?"–a hard-boiled meditation on mating rituals in Tokyo (for V-day)

In a departure from our usual somber posting, I've written an original prose-poem, which is for a friend's upcoming "Where is the Romance" theme party in Tokyo–a pre-valentines's day event.  I've been in Japan (not just Tokyo) for over twenty years now and it seems to me that this city as overpopulated as it is, is also a very lonely place.  I've heard more dating horror stories than any man should hear in his entire life.  If Hong Kong is the graveyard of marriages–Tokyo is where the...

From historic tales to the morning news: Manga for everyone

There's likely very few students who haven't at least paged through one of the manga versions of the classics, like Essays in Idleness or the great Genji Monogatari, to prepare for their university exams. Indeed, probably number of Japanese people have never even seen classic Japanese literature in any form except for a comic book. And when these tales are typically composed of volumes and volumes of nearly incoherently archaic Japanese script–something akin to Beowulf in English–who could...

In the clear?

On this trip I had a nice little chat with a senior member of what used to be the Goto-gumi. I think we understand each other and in some ways, that he's grateful I got rid of his boss. Now all I have to worry about is the former crime-boss himself and the one hundred people still working for him. Better odds.

Homes and hotels during the recession

The talented Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times published an article recently focusing on a group of Japanese people who have been forced out of their homes and into capsule hotels due to the recession.

For Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas, home is a cubicle barely bigger than a coffin — one of dozens of berths stacked two units high in one of central Tokyo's decrepit "capsule" hotels.

"It's just a place to crawl into and sleep," he said, rolling his neck and stroking his black...

Less on livers, more on livelihoods

The Japan Times published in last Sunday's paper a mammoth of an interview with Jake by Mark Schreiber, stretching almost two entire pages across the Time Out section. While the news media is in no shortage of interviews with Mr. 'Viceman' Adelstein, this one is worth the read because, as Jake put it, "there's little or no mention of liver transplants or UCLA, for a change."

Author Joshua "Jake" Adelstein supposes that if he'd stayed home in rural Missouri and had never come to Japan, he'd...

Better late than never: Yakuza play Santa for kids in Kobe

Not the actual Yamaguchi-gumi event. (Taken by nori_n, who is not affiliated with JSRC)

As posted on Japan Probe earlier this week, the Yamaguchi-gumi decided to add a little extra generosity to their annual mochi-making event at their headquarters in Kobe by handing out cash 'o-toshi dama' gifts, snacks and toys to children who attended.

The cash was handed out in two types of small envelopes in the names of "Tsukasa" or "Takayama," apparently representing gang boss Kenichi Shinoda (also...

A Maudlin Merry X-mas From Jake, Sarah and Everyone At Japan Subculture Research Center

I wish I could be a little more cheerful around this time of year. I can remember a time when the Christmas season didn't depress me much but it seems like decades ago.  Maybe if I was in Japan where Christmas is more festively celebrated by buying tubs of Kentucky Fried Chicken and young couples flock to love hotels to consummate their undying love for each in Hello Kitty! themed love hotel suites or in illuminated Jacuzzi baths or round beds shaking to festive tunes channelled through the "...