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Jake Adelstein on Muck Rack

Jake Adelstein

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As seen in: The Daily Beast, LinkedIn, CNN, CNN en Español, Medium, MSN, MSN Australia, MSN UK, Business Insider, Forbes, The Guardian and
Covers:  japan, sex work, crime, buddhism, organized crime, japanese subculture, yakuza, injustice, kit-kats, police, corporate malfeasance
Doesn't Cover: akb48, the beatles
調査報道記者・Tokyo Vice (原作の著者) Investigative journalist, Zen Buddhist Priest, Paladin, Social Justice 🥷 Ninja, Author of #TokyoVice #TokyoNoir 禅僧 @thedailybeast
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Inside Japan's Bitcoin Heist

Inside Japan's Bitcoin Heist

Daily Beast — Bitcoin, the virtual currency that has been racing toward acceptance as a genuine currency, had a colossal setback this past Tuesday, when a major Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, based in Tokyo, went off-line. Thousands of customers are unable to withdraw deposits and CEO Mark Karpeles is not talking to the press about what happened. Fears about the virtual currency's security have multiplied with the closing of Mt. Gox. It appears that the theft of several hundred thousand Bitcoins from the company forced it to close the exchange. Speculation is rampant as to what exactly happened.
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The Yakuza Lobby - By Jake Adelstein

The Yakuza Lobby - By Jake Adelstein

www.foreignpolicy.com — TOKYO - Japan's leaders are going on trial this month -- in the court of public opinion, though some of them may be concerned about facing the more traditional kind. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), who has been in power for a bit over a year, dissolved Japan's parliament, the Diet on Nov. 16 after a series of scandals drove his poll numbers to an all-time low. The final straw was his appointment of mob-linked Justice Minister Keishu Tanaka, who resigned on Oct. 23 -- ostensibly for health reasons. A weekly magazine had reported on Oct.
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Kim Jong-Il's Former Sushi Chef Reveals Former Supreme Leader's Favorite Fish

Kim Jong-Il's Former Sushi Chef Reveals Former Supreme Leader's Favorite Fish

www.theatlanticwire.com — The world knows so little about the inner workings of the North Korean regime that the appearance of Kim Jong-Il's former sushi chef at a press conference held here at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan - well, it was bound to get scrutinized for shreds of new information. For instance, how old is the new young ruler of the Hermit Kingdom? Kenji Fujimoto, the alias of the Japanese sushi chef who spent more than a decade being the official cook of the North Korean dictator and his cohorts - and who recently returned to visit the North Korean dictators' family - revealed Kim Jog-un's date of birth as January 8, 1983.
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How Sony Is Turning into a Ghost in Japan and Around the World

How Sony Is Turning into a Ghost in Japan and Around the World

kotaku.com — For some people in Japan, Sony is already dead. The only question they have is how did Sony die, or who killed it, and how long will the spectre of Sony remain haunting Japan. It's a pessimistic view of the company but it's one reality in this island country. Mr. and Mrs. Nakayama have run a home appliance and electrical goods shops for more than 50 years in central Tokyo. The shop is small and slightly dingy-not dirty or unclean, but there is something faded about it, like an old newspaper that had been kept on a family bookshelf.
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The Death and Legacy of Yakuza Boss "Mr. Gorilla"

The Death and Legacy of Yakuza Boss "Mr. Gorilla"

Daily Beast — Yoshinori Watanabe, the previous boss of Japan's largest yakuza group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, passed away this weekend according to the Hyogo prefectural police. He was the fifth-generation leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi and had rarely appeared in public since retiring or being forced out of power in 2005. He was 71. Watanabe was a folk hero in Kobe, the town where he died, after organizing relief efforts and providing food, water, and essential supplies to the locals after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January of 1995. Watanabe was found collapsed at his home in Kobe on Saturday, by his family; his death was confirmed the same day.
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On Modern Slavery: Thoughts on Human Trafficking : Japan Subculture Research Center

On Modern Slavery: Thoughts on Human Trafficking : Japan Subculture Research Center

www.japansubculture.com — On Modern Slavery: Thoughts on Human Trafficking Posted by Michiel Brandt on Saturday, December 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment Michiel Brandt died from complications of leukemia in July of 2012, at age 30. This was the essay she submitted to the Monterey Institute of International Studies on why she wanted to attend the school. It's a heartfelt and concise piece on what "human trafficking" really means. She graduated posthumously on December 8th, 2012. The Monterey Institute of International Studies thanks to her Professor Tsuneo Akaha and her friend Maria Pacana, has set up a fund in her honor.
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Angry mobster looms large over politicians | The Japan Times Online

Angry mobster looms large over politicians | The Japan Times Online

www.japantimes.co.jp — In Japan these days, the political world seems to be mirroring "Beat" Takeshi Kitano's latest yakuza film, "Outrage Beyond," which depicts Japan's ruling party as being well and truly in bed with the mob. If you've been paying attention to the news lately, that will sound familiar. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but sometimes fiction tells the truth first. Certainly this second film in the "Outrage" series, which seems loosely based on the rise and fall of the Inagawa-kai, Japan's third-largest crime group, may be a little too close for comfort for the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
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Japan's Miss International Takes on Mob-Backed Entertainment Complex

Japan's Miss International Takes on Mob-Backed Entertainment Complex

Daily Beast — The 53rd Miss International was crowned Tuesday in Tokyo, but her predecessor, the first Japanese woman to win the title in 52 years, Ikumi Yoshimatsu, was not there to hand over her crown. Ms. Yoshimatsu (born June 21 st, 1987) is an actress, best-selling author, and a social activist. The reason for her conspicuous absence: she was told to "play sick" by the management of the contest, The International Culture Association, who fear that a powerful talent agency executive stalking her might "cause trouble." The organization demonstrated a blame-the-victim mentality that has outraged and troubled many inside and outside of Japan.
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