Jake Adelstein

Jake Adelstein has been an investigative journalist in Japan since 1993, writing in Japanese and English. He authored Tokyo Vice (now an HBO series), The Last Yakuza (2023), Tokyo Noir (2024), The Devil Takes Bitcoin/em> (2025), and Code Blue (2027). He co-hosted the award-winning podcast The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods. A recognised expert on Japan’s organised crime, he’s reported for The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Tempura, and VICE. He is also a low-ranking Zen Buddhist priest, trying hard to be kinder and occasionally exorcising hungry ghosts. Adelstein frequently appears as a commentator on Japanese crime and culture, working as a writer and consultant. Jake resides in Tokyo, Japan