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Japan Subculture Research Center

A guide to the Japanese underworld, Japanese pop-culture, yakuza and everything dark under the sun.

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Don't miss the Daily Show!

Be sure to watch The Daily Show on Monday, November 16 to catch Jake Adelstein in an interview with Jon Stewart talking about his book, Tokyo Vice, and all the…

Welcome!

Hello to all the viewers of 60 Minutes or the readers of the Washington Post who have stopped by after seeing the program and/or reading the article. We’d like to…

Child pornography pulling profits?

“How can you crack down on child pornography in this country when it is not a crime to be posses it?” “When you are looking at child pornography, you are…

Economics 101: The Yakuza Barometer

A look at why the yakuza hitting the books is a sure-fire sign that the economy is hitting rock bottom, by Bloomberg’s William Pesek, with added flavor from Jake Adelstein.…

Hosts and Hostesses: Some thoughts on Hiroko Tabuchi's great article

Tabuchi-san wrote an interesting piece about the resurgent popularity of hostess jobs in Japan in the New York Times last week. I contributed a commentary to the debate blog about…

Japanese Mob Boss Plans To Learn About Reincarnation and Karma Really Fast

Goto offered few clues at his ordination, reportedly brushing off questions about his decision with a curt statement: "Buddha will make me his disciple and enable me to start a…

Jake Adelstein Yakking About the Yakuza On The Economist Web Site

If you’ve come here because you have a “yen” to know more about Japan’s tattooed brotherhood, please check out  TOKYO VICE: AN AMERICAN REPORTER ON THE POLICE BEAT IN JAPAN.…

Living With The Mob: Yakuza Deeply Rooted In Japan

  YAKUZA WARS by David McNeill and Jake Adelstein A bloody dispute between two rival Yakuza groups in a southern Japanese city has led to a historic fight-back by local…

From The Guardian: Residents go to courts to evict yakuza

Residents of a city in western Japan this week became the first to turn to the courts for help in ridding their neighbourhood of organised crime, amid fears that they…

From the Times Online: Yakuza stalk Japanese markets as organised crime opens new front

From The Times August 28, 2008 By Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent Japan’s powerful yakuza organised crime syndicates are mounting a widespread assault on the country’s financial markets that may…