Tokyo Paladin with Jake Adelstein
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Happy 02/22/22:22 (In Japan)
Two (To) celebrate this once a year magic moment when almost all the twos line-up, I'm giving away 2 subscriptions to Tokyo Paladin Substack. And two…
10 hrs ago
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Jake Adelstein
6
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A Bad Day for a Funeral; A Good Day For A Wedding
The traditional Japanese calendar has days marked as auspicious, risky, safe or even "a draw". But one day "Tomo-Biki"(友引) literally "pulling friends…
Feb 20
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Jake Adelstein
21
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The Devil Takes Bitcoin: A book worth your fiat currency
The Devil Takes Bitcoin is a departure from the Tokyo Vice trilogy. We chronicled the crazy criminal history of Bitcoin and the mysterious Satoshi…
Feb 17
12
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The Rise of Japan’s Female Trump: Why Takaichi Sanae Is the Worst Thing to Happen to Japanese Democracy Since Abe 2.0
Oct 4, 2025
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Jake Adelstein
173
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Back to 1925--Japan's xenophobic party steps forward to take Japan backwards
Jul 21, 2025
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Jake Adelstein
81
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The Death of The Salaryman
Aug 28, 2025
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Jake Adelstein
70
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“Japanese First” and the Race to the Bottom: How Japan’s Upper House Election Became a Showcase for Xenophobia
Jul 13, 2025
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Jake Adelstein
54
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Kabukichō: A Name That Promised Kabuki—and Delivered Everything Else
Jan 9
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Jake Adelstein
51
5
For the yakuza in your life, "Thank you for your painful hard work" (ご苦労様) is appropriate but never "Otsukare-sama"!
Dec 25, 2025
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Jake Adelstein
48
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Human Accident (人身事故)
Human Accident (人身事故)
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弔えない極悪の極道
後藤忠政組長（元山口組）が死亡した。本日１６日は葬儀だが、彼に苦しめられ、命を落とされた人々を考えると、「悪徳円罰を祈る」と唱えるしかないのです。英雄でもなく殺人鬼でした。
Feb 16
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Jake Adelstein
6
1
Nothing Says Love Like A Drop of Blood? Valentine's Day in Japan is Different
Traditionally, women give chocolates to men. It's a unilateral move. Men reciprocate on "White Day". And a small number of women mix their own blood…
Feb 14
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Jake Adelstein
20
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4 Yakuza, 4 Livers, 100+ Dead Americans; No problem. The UCLA Report You've Never Seen
Between 2000-2004, four vicious yakuza (Japanese gangsters) got liver transplants at UCLA. Tadamasa Goto, the most famous of them, died on February 8…
Feb 12
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Jake Adelstein
27
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Happy 旧正月(Lunar New Year) from Tokyo Paladin! Here's a special offer for founding members and benedictions to all our readings
Thanks for exploring Japan's underworld with us. Here's a special offer for founding members of Tokyo Paladin Substack. Grab it while the moon is full!
Feb 12
16
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Even in the afterlife, Terry J. Ganey is an investigative journalist. We hope to see you again.
Terry Ganey: a great investigative reporter in the US. Before he died, he contacted me to make sure that I got all his files about 1992 VA murders…
Feb 11
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Jake Adelstein
17
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