Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan

Book Review

Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan is a book written by Jake Adelstein, in which he recounts his experiences as an investigative journalist in one of the biggest newspaper companies in Japan, the Yomiuri Shinbun. I really liked the exposition of this book and getting a first-hand look into Adelstein’s experiences as a rookie reporter. I also really respect his writing prowess - situations that probably shouldn’t have been funny were written in a way that made me laugh out loud. Some of my favorite parts of the book were about him recounting moments where he culturally misunderstood something or when he played the “I’m a dumb foreigner” card to sneak his way into getting more information. And so, what makes him endearing as a narrator to me is the fact that he comes off as very charismatic and smart about navigating tricky situations. In the audiobook, I found his voice to be a bit grating and annoying…it reaches a really low timbre where it gets all scratchy, and hearing that over and over again started to irritate me. But I still think it is important for him to narrate his own story, because he is able to bring much more personal emotion and character to his words.

Overall, I think this book was very engaging, and I really respect Adelstein’s abilities as an investigative journalist. Most of all, this book is enlightening as it describes police/journalist relationships, underground sex trafficking crimes, and gang activities that exist in Japan. I would definitely recommend it!