I’d like to direct your attention to some recent media activity about Japan and an American journalist living there named Jake Adelstein. Jake’s new book, entitled Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, is a memoir of his experiences investigating the Yakuza, one of the largest crime syndicates in the country. He recently discussed this topic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and on NPR.
Polaris Project’s Tokyo office launched in 2004. To our knowledge, it is one of the only non-profit organizations specifically dedicated to the issue of human trafficking in Japan. Over the past five years, we’ve developed a strong relationship with Jake, who currently plays an advisory support role for our efforts there.