ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank a number of people who helped me put this book together, stay alive, and keep my friends and family safe—in completely random order.

Fifteen guys in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force and the National Police Agency of Japan, especially the Gang of Five.

A few good yakuza. Yes, they do exist.

The courageous Michelle Johnson, who kept me company when everyone else split and who bandaged me up when I needed it.

Howard Rosenberg, for watching out for both my father and me over the years.

Sunao Adelstein, who has endured much and raised our children almost single-handedly, has been a great wife, a fantastic mother, and is one of the most intelligent and beautiful women I’ve ever met. I wish I had done things right or that they had worked out better.

Beni, my beautiful and brilliant daughter, and Ray, my supersmart and very brave son, I hope when they are old enough to read this book, they will learn from my mistakes and lead a better life.

Bob Whiting, a great writer and superb friend. I couldn’t have finished the book without him.

Tim O’Connell, my editor at Pantheon, a great guy and allegedly a hell of a sushi chef. I’ll be the judge.

Katie Preston; her remarkable mastery of all things English, intimate knowledge of the Japanese language and culture, and editorial sensibility were invaluable.

Christina Kinney, gal Friday, researcher, and Girl Genius!

Michiel Brandt, the most cheerful researcher and two-time leukemia survivor in the world. She’s inspirational.

Asako Ichisaka, my closest friend and confidante and the best assistant in the world.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for some good advice. Apologies for asking that question on the plane, but I had to know. I hope the noise-canceling headphones are still working.

The Yomiuri Shinbun, for giving me a chance in the first place.

Boting Zhang, who has been a 24/7 editor and adviser and my personal Kannon Bosatsu. Thanks to ronin-editor Tama Lung and her husband Phil—both of whom offered me a place to hide and their support when things were crazy, and especially to Tama who has suffered the joys of writing with me.

Also, merci beaucoup to Kaori Shoji, a brilliant writer in two languages—“the Dorothy Parker of Japan”—and a good friend and confidante when I needed one.

The pride of Montana, Kathy Laubach, and hardworking journalist Sarah Noorbakhsh also contributed some translation work and editing to the book.

Thanks to John Pomfret and Emily Langer at The Washington Post Outlook section for vetting and publishing my article in May 2008.

Andrew Morse, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, for being supportive and for introducing me to John “Soulpatch” Glionna at the Los Angeles Times. He and Charlie Ornstein were great to work with.

A special thanks to Lara Logan, whose candid advice helped polish the manuscript. Vanessa Mobley, a master wordsmith, also steered me in the right direction.

Kudos to Special Agents (ICE) Jerry Kawai and Mike Cox, who worked like dogs to seize Kajiyama’s blood money and return it to his victims in Japan. They are amazing guys. I’m grateful to former Special Agent Jim Moynihan for being honest with me and for his hard work in getting Japan to partially ban child pornography.

I have to thank my fellow reporters and former bosses at the Yomiuri: Maruyama, Komatsu, Yamamoto, Shimizu, Murai, Hirao, Mizoguchi, Yamakoshi, Wakae, Misawa, Inoue, Umemura, Kurita-desk, crazy Nakamura, Endo, Chairman Mizukami, “Stone-head” Ishima, and everyone else. I am very grateful for the time I spent there and the training they gave me.

Thanks to those who helped me during my college days in Japan as well: Ryogan Adachi, the Buddhist priest who let me live in his temple during college. Laurence Moriette, who taught me European table manners and some sensitivity. My Sophia University professors, especially Professor James Shields, who taught me the joys of Japanese literature, and Professor Richard Gardner, who taught me what a nutty, mystical place Japan still can be. Speer Morgan, writer, editor, and mentor, also offered valuable advice.

Also a salute to the following: Action and his partner, two people I cannot name but who have been there in the light and the dark. Thanks for always being there. Ikuru Kuwajima, my protégé, a fantastic photojournalist and fearless friend. Rod Goldfarb, who has always had my back and Tim and Gina Overshiner for putting up with me. Arianne, former band-mate and my second favorite Scorpio. Shannon Loar, my next-door neighbor as a child and a good friend even now. J. T. Rogers, playwright and senpai. Aya Yoshikawa, man-killer, super-mom, and close friend, and the amazing P-rama, who dances with her eyes closed. Thanks again to Greg Starr and Elmer Luke, who made the first draft possible. And of course, my mother, Willa Adelstein—who carried me in her womb for nine months, as she constantly reminds me. Gracias to my sisters Jennifer and Jacky, who still think I’m a moral reprobate and a total dork and thus keep me humble. I’d like to express appreciation to certain friends in the OSI, NCIS, and the DEA who went out of their way on my behalf. Kudos to Pete, Joe, and Miki for keeping North Korean drugs from flooding Japan. A special mention to Miles Saverin, yakuza expert and noted intelligence officer, and Aki Adachi, a fantastic reporter pal. I owe much to Anna Przeplasko for doing the photographs for the cover. Kou Sundberg was invaluable in researching the Keizai yakuza.

I would also like to thank Dan Frank, Pat Johnson, Paul Bogaards, Edward Kastenmeier, Chris Gillespie, fellow Saitama alumna Michiko Clark, Altie Karper, Catherine Courtade, Virginia Tan, and everyone else at Pantheon Books who helped make this possible.

I also owe thanks and bows to some of the other hardworking journalists here in Japan who have been good friends and inspirational to me over the last few years. Yakuza savvy David McNeill, the fearless Justin McCurry, the crafty economy reporter Leo Lewis, the savvy Coco Masters, crime expert Mark Schreiber, subculture whiz Hiroko Tabuchi, Dan Slater, Allison Backham, Marsha Cooke, Richard Parry, Julian Ryall, and all the others stranded outside the press club system. I don’t know if it’s common to add apologies to acknowledgments, but I’ll do it here. I owe apologies to my family and some of my friends for putting them through a lot of stress and possibly in danger. I went a little crazy for a while, and during that period I was probably quite annoying and troublesome to a lot of people. I’m sorry.

There are some people who didn’t approve of the way I handled things, and I’m sure I have disappointed them. I did what I thought would work, and mostly it did.

Finally, thanks to all the people who stuck by me in hard times. I will remember, and I will repay in kind.