Gamblers, fraudsters, dreamers & spies : the outsiders who shaped modern Japan / Robert Whiting.
| Author/creator | Whiting, Robert author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Tokyo ; Rutland, Vermont : Tuttle Publishing, [2024] |
| Description | 384 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 21 cm |
| Subjects |
| Variant title | Gamblers, fraudsters, dreamers and spies |
| Contents | Introduction -- The canon agency: spies and drugs in postwar Japan -- Soldiers of fortune: greed and duplicity in the occupation and its aftermath -- The Girard and Quackenbush killings: the era of anti-Americanism -- Elint agents : electronic spies in the Cold War -- Saints : acts of kindness -- Con artists : unscrupulous visitors from abroad -- Danny's Inn: new opportunities, new opportunists -- The Sadahuru Oh story : paying a price for "otherness" -- Hostesses : the dark underbelly of Tokyo nightlife -- Gaijin Yakuza : among the thugs -- Gaijin CEOs : the scandals of Olympus and Nissan -- Valentine's way : changing the face of Japanese baseball -- The bitcoin crimes and the North Korean crime syndicate -- The Korean taxi barons : Sadao Aoki and MK Taxis -- The Moonies : the Korean Unificiation Church and the assassination of Shinzo Abe. |
| Abstract | "Critically acclaimed author and longtime Japan resident Robert Whiting turns his attention to the fascinating stories of foreigners who made waves and achieved notoriety in post-World War II Japan. In this rare insider's look at Japan through the eyes of foreigners, this book covers a fascinating swathe of Japanese history, from the immediate postwar period up to the 2022 assassination of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The fascinating stories of the gamblers, dreamers, and other chancers who made their mark in modern Japan include US servicemen running Vegas-style gambling dens; baseball managers Like Bobby Valentine; hostesses, bar managers and wannabe yakuza gangsters; religious fanatics such as Members of the Moonies, and businessmen like disgraced Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. This fascinating book provides an unvarnished look at the post-war history of Japan and offers cautionary tales about how welcoming Japan really is towards outsiders. It is based on original research and reporting by the author, a 60-year resident of Tokyo"--Publisher's description. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references. |
| Genre/form | Biographies. |
| Genre/form | Biographies. |
| ISBN | 9784805317983 |
| ISBN | 4805317981 paperback |
| ISBN | electronic book |