Staying true to yourself: An evening with Jake Adelstein

Last week, I attended a Japan Society event featuring Jake Adelstein and his newest book, The Devil Takes Bitcoin. The room was packed, and the energy was electric, people asked sharp, fascinating questions that sparked deep discussion. If you’ve read Tokyo Vice, first published in 2009, you know Jake is a master storyteller: sharp, fearless, and utterly captivating.

Hearing him speak live reminded me why I’ve been a fan since his first book came out. He doesn’t just tell stories; he pulls you into them with his voice, his timing, and his ability to make complex truths feel immediate and real. And for me, it’s more than storytelling; it’s a reminder of what it means to stay true to yourself, even when that path comes with risk and resistance.

Jake’s history in Japan is remarkable. He became the first non-Japanese staff writer at Yomiuri Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest newspapers, where he spent 12 years covering crime and corruption, a role almost unheard of for a foreigner in Japan’s media landscape.

That experience became the foundation for his memoir Tokyo Vice, which exposed the inner workings of Japan’s criminal underworld and later inspired the HBO Max series starring Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe.

His work has always been about uncovering uncomfortable truths, often at great personal risk. For example, his reporting on yakuza boss Tadamasa Goto’s secret deal with the FBI for a liver transplant led to death threats, a stark reminder of the stakes involved in investigative journalism. That commitment to honesty is something I deeply admire.

I also love his podcasts. The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods explores Japan’s missing persons phenomenon, tens of thousands vanish each year, often voluntarily, reflecting deep societal pressures. Then there’s Night Shift, which reinvestigates a chilling case from Jake’s hometown: a suspected serial killer nurse at a Missouri VA hospital in the 1990s. The story is personal, Jake’s father, a pathologist, blew the whistle despite institutional resistance, echoing the theme that runs through Jake’s work and life: doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.

And now, with The Devil Takes Bitcoin, Jake turns his investigative lens on the wild early days of cryptocurrency. The book dives into the Mt. Gox collapse, the Tokyo-based exchange that lost nearly half a billion dollars in Bitcoin, and the Silk Road saga, where ideals of decentralization collided with greed and crime. It’s not just about financial scandal; it’s about human nature, hubris, and the unintended consequences of technology. Reading it, you see the same thread that runs through all his work: exposing what others would rather keep hidden, whether it’s yakuza deals, missing persons, or the dark side of digital money.

What stands out most about Jake is that he keeps fearlessly giving his opinion, even when it doesn’t align with the mainstream narrative. In a world where it’s often easier to stay quiet or go along with the crowd, he chooses integrity over convenience. That’s not an easy decision. It can cost you relationships, opportunities, even security. But it’s also what defines character and builds trust, the kind that lasts.

As I listened to Jake, I thought about how this principle applies beyond investigative reporting. In business, in cross-cultural work, in life, staying true to your values is what creates meaningful connections and long-term success. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

I know this from experience. When I worked in HR, I had to make some hard decisions to stay true to myself. Those choices cost me, sometimes professionally, sometimes personally, but I don’t want to look back on my life and feel shame that I sold out.

Integrity matters. And when you choose it, even at a price, I think you build a life you can be proud of.