Jake Adelstein

Jake Adelstein
Biographical information
Status	Alive
Occupation	Journalist
Gender	Male
Appearance
Played by	Ansel Elgort
First seen	The Test

Jake Adelstein is an American journalist from Missouri. After moving to Tokyo, he becomes enthralled in the rife corruption of the cities underworld.

Jake becomes particularly involved in the dealings of the Japanese Yakuza after he is taken under the wing of the elite Vice Squad. Jake begins to grow closer with Hiroto Katagiri and his family during his time investigating the Yakuza and the strange deaths occurring within Japan. This puts Jake in a difficult position and makes him a target of both the Tozawa and the Chihara-Kai.

Biography

Joining the Meicho Shimbun Newspaper

After moving to Japan to study at University, Jake practices non-stop to learn both the Japanese language and about Japanese culture in general. When the time comes, he sits the entrance exam for the Meicho Shimbun Newspaper and, despite initially being questioned given he is foreign and the test is in Japanese, he aces the test despite missing out numerous questions.

Jake is asked back to the newspaper where he talks with the board about why he wants to be a crime reporter. Jake tells them that his father is a coroner and would take him along to crime scenes, this has fuelled his desire. Jake is eventually welcomed into the newspaper and offered a job. Life at the newspaper, however, is difficult for Jake, and those around him discredit him at every opportunity because he is not Japanese. Tensions arise between Jake and Emi, his supervisor at work, when he calls her by her name instead of professionally.

Eventually, Jake takes interest in a string of murder cases, one including a man killed with a samurai sword, and one who sets himself on fire. He is surprised, however, when he learns that the Police refuse to refer to them as murder. Jake writes a newspaper piece on the murder, but is rebuked by Buke in his office, who cites that it is not murder unless the Police say so. This causes further tensions between Emi and Jake, as she too gets in trouble for running his piece.

Involvement with the Police

After taking an interest in the two murders and the Police, Jake eventually finds himself turning to Hiroto Katagiri for support. One night, Jake witnesses Hiroto breaking up a fight between two of the Yakuza clans, the Tozawa, and the Chihara-Kai. Jake snaps a photograph for the newspaper but the sound of the shutter alerts Hitoro and the others to his presence. Hitoro takes the photograph from him but allows him and the camera to leave safely.

Jake later tries to investigate death of the man who set himself on fire but finds that he cannot find anything of substance. After visiting the mans home and finding bills from loan-sharks, Jake takes a trip to the loan-shark's office but finds it empty and inhospitable. He later talks with Hitoro about this, and Hitoro tells him that they move every so often to stay under the radar of the Police.

Jake and Hitoro eventually grow closer and Hitoro invites Jake along whilst he and other officers confront Tozawa and his men for their behaviour against the Chihara-Kai the previous night. Hitoro takes two prisoners and allows Jake to write about it, which puts him in a favourable position both with his friends and at the newspaper. When Jake asks about the murders, Hitoro tells him that the Police appease the Yakuza but never directly challenge them or prosecute them for anything as serious as murder. As a result, the Yakuza come to respect certain members of the Police force, hence how he was able to de-escalate the situation that night at the bar.

Appearances

Season One

• The Test
• Kishi Kaisei
• Read the Air
• I Want It That Way
• Everybody Pays
• The Information Business
• Sometimes They Disappear
• Yoshino