Jake Alderstein grew up in rural Missouri, before traveling to Japan to work as a crime reporter. He is one of the experts on Japanese organized crime, and is under police protection. He lives a truly exciting life, in which "he dyed his hair bright red, claiming that this disguise would foil would-be assassins. He employs a bodyguard who doubles as a chauffeur, an ex-yakuza who cut off his pinkie finger years ago as a gesture of apology to a gang superior. Adelstein says he needs a car and a nine-fingered driver in order to avoid the subway, where a hit man might shove him in front of a train" (Hessler). While Japan isn't a crime-riddled country, Adelstein is still well known and targeted by many criminals.
Citations
Hessler, Peter. "All Due Respect".The New Yorker, 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/09/all-due-respect.
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