EPISODE · Oct 6, 2025 · 43 MIN
Jake Adelstein: The Devil Takes Bitcoin
from Books on Asia · host Adrien Chen, Satoshi Nakamoto, Ross Ullbricht, Tygron, Mark Karpeles, Natalie Stucky, Jake Adelstein, Tigran Gambaryan, Amy Chavez
Adelstein introduces the people behind Mt. Gox, one of the world's largest Bitcoin exchanges, based in Tokyo and run by Frenchman Mark Karpeles. As a reporter for The Daily Beast, Japan-based Adelstein starts researching Mt. Gox, to figure out how it got hacked, and how it collapsed i 2014 with over 650,000 Bitcoins gone missing. He covers the laws, customs and quirks of Japan's hostage-justice system and how the entire investigation into Karpeles and Mt. Gox played out. And yes, it includes cats! The Devil Takes Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency Crimes and the Japanese Connection will be published by Scribe, Oct. 14, 2025.Jake is an book junkie who reads across a variety of genres. He is currently reading:The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace about the founder of Bitcoin.The Sweet Spot by Paul Bloom大阪府警暴力団担当刑事Yellow Face by R.F. Kuang The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
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What this episode covers
Jake Adelstein is the author of Tokyo Vice, The Last Yakuza, Tokyo Noir. Today he talks to Books on Asia about his soon-to-be-released The Devil Takes Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency Crimes and the Japanese Connection (Scribe, Oct. 14, 2025).
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Jake Adelstein: The Devil Takes Bitcoin
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