Upcoming Event - FCCJ Tokyo - Sept. 26
Book Break: Robert Whiting, author of “Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders Who Shaped Modern Japan”
Thursday, September 26, 2024, 18:00 - 20:30
TOKYO — Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies is a new work by Robert Whiting. It deals with a fascinating swath of Japanese history – from the occupation to the present day (up to the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe) – focusing on foreigners who have made a impacts on Japan for better or for worse. Within this book are 15 histories of individuals who have made their mark on history including Jack Canon, who headed the infamous Black Ops group of the 1940’s the Canon Agency; Ted Lewin, the Mafia gambler and WWII hero who survived the Bataan Death March to introduce casino style gambling in Tokyo; CIA Agents who bribed the LDP and foisted the Korean Unification Church on Japanese politics; renowned con artist Craig Spence; Baseball manager Bobby Valentine; and Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn and Greg Kelly.
Robert Whiting is a Tokyo-based writer who had authored many critically acclaimed books. He is the author of the best-selling You Gotta Have Wa, named by Esquire Magazine as one of its “best baseball books ever written”; Tokyo Underworld; and Tokyo Junkie. His books have been optioned by Hollywood multiple times. The California native has written for TIME Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Smithsonian and other publications. His first book, The Chrysanthemum and the Bat, was praised by James Fallows of The Atlantic, as “the most illuminating book on Japan I have ever read, and the funniest.”
Whiting was a recipient of the 2023 Henry Chadwick Award, which honors those who write about baseball. He first arrived in Tokyo in 1962 and has lived here for much of the time since then.
Doors open at 6:00 pm. Dinner is served from 6:15 pm. The presentation starts at 7:15 pm. Dinner includes coffee or tea and one beverage of choice including orange juice, oolong tea, white wine, red wine and beer. Price: 3,000 yen for members/4,000 yen for non-members. Cancellations accepted up to 72 hours in before the event.
Please reserve at the reception desk or by email (front@fccj.or.jp). Non-members must pay by Friday, September 20th, 2024.
Online attendance (via Zoom) is available at 550 yen per person, by reservation.
Attendees with food restrictions should inform the club when reserving. Thank you.
(The talk will be in English)
Library, Archives & Workroom Committee