The Death of Juzo Itami: Suicide or Yakuza Hit?

On December 20, 1997, film director Juzo Itami, once considered the successor to Akira Kurosawa, was found dead in the streets of Tokyo. According to the police, the cause of death was obvious: he jumped from a rooftop (his office building, to be specific) and died on the landing. The motive, however, is a much-discussed topic even to this day.

According to the New York Times, a supposed suicide note was found in Itami’s office. In it, he angrily denied having an affair with a 26 year-old woman, he was 64. Apparently, the shame the affair would’ve brought onto him was too much to handle, and he was willing to prove his innocence by taking his own life. All of this happened two days before Flash, a magazine, published an article detailing the affair; Itami was, supposedly, aware of it and actively preventing its existence.

However, the suicide narrative quickly came into question by Itami’s fans, who claim the circumstances of his death stood in contrast to his films. Quoting the New York Times: “In a society known for its gravity, Mr. Itami’s films brought smiles and laughter to his audiences.” Another explanation was then proposed, that of murder, specifically by the hands of the Goto-Gumi Yakuza.

Itami previously had conflict with this group after the release of his 1992 film Minbo, an anti-yakuza satire. In an interview, he detailed the beating he received from them a few days after the film’s release. Considering he was allegedly working on another anti-yakuza film, many have speculated that the Japanese gang was involved in his death. And, in 2010, new information came to light that suggested they did.

Today, we attempt to get a better understanding of this event. Now, let us introduce the people involved:

Who was Juzo Itami?

Born on May 15, 1933, Juzo Itami was a talented and sensitive director who was afraid to create a film. Son of acclaimed pre-war director Mansaku Itami, the shadow his father’s legacy cast on him always kept him from pursuing his passion. Back then, he went by his real name, Yoshihiro Ikeuchi, as the Itami surname wasn’t something to be taken lightly. As Yoshihiro, he worked as an amateur boxer, TV host, translator and, most notably, an actor (with his legacy as such being often forgotten).

It wasn’t until the age of fifty, after his father’s passing, that Yoshihiro finally took on the Itami name. With his age, experience, and the fact he became a father himself, he finally thought he could reach his father’s heights. What came of this is one of the most illustrious and fascinating film careers in Japanese history. His introduction to the world of film immediately received accolades, with his first movie, The Funeral, winning three Japanese Academy Awards. Right after it, he released Tampopo, his most popular film and favorite here at Japan Nakama. Overall, Itami’s films were fun, accessible, challenging, and a sign of his immense talent as a director. 

Being the artist he was, Juzo Itami wasn’t afraid of covering serious topics in a lighthearted way. His trademark of satirical humor, most likely a trait he inherited from his father, was something he used when tackling heavy subjects such as death. However, as previously stated, this eventually led to trouble with the Yakuza, who didn’t enjoy Itami’s depiction of them in his film Minbo. True to himself, Itami was still pursuing his artistic freedom on this matter, as it was rumored his next film was going to be about the Goto-Gumi Yakuza. Some consider this to be his fatal flaw.

The Goto Gumi Yakuza

Yakuza history is a complex subject, but what we need to know starts in the 1980s. This was a time of economic rise in Japan, and the Yakuza, previously relegated to small venues, wanted in. Eventually, their investments led to them acquiring economic power, which they used to infiltrate every aspect of Japanese life. By the time the 1990s came, the Japanese government had enough and implemented some of the first Acts designed to reduce their influence. The immediate aftermath of these led to lawsuits, protests, and even violence, all of which are well documented. 

Amidst this chaos entered the Goto-Gumi, which, to put it simply, were the new kids on the block. Initially, they were a gang from the Shizuoka Prefecture, but by 1991 they moved their operations to Tokyo. At this time, following the government Acts, public perception of the Yakuza was overall negative; a perfect time for, let’s say, a certain movie to come out and satirize them. Needless to say, the Goto-Gumi were upset about Itami’s film and the way it represented them, so they retaliated. Was this motivated by honor or were they trying to prove themselves to the other gangs? We’ll likely never know.

To this day, the attack on Juzo Itami is among the most notable moments from the Goto-Gumi; that and the time their founder negotiated with the FBI to have liver transplants in the UCLA Medical Center. What’s important here is that, due to Itami’s popularity, the attack made the yakuza look worse in the public eye. Their attempt to silence Itami made their “struggle” harder. So, in a now hostile Japan, if they were ever going to take care of Itami, it would be behind closed doors. It would be something like faking his suicide. 

Minbo: Juzo Itami vs. The Yakuza 

Even though it was the Goto-Gumi who took action upon Itami, they weren’t the only Yakuza gang to take issue with his film Minbo. Thus far, we’ve been mentioning this movie, so it begs the question: what was Minbo about? 

Internationally known in some countries as The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion, Minbo is set in a prestigious hotel that’s been infested by the Yakuza. The owner of the hotel, seeking to be the host of an important international meeting, realizes the Yakuza are in the way of his goals. What follows is Juzo Itami’s characteristic satirical humor, as the owner enlists the inexperienced hotel staff to get rid of them, to no success. Finally, when the situation seems helpless, enters our hero: Mahiru Inoue (played by renowned actress Nobuko Miyamoto, Juzo Itami’s wife). Under Inoue’s directions, the staff is ultimately able to drive the yakuza out, depicting them as fools in the process. 

In an excellent article written by Aidan Djabarov, he explains how this movie was one of the first realistic depictions of the Yakuza. According to him, the Yakuza were usually portrayed as Robin-Hood like figures, believing themselves to be modern-day samurais. In Minbo, however, they were fools, extortionists, and, most importantly, cowards. Cowards in the sense they wouldn’t even follow on their own threads. So, at least with the Minbo, one could argue that the Goto-Gumi got to Itami first.

What can’t be argued, however, is that the rumors of Itami’s next film explicitly mentioned the Goto-Gumi. Juzo Itami was, in essence, doubling down on the “coward” claim by working on a film about his aggressors. Considering they were unable to silence him the first time, is it that illogical they took things one step further? 

Jake Adelstein

For the most part, the media ran with the suicide narrative, and any mention of the Yakuza seemed more and more like a fringed conspiracy theory. However, in 2010, journalist Jake Adelstein wrote an article on the Japan Subculture Research Center website that confirmed the claims. If the name Jake Adelstein rings any bells, it’s because his memoir was later adapted to the MAX original show Tokyo Vice (2022). And, if you’ve watched the show, you’ll know that the founder of Goto-Gumi, Tadamasa Goto, sounds very similar to that of the show’s antagonist, Shinzo Tozawa.

Going back to the article, Jake allegedly spoke to an ex-member of the Goto-Gumi, which confessed to Itami’s murder. To quote from the article directly: “We set it up to stage his murder as a suicide. We dragged him up to the rooftop and put a gun in his face. We gave him a choice: jump and you might live or stay and we’ll blow your face off. He jumped. He didn’t live.”

It should be noted here that Jake Adelstein’s credentials have been called to question at least once. Notably, the Hollywood Reporter claimed that an insider doubted the events that took place on the Tokyo Vice memoir. Jake has defended himself against these allegations and has even provided evidence to support his version of the story. You can find this evidence in an article written by Laura Martin for Esquire.

All of this said, Jake Adelstein himself has clarified that he can’t prove that Juzo Itami was murdered. When answering questions on the Japan Subculture Research Center, he states the following: “Knowing something and proving it are different things.”

Juzo Itami’s Legacy 

Whether suicide or yakuza hit, one thing is certain: Juzo Itami’s death was a tragedy. Even though he was 64 years old at the time of his passing, his career as a director was still young. In the fourteen years he worked as the creative lead, he released a total of ten films, all of which are worth exploring. It should also be noted that he released half of them while still working as an actor and a producer. To call this a feat inside the industry, would be a huge understatement. 

I could list numerous ways in which his legacy lives on, but, for now, I’ll limit myself to the Juzo Itami Award. Starting in 2009, the Juzo Itami Award aims to honor his legacy by celebrating, recognizing and financially compensating groundbreaking artists in fields that Itami was passionate about. As one would expect, the award has been handled for film editing, directing and acting; but there have also been winners for TV commercials, graphic design, essay writing and much more. This list is but a glimpse of Juzo Itami’s reach, as he approached every subject with the same passion he did his film. He was, in many ways, an artist’s artist; a talented man who has and will no-doubt continue to influence generations to come.

Final Words

In this writer’s humble opinion, I lean towards the Jake Adelstein version of the story. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there was an affair and that Juzo Itami was most likely ashamed of it. However, knowing what we knew of him, his attitude towards death does run counter to the events of his passing. Itami, who stated that death was becoming worthless in the face of hospitals and nursing homes, believed death itself was something to honor. So, taking his own life to prove his innocence, a situation where death brings honor, does strike me as suspicious.  

Additionally, if you’ll allow me to put on a tin foil hat, his supposedly suicide note reads to me as a way to detract western media from investigating further. A Japanese man willing to kill himself over the honor of his name? Sounds about right, especially if your understanding of Japanese culture is limited. I should also note his death happened in 1997, a year that, amidst recession, saw the suicide rate of Japan soar. Juzo Itami was, therefore, another one of these unfortunate suicides. One that, to the untrained eye, was more closely related to Seppuku or Harakiri than the one brought about by economic anxiousness. To summarize, the letter reads, to me at least, like it’s playing on the western understanding of Japanese suicide, despite the fact Itami himself didn’t align with it. 

At the end of the day, we don’t know, and probably will never know, what really happened to Juzo Itami. Nonetheless, we hope that by laying the information available this way, you’ve acquired a better understanding of the situation. So, what are your thoughts? Do you believe the official suicide verdict, or do you suspect a more sinister plot?