Page 20 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
May 2, 2022
Ansel Elgort takes on Japan mafia in HBO drama series
By Yuri Kageyama
The Associated Press
OKYO — The HBO Max drama series “Tokyo
Vice” takes on the perennial story of a novice
reporter on the police beat but places it in the
bustling exotic landscape of the Japanese capital of the
1990s.
Ansel Elgort of West Side Story immersed himself in the
leading role not only by learning Japanese so he could
speak like a native, but also learning the ropes of an
investigative reporter, interviewing people, getting
quotes, and writing up a story.
“It was really cool,” he said in a recent interview with
The Associated Press.
The characters had to feel real, not just be archetypes,
Elgort said.
The series, which premiered in April, weaves in
allusions to the Japanese film genre depicting organized
crime, called “yakuza,” as well as exploring the glitzy
night life of hostess bars, where powerful corporate
Japanese men rub shoulders with their underworld
counterparts.
“You see the yakuza characters. You see them as a
family, too. It’s kind of like The Godfather, where you see
them being bad guys, but you see them at home and how
it’s really a family,” Elgort said.
The whole point was to go back and forth smoothly
between languages and cultures, all carefully put
together to appear authentic to global audiences, the
creators and actors said.
Ken Watanabe, who plays a somber and seasoned police
detective, said he also served as Japanese language
adviser, and gave Elgort the tip to learn all his lines in his
native tongue first before trying them out in the foreign
language.
That has been a trick Watanabe uses acting in
Hollywood, starting with the Tom Cruise period piece The
T
Last Samurai. For “Tokyo Vice,” Watanabe also studied
cops, he said, to probe deeper into his character, a loving
family man and tough crime fighter at once.
“Tokyo Vice” is loosely based on a non-fiction firsthand
account by Jake Adelstein, who spent years in Japan and
REPORTER’S STORY. The HBO Max drama series “Tokyo Vice”
takes on the perennial story of a novice reporter on the police beat but
places it in the bustling exotic landscape of the Japanese capital of the
1990s. Pictured is Ansel Elgort in a sceen from “Tokyo Vice.” (HBO
Max via AP)
worked for a top newspaper.
“You’re always looking at the storyteller for a dynamic
genre story by characters with incredible stakes, but how
to come in with a different angle?” said Tony-winning J.T.
Rogers, writer of the series and a friend of Adelstein since
they were teens in Missouri.
“It creates a dynamism that we hope the audience will
find interesting,” he said.
Footage shot in Tokyo is filled with iconic touchstones,
from the famous Shibuya intersection where crowds
crisscross in perfect choreography, to the rigidly
bureaucratic offices of the Japanese “salaryman,” whose
hierarchical emphasis on respect for higher-ups is oddly
paralleled by the yakuza world.
Continued on page 17
Japan’s Honda outlines
strategy to forge ahead on EVs
By Yuri Kageyama
AP Business Writer
T
OKYO — Honda is investing 5 trillion yen ($40
billion) over the next decade in research, especially
to realize a major shift to ecological electric
vehicles, the Japanese automaker said.
The products and services in the works will account for
more than half of its 8 trillion yen ($64 billion) research
and development budget in that time and will be tailored
for each major market, the U.S., China, and Japan.
Efforts in North America will focus on the collaboration
with General Motors Co., under which Honda Motor Co. is
jointly developing two midsize to large EV models, set for
sale in 2024.
By 2027, also under its alliance with GM, Honda plans
to offer an affordable electric vehicle that’s competitive
with gas-powered models in performance and pricing.
Top automakers are accelerating electric car offerings
amid pressing concerns about climate change, while also
employing new kinds of fuel, such as biofuel and
hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
Honda will launch 30 EV models globally by 2030,
targeting production of more than 2 million vehicles a
year, according to the maker of the Accord sedan, Asimo
robot, and Gold Wing motorcycles.
They will span the whole range of models, from tiny
vans to muscular sportscars.
“We will continue to deliver the kind of fun in driving
that our customers have come to expect from Honda,” said
chief executive Toshihiro Mibe.
In China, where the move to electric vehicles is
especially bullish, Honda is introducing 10 new EV
models by 2027.
In Japan, a market dominated by gas-electric hybrids,
Honda will start with small commercial vehicles, such as
delivery vans.
Businesses are likely to be more open to such
investment because of the Japanese government’s
sustainability goals, officials said.
A commercial-use mini-EV model at the 1 million yen
($8,000) price range will go on sale in Japan in 2024, while
other EVs, including sport-utility models, for regular
consumers will follow, they said.
By the late 2020s, Honda hopes to have a breakthrough
on next-generation batteries.
It also will develop related software since electric
vehicles need recharging infrastructure and could add
features such as robotics and avatars.
Like other automakers, Honda lost business during the
coronavirus pandemic. But it’s forecasting an operating
profit of 800 billion yen ($6.4 billion) for the fiscal year
that ended in March.
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