What would the world have looked like if Japan had an advanced Nuclear Program?
Spoiler they did. The 4 most important things from my podcast with Tokyo Vice Author Jake Adelstein.
Question: What would the world look like today if Japan had dropped the Nuclear Bomb First?
Jake Adelstein brought up a piece of history I had never heard. Not only did Imperial Japan have a nuclear bomb program, but they may have been quite close to creating one.
The United States Navy stopped a shipment of Uranium from Germany to Japan.
In my opinion, this reality fundamentally shifts the calculus of our atomic use in Japan.
Super Skill - Tenacity
Tokyo Vice, the show and the book, are allegedly about a young American journalist diving deep into the underworld of Japan and bringing truth to power against the Yakuza.
In reality they are a story of a fundamental translatable skill by those who make things happen and those who don’t.
Jake could hardly speak the level of Japanese needed when he tested to join the ranks of the Yomiyuri, but what Jake showed was his ability to make things happen. Through creativity, grit, and determination Jake finds a way. Time and time again.
The great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once said, “The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time and teaching them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”
It is this capacity that I have found so mesmerizing in Jake. Tokyo Vice and his other books have taught me so much because they show story after story one of the most important human skills to develop. Tenacity.
Quote: “A man without enemies isn’t much of a man.”
If you make a stand, if you do what is right, if you make people face uncomfortable truths, you will make enemies. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I am currently reading The Courage To Be Disliked, which was recommended by my homie Alessio.
In a world of cancellation and social credit scores, this might be one of the most important things to strive for.
It isn’t about being a dick, it is about pursuing your reality relentlessly.
It is something I am working on daily.
Dichotomy: The good-man great-man paradox.
History is riddled with great men who were not good men. I am so grateful that Jake was willing to be vulnerable around this topic. Because he has done many great things, he has saved many lives, he has put his life on the line time and time again to make these things happen.
But these accomplishments required sacrifices. He had to sacrifice time with his family, living across the globe from them, to keep his family safe. People he loved got hurt in his pursuit of the truth, in his pursuit of doing what was right.
And though the greater good was achieved by his great work, he has to bear those sacrifices.
I think it is an important lesson for those who seek greatness. It comes at a cost.
Listen to the full podcast my friends.