In 1945 as part of the Occupation forces sent to postwar Japan Nick Zappetti a native of Italian East Harlem entered a world as strange as any he had ever known. In postwar Tokyo however he realised there were certain opportunities. He had a failed stint as a professional wrestler & participated in a fumbled (but famous) diamond heist. He was deported but managed to return with the assistance of the Mafia. Then Nick opened a pizza joint in what would be the centre of Tokyos nightlife & became the king of Roppongi & Mafia boss of Tokyo " & the intimate of some of Japans most notorious underworld figures as well as many of its political & business leaders. Following Zappettis rising & falling fortunes & his love-hate relationship with his adopted country Robert Whiting show us the sinister (and sometimes ridiculous) goings-on among Tokyos traditional criminal gangs as they developed from local racketeers & gamblers into lynchpins of international finance politics & corruption. Here is a fresh perspective on postwar Japan & how it went from being a defeated nation to an economic player with a little help from some less than diplomatic friends."