Manabu Miyazaki

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Manabu Miyazaki is also the name of a Japanese wildlife photographer. For that entry, see Manabu Miyazaki (photographer).

Manabu Miyazaki (宮崎学 Miyazaki Manabu; born October 25, 1945 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese writer, social critic and public figure known for his underworld ties.

While not a member of any particular yakuza syndicate, Miyazaki describes himself as a "freelance yakuza" and has the credentials to prove it. His father was a yakuza boss in Kyoto, and his mother came from an Osaka yakuza family. In September 1986, he was almost killed in a yakuza shootout at a Kyoto restaurant.

As a teenager and college student, Miyazaki became involved in the left-wing politics of the Japanese Communist Party but dropped out in 1969 to pursue an underworld life, including running his family's yakuza-connected demolition business.

In 1985, Miyazaki was named by the Tokyo police as the prime suspect in the Glico Morinaga case, a 17-month saga of kidnapping and corporate extortion. He was later cleared.

Miyazaki is the author of several best-selling books in Japan, where he is considered a "celebrity criminal". His autobiography Toppamono sold 600,000 copies and has since been translated into English.