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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) 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. He was born in Kyoto, Japan; his father was a yakuza boss in Fushimi-ku, 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.[1]
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.
