Ansel Elgort learned to speak fluent Japanese and trained with professional journalists to write 3 stories in preparation for his role.
Loosely inspired by the memoir "Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan" by Jake Adelstein.
When the adaptation of the book entered production in 2013, it was originally planned as a feature film with Daniel Radcliffe set to play Jake Adelstein.
Odessa Young was cast as Samantha but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. She was replaced by Rachel Keller.