Issue:
October 2026
Alex K.T. Martin, author and Japanese wolf researcher
It was a September evening with a new moon in the sky over Marunouchi when an unusual sound echoed through the halls of the FCCJ – howling. There were no four-legged creatures on the premises but readers enthusiastically joining author Alex K.T. Martin in a book-break wolf call. A senior writer at The Japan Times, Martin was on hand to discuss his new book, "Phantom Wolves of Japan: In Search of a Lost Mountain Guardian," based in part on his Japan Times reporting.
The Japanese wolf, Canis lupus hodophilax, once roamed the forests of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu and was regarded as a guardian spirit at centers of Shinto worship such as Mitake and Chichibu. However, disease and hostile government policies in the Meiji era led to the species’ extinction by the early 20th century – at least that’s the official history. For decades, reports of sightings and rumors have led some to believe that wolves have somehow survived in the archipelago. Could that really be possible? Martin, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and the son of journalist Bradley Martin, chatted with the Number 1 Shimbun about his passion for the wolf legend and whether the animals may still haunt Japan’s woods.
Q: How did you get into journalism?
I grew up in Tokyo, and after graduating from university I returned to Japan and worked at a bar-restaurant in Higashi-Ginza, near Kabuki-za, for a couple of years while pursuing my passion for music. I also loved writing and enjoyed the interesting stories I would hear from behind the counter. Our clientele was diverse – writers, editors, Kabuki actors, owners of other bars and restaurants, hosts and hostesses – and conversations typically lasted into the wee hours. Eventually, I realized I didn't have it in me to make a living from music, but journalism offered a way to turn my interest in writing and the world around me into a career.
Having journalist parents may also have made journalism feel like a natural choice. I looked around for opportunities and found an opening at The Japan Times, where I first joined as an editor for the now-defunct Japan Times Weekly, then became a staff reporter covering general news and politics for the main paper. I also reported from the ground in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns. I later moved to The Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau, where I first covered foreign exchange before moving on to economic policy and technology. I also covered major regional disasters, including the sinking of the Korean ferry Sewol and the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. I then worked briefly at Nikkei Asia (then known as Nikkei Asian Review) before returning to The Japan Times as a senior writer.
Q: How did you start writing about extinct wildlife for The Japan Times?
I've always been drawn to stories about the hidden and unusual sides of Japan – old beliefs and local traditions, but also mysterious cases, underground spaces and the seedier corners of cities. I also enjoy spending time outside Tokyo, where many ancient rituals and traditions are still part of everyday life. Over time, that naturally led me to become more interested in Japan's mountains, nature and wildlife.
Q: What was it about the wolf story that captivated you?
Several things drew me to the Japanese wolf: sightings that continue 120 years after its supposed extinction, people who have spent many years searching for it, and the endurance of wolf worship in Japan's mountain communities. Wolves were revered by farmers in part because they preyed on wild boar and deer, which could ravage crops. The disappearance of this former apex predator also raises important environmental questions. The Japanese wolf brings together history, folklore, human adventure, science and the environment in a single story. I found that combination immensely compelling.
Q: What surprising things did you learn during your research?
I was struck by both the persistence of the search for the wolf and the traditions surrounding it. Wolf skulls were once used to exorcise fox spirits from those possessed, and at many wolf-worshipping shrines, priests offer red rice to the wolf gods in a ritual called otakiage. More than a century after the animal disappeared, the wolf remains a living presence in the culture of some mountain communities.
Q: Any memorable anecdotes or experiences?
Getting to know Hiroshi Yagi was one of the most memorable experiences of the project. He has spent over half a century searching for the Japanese wolf and has set up dozens of trail cameras in the mountains of Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, a center of wolf worship. He eventually became a major figure in my story. But the whole project actually began much closer to home, when my Japanese mother, who owns a weekend home in Chichibu, told me that a neighbor had seen what she believed was a wolf in her garden. I went to investigate, and that eventually led me down the rabbit hole that became this book.
Q: How do people in Japan now feel about its extinct wolves?
There isn't one answer. In some mountain communities, the wolf remains a spiritual and cultural figure, and shrines still honor it as a divine messenger. Others are fascinated by the possibility that it might have survived, while some are interested in the wolf mainly as a scientific or ecological subject. What struck me was that the wolf seems to represent something larger than the animal itself – a lost relationship between people, the mountains and the natural world.
Q: Do you believe they may still roam the woods?
I don't know. I hope they still exist, but whether that's true is yet to be discovered. There have been many sightings and other reports over the years, but there is still no physical evidence that can establish that the Japanese wolf survives today. I think that's part of what makes the story so captivating.
Q: What lessons does this story have for conservation?
One lesson is that we don't always understand the importance of a species until it is gone. The Japanese wolf was an apex predator, and its disappearance contributed to changes in Japan's mountain ecosystems.
It also shows how difficult it is to restore something once it is lost. Japan's forests, wildlife and human society have changed drastically over the past century. Conservation is therefore not just about protecting individual species, but about preserving the relationships between species, people and landscapes.
Alex K.T. Martin’s new book, "Phantom Wolves of Japan: In Search of a Lost Mountain Guardian," will be released by Tuttle Publishing on Nov. 3, 2026.
Tim Hornyak is a Canadian writer who has worked in journalism for more than 25 years, and written extensively about technology, science, culture and business in Japan, as well as Japanese inventors, roboticists and Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
