Organized Crime in Japan Jenny Dardis Kayla Diaz Jadelyn Martinez Kirsten Valaas Alex Zippo
Presentation Outline An overview of organized crime syndicates in Japan: Who are the Yakuza and what do they do? What is the history of the Yakuza?
How does organized crime relate to minorities in Japan? Women in organized crime Korean relationships with the Yakuza The Chinese Triad
What is being done to combat organized crime and its effects in Japan?
Who are the Yakuza? A look at the Yakuza, the crimes they commit, and the history of organized crime in Japan.
Yakuza The term “Yakuza” is used to describe organized crime syndicates in Japan. 3,000 different gangs with over 80,000 members Run 25,000 legitimate “front” businesses Assets of over $70 billion
What kinds of crime do they commit? Organized crime. Money Laundering Prostitution and Human Trafficking Weapons Smuggling
Origins Edo Period Hatamoto-Yakko Machi-Yakko Tekiya Bakuto Oicho-Kabu
Modernization Mitsuru Toyama Post World War II Gurnetai
Yoshio Kudama Public Acceptance Use of old traditions Giri and Ninjo
The Yakuza and Minority Groups in Japan A discussions of the roles that women, Koreans and Chinese play in the Yakuza.
Women in the Japanese Organized Crime World
Women in the Yakuza Human Trafficking Prostitution Yakuza Wives/Daughters/Lovers
“The Yakuza do not trust women,” says Pastor Suzuki (former Yakuza), “they don’t believe that women are strong enough to withstand interrogation by the police or by enemy gangs. For the Yakuza, women are supposed to be mothers and wives who should stay at home and take care of the family, not meddle in a man’s business. . . And they believe that women are weak and that they do not have this courage.”
Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of A Gangster's Daughter
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“The first female ever to break the code of silenceand speak about life for women in the underworld…her best-selling memoir shocked [Japan]… with its graphic accounts of her addictions to sex, drugs and violent lovers. ” Marie Claire “The book offers a rare woman’s view of Japan’s criminal underbelly.” The Independent “Much has been written about Japan’s gangsters – their full-body tattoos, boozing, womanizing, strict honor codes and occasional explosions of violence. Very little has been heard from their lovers, daughters or wives. Tendo has been all three.” Bloomberg
Comfort Women
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Hwang Geum Joo, et al v. Japan China, Korea, Philippines, and Japan "Comfort Stations" Yakuza Connections Estimated 20,000 ~ 410,000 women
"Postwar, the women suffered not only from the disease, sexual dysfunction, and trauma that had been inflicted upon them by the Japanese military, but also from the social stigma of their families and villages--if indeed they were able to go home. While most Japanese comfort women were repatriated in September 1944, there was no return trip for the Koreans, Chinese, and others who had been sent to the far reaches of the empire."
Koreans Prominent Koreans in the Yakuza World
Reasons Koreans Enter The Yakuza
•Location •Yakuza are often prominent in lower income •
Cartoon depicting Yakuza as Un-Japanese
communities, where Koreans often find jobs
• Koreans fit well into the Yakuza “outsider” image •
As do other minorities, mainly Chinese and Burakumin
• Connections in Korea = convenient for drug trafficking
Koreans in Yakuza Before the war, anti-Korean sentiment was so strong that they could not even join the Yakuza Post-war black market economy used Korean connections to establish trade routes, and these smaller gangs were then absorbed into the Yakuza Though they were accepted only recently into the fold of the Yakuza, Koreans and Yakuza are now commonly associated An estimated 10%-30% of Yakuza are Korean Until 2003, when Japan banned ships from North Korea from entering its ports, most of Japan’s drug traffic came from Korea
Koreans in Yakuza Important Korean Figures in Yakuza Jiro Kiyota- Godfather of Inagawa-kai (3rd largest; Kanto region) Hirofumi Hashimoto- head of Kyokushinrengo-kai, an affiliate of Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest syndicate in Japan) Tokutaro Takayama- Godfather of Aizukotetsu-kai (4th largest; Kyoto) Hisayuki Machii- foundeed Tosei-Kai (5th largest syndicate; Tokyo)
Kozaburo Kaneyama- Sakaume-gumi (Osaka)
Fun fact: Prominent Korean individuals in the Yakuza are often known for their intense Japanese nationalism, often founding their own ukyo organizations (right wing)
Chinese The Triad and the Yakuza
Chinese and Crime Nearly ½ of foreign crime in Japan is attributed to Chinese gangs Initially active in Chinatown districts Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki Chinese women—hostess clubs and massage parlours in Ginza and Shinbashi Not officially attached but are often hired by the Yakuza Youth Gangs
The Chinese Triad 1970’s, Chinese Triads began establishing themselves in major Japanese cities Higher-ups tended to commit crimes and leave Lower ranking members would stay, eventually starting their own gangs which in turn led to violent turf war Credit card fraud, drug-trafficking, robbery, murder, kidnapping etc
Chinese and Yakuza Snakeheads Work together with Yakuza Human-trafficking Robbing—1.2 billion over 1 year
Drug Trafficking Chinese gangs in Japan assist the Yakuza in smuggling drugs from China to Japan
Law Enforcement and the Future of the Yakuza What’s being done to combat crime and organized Crime? What futures await society and the Yakuza?
Challenges in Fighting Organized Crime Public Opinion “Out of sight, out of mind” philosophy Traditional view of Yakuza as Robin Hood still pervades
Ties with Police 1983 Nationwide tip-off Police syndicate Unspoken “Quid Pro Quo” agreement between the police and Yakuza
Government corruption Yakuza work as campaign officials, body guards and fundrasiers for members of the government.
Japanese Anti Gang Law 1992 Enacted in 1993 it: Allows police to designate certain organized groups as crime syndicates Mandates crackdown on gambling facilities and general sketchy business (loan sharking, extortion, etc.) Police can intervene in drug trafficking and drug smuggling Protects businesses from Yakuza influence
Problems with the Anti Gang Law Doesn’t declare gang activity as illegal Most syndicates closed up shop and reorganized as political organizations, religious groups and corporations
Drove the Yakuza into the underground and into more commercial, i.e. expensive business How to Evade the Law Yakuza Manual
Does not offer aid to front organizations and businesses affected by the Yakuza
What is the Future of Organized Crime in Japan?
Works Cited Nagashima, Yutaka. "General Picture of Organized Crime in Japan: The Activities of Organized Criminal Groups Based in or Outside Japan." Participants' Papers. 54.11 n. page. Print. Rankin, Andrew. "Recent Trends in Organized Crime in Japan." Asia-Pacific Journal. 10.7 (2012): n. page. Print. Kaplan, David, and Alec Dubro. Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld. University of California Press, 1986. Print.
Works Cited
Bruno, A. (2007). "The Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia" CrimeLibrary: Time Warner
Kaplan, David, Dubro Alec. (2003). Yakuza: Expanded Edition University of California Press
Rankin, Andrew. "Recent Trends in Organized Crime in Japan: Yakuza vs the Police, & Foreign Crime Gangs ~ Part 2 ２１世紀のやくざ ―― 日 本における組織犯罪の最近動向 :: JapanFocus.” The Asia Pacific Journal; Japan Focus, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2013.
Works Cited •
B., Sanjiv. "Yakuza Wives." M Magazine, 2004. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. <http://sanjivb.com/_site/archive/crime/yakuza_wives/index.php>.
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"Observation of a Lost Soul Blog." Rev. of Yakuza Moon:Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter. Web blog post. Observation of a Lost Soul Blog. Wordpress.com, 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://observationofalostsoul.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/yakuza-moon-memoirs-of-agangsters-daughter/>.
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Tendo, Shoko, and Louise Heal. Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2004. Observation of a Lost Soul Blog. Wordpress.com, 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://observationofalostsoul.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/yakuza-moon-shoko-tendo.pdf>.