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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Yakuza Face A Crackdown |
| 2010-07-28 |
| Recent scandals over illegal gambling among sumo players and ringside VIP tickets for Japan's notorious yakuza gangsters have enveloped Japan's venerated sport of sumo and fascinated the public. But these are mere sideshows to what is roiling Japan's gangsters, many observers say. After decades of unspoken agreements between police and yakuza that have allowed organized crime to operate with relative impunity in everything from gambling on sport and illegal casinos to human trafficking and prostitution, the national police are cracking down on Japan's top yakuza gang, energized not only by the embarrassment over the sumo debacle but also by the emergence of a dynamic new National Police Agency (NPA) chief last year who wants to curtail the broad influence of yakuza in society. "We want them to disappear from public society," Takaharu Ando told reporters in Tokyo after a meeting of police chiefs across Japan that he called to discuss strategies. While Mr. Ando may not yet have proved himself to be Japan's own Eliot Ness, there's no doubt about his determination to tackle organized crime. About half the estimated 80,000-plus yakuza members in Japan belong to the Yamaguchi-gumi confederation of gangs, making it almost certainly the world's largest criminal organization. The leading faction of the Yamaguchi-gumi is the Kodokai, from which the organization's imprisoned godfather and No. 2 hail. It is this 4,000-strong gang – based in Nagoya, the western city that is home to Toyota – that has earned the distinction of a special police unit dedicated to its destruction. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #7 #6 - It looks like Mexico is working on copying the Japanese system, although they are still working on some defects in their version. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-07-28 13:24 |
| #6 I read a fascinating book on the Yakuza a few years ago. Basically Japan has an incredibly high success rate in capturing criminals because when they can't find the perp they show up at the local Yakuza hangout and the youngest member is sent out to serve time for the crime. This assures (a) Cops are happy and have a great record (b) Nearly every Yakuza member serves time even if they are never caught for the crimes they actually commit (c) Upper level Yakuza are protected. Fascinating system that says a lot of about the Japanese who can still run around trumping their incredibly high rate at capturing criminals. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-07-28 12:45 |
| #5 Yes, I understand 'face' for them. It's not solely 'face'. It's a matter of maintaining social cohesiveness. Anything that puts an ugly stain on Japan society's wall will be dealt with pretty aggressively. The yakuza have been around for ages. There's no illusion as to what they are and what they provide, but it's figured that they have a (low-key)role in society. Which sounds more libertarian than liberal. Japanese police are generally low-key. But they don't miss a thing and if you wish to cause trouble, they and the legal system more than ready to deal with you. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-07-28 12:14 |
| #4 Good luck with that. The Yak have been around almost as long as the Emperor. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-07-28 11:01 |
| #3 Yes, I understand 'face' for them. That's why when even the reality said 'It's time to give up' it took two field tests of a new technologies to finally get them to surrender. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-07-28 09:48 |
| #2 How liberal of them. Image over results A statement which completely misses the Japanese mindset when it comes to their society. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-07-28 09:34 |
| #1 "We want them to disappear from public society," Not disappear, but disappear from public society. How liberal of them. Image over results. Not likely though. In the aftermath of the Kobe quake of 1995, the government proved to be as efficient as their American counterpart in Katrina or the Spill. The Yakuza were the ones showing up with help and materials to many neighborhoods before the government could get its act together. Guess who made the lasting impression upon those assisted? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-07-28 08:44 |