Research proposal

The Yakuza
Originating in Japan and operating across the globe, the Yakuza are regarded as
some of the most sophisticated and wealthiest criminal organizations.1 Yakuza
gangs operate a wide variety of illegal revenue generating activities ranging from
securities fraud to traditional extortion of civilians.2
These hierarchical criminal organizations are classified under Japanese Law as
boryokudan
In July 2011, the United States Department of State included the Yakuza on a list
of four transnational criminal organizations that “facilitate and aggravate violent
civil conflicts.”
Times of crisis have provided the Yakuza with high profile opportunities to
promote their image as protector of the people.16 Yakuza groups delivered aid to
the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and again following the
Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011.17 News stories in 1995
frequently emphasized—possibly at the Yakuza’s urging—the Yakuza’s ability to
deliver aid (sometimes more quickly and efficiently than the national
government).18 Other reports portrayed the Yakuza operating as de facto police,
patrolling the streets in gangs to enforce order
The Yakuza also portray themselves as ultra-Japanese through associations with
right-wing political groups.23 The Yakuza have been connected with Japan’s
ultranationalist movement from the movement’s inception.24 The relationship
has provided the Yakuza with political influence and has contributed to the
portrayal of the Yakuza as protectors of Japanese traditions, untainted by
Westernization.25 In the early twentieth century, several Yakuza bosses served as
Diet members, reinforcing the involvement of Yakuza groups in politics.26 Yoshida
Isokichi, a prominent boss from Kyushu, was held as an ideal parliamentarian in
the 1900s and a mythically brave “man of chivalry.”27
The combination of an ideological shift further towards the right and the severing
of ties to Japan’s geographic neighbors may provide an opportunity for the Yakuza
to exert power and influence. However, there still remains a dispute among
commentators as to whether the Japanese public accepts the perception of the
Yakuza as ultra-Japanese or simply a group of criminals.3
Periods of intense violence during turf wars between gangs, widely reported acts
of Yakuza vigilante justice, and the Yakuza’s increasing connections to foreigners
have fostered a resilient and vocal anti-Yakuza movement.35 Even so, public
sentiment has not entirely shifted, and some still argue that Japanese society is
better off with the Yakuza than without them
Today, the yakuza engage in extortion, blackmail, smuggling, prostitution, drug
trafficking, gambling, loan sharking, and day-labour contracting; and they control
many restaurants, bars, trucking companies, talent agencies, taxi fleets, factories,
and other businesses in major Japanese cities (Encyclopædia Britannica).
This essay will also look at the good things the yakuza have done for Japanese
society, and why they, as a criminal organization, help Japan in times of need
It is true that the yakuza have been of great help during disastrous times in
Japanese history, but is that because they care about Japanese citizens, or
because they want people to overlook the bad things they do at the same time as
they reinforce their Robin Hood-like status in society, as criminals who do good?

Is the Japanese public even aware of how large this organization has become,
and if they are aware, do they care?
What is their view of these men and women of the Japanese mafia: are they to be
feared, or are they to be admired like heroes?

They gave the country its hugely popular tradition of gambling, the custom of
cutting off fingers, and the first use of the word yakuza. The word was used by
gamblers as an expression for something useless, but it was later turned against
them, meaning that they were useless to society
Unlike other organized crime groups, in modern times, the yakuza do not conduct
their business in secret. They are public figures who have office buildings,
business cards and even fan magazines
The third generation leader of the Yamaguchi Gumi, Kazuo Taoka was in power
from 1946 to 1981. He was a brilliant and charismatic leader whothey managed
to win the public's affection. He believed that holding down a job, in addition to
being a yakuza, helped the Yamaguchi Gumi expand into the financial and
business world. Due to the police crackdown on the yakuza, recruitment of new
members has taken a considerable dive in numbers, which is why they have
started branching out of their traditional business, such as extortion, loan
sharking, and protection rackets into everything from insider trading to funding
business start-ups, as there is a lot more to be gained from manipulating stocks
than extorting businesses
a criminal network that can be compared to many others; yet it involves a number of unique customs
that set it aside from the rest. The yakuza take on family-like roles, similar to other criminal syndicates
throughout the world, but they do have some unique distinctions that set them apart. They were once
known to be gamblers, peddlers, warriors gone wrong, and bandits among many other things, and have
been alleged to be in existence for over three hundred years. Legend has it that the original yakuza had
Robin Hood-like qualities and served both shoguns and municipalities.

The Japanese gangsters are present in numerous places, and have been said to be weaker and stronger
at different points in history. Estimates are probably low, but some say that from the period between
1945 and 1996, cycles have occurred where fluctuation has ranged within 80,000 to up to 110,000
members.[1]

The organization became as it is today approximately during the late 1800s under Toyama Mitsuru

These groups began to take over enterprises in prostitution, gambling, liquor distribution,
entertainment, and also moved to the less traditional areas for gangs, such as to construction and
dockside labour. In the 1960s and 1970s, a significant move was made to the drug trade, and more
recently, firearms and other contraband trade has taken off.

The Japanese yakuza have been known to be connected with Chinese Triads, both the Sicilian and
American Mafia, Colombian drug cartels, Jamaican Posses, and various other crime syndicates around
the globe. These organizations retain a significant role in the popular culture and history of Japan, and
have been found useful in many ways to a variety of citizens, being associated to many politicians,
bureaucrats, and corporate elite. As a result, they seem to be somewhat accepted as a part of everyday
life there. Importantly, they are active on the international scene, and not just where Japanese people
are present. They are beginning to infiltrate various other regions of the world, becoming more and
more sophisticated in the process. As the world is undergoing the process of globalization,
the yakuza have managed to adjust to the changes that are continually occurring and even overcome
them to a certain degree. While many of their activities are known, there are certainly many more that
have been kept below the surface under the eyes of law enforcement officials. Also, their
deep connections with elite businesspeople and politicians throughout the world makes it even more
difficult to reduce their presence and authority over daily life in various sectors

The Yakuza is a large criminal organization that is well known for its links to both Japanese and
international business, as well as to influential politicians within the domestic sphere. Yakuza are known
for their ties to many other organizations throughout the world – both legal and illegal in nature. There
has been increasing evidence that the underground syndicate originating in Japan has been spreading its
influence in various sectors of the economy to supplement the organization’s income and adapt to the
globalizing world.

A large scandal that occurred in Japan that revealed the potential for connections between the Japanese
mafia and influential politicians of the island nation involved former Prime Minister
Noboru Takeshita. Takeshita passed away from respirator failure on June 19, 2000, at the age of 76.
Afterwards, his aide Shin Kanemaru admitted that the yakuza were sought after for help in keeping
quiet an ultra-rightist group that was responsible for harassment of Takeshita in 1987 during the
election campaign