Aichi police supporting social reintegration of former yakuza

Police in Aichi Prefecture, where the Kodokai — the main clan of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest yakuza organization — is located, are stepping up employment support for former gang members.

The Aichi Prefectural Police believe that, in addition to cracking down on yakuza groups, assisting the social reintegration of those who have renounced their membership is key to weakening organized crime groups as a whole.

In April, a new section dedicated to achieving social reintegration through job-hunting support was established within the department handling organized crime.

A maximum of ¥720,000 a year is provided to companies that hire former yakuza, and a new system was created to pay compensation of up to ¥2 million to them in case of trouble.

As of the end of January, the new section had helped a total of four former gangsters get a job.

However, challenges remain, as the livelihoods of such people tend to be unstable because they are prohibited from certain acts, such as opening bank accounts or signing real estate contracts, for a substantial period of time after leaving their crime syndicate.

“I’m well taken care of at my workplace. I don't feel alienated like I did (in the past) in society. I’m very happy that I could settle into a proper way of living,” said a former head of a local gang in his 70s who received support from the police in Aichi Prefecture.

The man was hired by an employment agency in the prefecture in July after breaking away from his organized crime syndicate, becoming the first case supported by the new section.

“I was poorly brought up and no matter what I did, everything went wrong,” said the man, who had devoted more than 40 years of his life to the syndicate.

“I had only ever felt left out, but the world (of organized crime) accepted me,” he said.

He was arrested a dozen times on charges of fraud and other crimes and served time in prison.

“I acted only for my boss and the organization. I believed that was the way of life for a man,” he said.

The environment around yakuza groups, however, has changed with the times.

Tougher police crackdowns led to fewer sources of income for his group, and he was burdened with membership dues he had to pay to a higher organization.

The man had to rely on his children, and he ended up getting them involved in trouble.

Even then, he said, “Although I was looked down on by the rest of society, I obstinately kept on living (this way). Quitting the yakuza meant denying my life.”

But two years ago, his longtime wife was diagnosed with cancer. While taking care of her, the man thought about his and his family’s lives for the first time.

“My family was with me even though they must have been feeling uncomfortable. I wanted to apologize to them for the rest of my life,” he said in explaining why he decided to disband his gang.

Although he feared retaliation by the syndicate, he decided to leave the organization in the spring of last year after he was arrested again.

He was at a loss after leaving the group, unable to find a job. He couldn’t survive on only his small pension and had no choice but to live on welfare.

That was when he got a telephone call from a police officer and was referred to the employment agency.

The man currently works as an air duct cleaner at a factory in Aichi.

“Although it’s a hard job and I get greasy all over, I don’t mind,” he said. “Being able to lead a life by working normally and getting paid is irreplaceable.”

His wife died this year due to her illness. He hopes he can live a peaceful life and enjoy small happy moments with his children.

Ordinances nationwide

Amid the declining number of gangsters, the importance of support for ex-yakuza is rising.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of full members and associate members of organized crime groups fell sharply after an ordinance targeting the groups, which prohibits offering payoffs to those related to the yakuza, took effect in all prefectures in 2011.

Members totaled 25,900 as of the end of 2020, the level being a third of a decade earlier.

Meanwhile, those who have exited such groups continued to have difficulty finding jobs.

While some 5,900 gangsters left the groups between 2011 and 2020 with the help of the police and other entities, only 3.5% of them got a job.

“Because of the exclusion ordinances, companies are even more reluctant to hire former yakuza,” said a former executive of a yakuza group. “Some return to their group because they can’t make a living, and some others join non-yakuza groups and engage in such crimes as the sale of illegal drugs and theft.”

As the Aichi police boosted employment support measures, the number of companies in Aichi registered as accepting ex-yakuza has doubled in a year.

But the number was only 30, across eight industrial sectors, as of the end of last year, and most of them are in the construction and civil engineering industry.

As former gang members are getting older, it is necessary to have companies in a broader range of sectors, so that they can find a job suited to them.

Five-year clauses

Another barrier that prevents ex-yakuza from re-entering society is the so-called five-year clauses included in the ordinances and companies’ rules. The clauses bar former gang members from opening a bank account or renting a property for a certain period of time — typically five years — after they quit an organized crime group.

A former gangster in his 40s who currently runs a construction company said he could not open a bank account even after more than five years had passed since he left his syndicate.

“Your personal history follows you for the rest of your life,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do, since I had set five years as my goal.”

The man now cooperates with the Aichi police and hires former gang members.

“(Gangsters) aren't immediately accepted by society even if they leave organized crime groups,” he said. “Long-term support over the years is needed for them to be truly reintegrated into society.”

This section features topics and issues from the Chubu region covered by the Chunichi Shimbun. The original article was published Feb. 17.