NEWSWORTHY
'Yakuza Tattoo': Inside the secretive world of the yakuza's tattoos
Andreas Johansson spent almost three weeks immersed in the world of the yakuza, photographing and talking to around 30 gang members for his book, "Yakuza Tattoo."
Made men: Tokyo-based 'yakuza' talent agency delivers the real deal
They aren't just acting tough; they really are tough. In an entertainment industry rife with crime shows, no one can supply villains quite like Takakura-gumi: Most of the talent agency's 62 members are former gangsters. Take Yoshidamaru, for example, a son of a yakuza boss with ...
In Japan, a high-profile former gangster struggles to go straight
Everyone loves a tale of redemption. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be one of them. In a previous column, I introduced a man who had gone from being a greedy, violent, self-centered boss of an organized crime syndicate to become a compassionate male nurse. It's ...
'The Outsider' scores a few hits among the misses
Netflix last month released a yakuza film starring Jared Leto titled "The Outsider" to critical disdain. And as much as I expected to hate the movie, I didn't. It's portrayal of the world of organized crime in Japan after World War II is not ...
Tokyo police officer quits after allegedly giving yakuza she was dating investigative info
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said a young officer resigned Monday after being suspended and referred to prosecutors for allegedly leaking investigative information to a yakuza she was dating. The 23-year-old officer, who oversaw detainees at Shinjuku Police Station, quit effective on Monday after being ...
Japan looks to curb company establishment by organized crime groups
The Justice Ministry unveils measures to restrict the establishment of joint stock companies by organized crime syndicates in a move aimed at preventing fraud and money laundering.
Police have launched a series of raids at locations linked to yakuza crime syndicates over their alleged organized involvement in simultaneous fraudulent ATM withdrawals totaling ¥1.8 billion in 2016. The raids Monday covered five offices of yakuza groups, including the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi in ...
Fukuoka to offer financial help for gangsters trying to leave crime syndicates
Yakuza who wish to cut ties with crime groups — yet fear a backlash and cannot seek refuge elsewhere — will be entitled to the program.
A 74-year-old Japanese man accused of a gang murder in Japan 15 years ago has been arrested in Thailand after pictures of his tattoos went viral on social media, Thai police said on Thursday. Shigeharu Shirai was arrested Wednesday evening in Lopburi province, 150 kilometers ...
Starting Thursday, Japanese Bankers Association members will be able to screen individual loan seekers using the National Police Agency’s database of organized crime members.
Life as a gangster in Japan just isn't as fun as it used to be
A number of theories have been put forward on the reasons behind the 2015 split of the country's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi. Some say the factions that left the organization and formed a group called the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi were egged on by the police, ...
Gangsters prefer to do things by the book
Japan's gangsters esteem tradition and prefer to do things by the book. As a result, they appear to love manuals — they have manuals for committing certain crimes as well as guides on how to avoid punishment for carrying out those crimes. Lately, however, ...
