NEWSWORTHY
Japan's gang members are running out of places to hide
Membership in organized crime syndicates has been decreasing about 10 percent each year since 2011, according to National Police Agency statistics. The reasons for the decline in membership are complex but we should give credit to the police for using every means at their disposal ...
Yukio Mishima’s attempt at personal branding comes to light in the rediscovered 'Star'
In "Star," Yukio Mishima confronts issues of celebrity, youth and aging in hypercharged and manically subjective first-person prose.
'Falling From the Floating World' review: A fast-paced underworld thriller with a twist or two
Readers who like their yakuza with a dash of morality, lead characters out of their depths and their cops dumb and bent will find much to enjoy in Nick Hurst's thriller, "Falling From the Floating World."
Police took action against a record 3,578 people in cannabis cases in 2018, up 570 from the previous year, data released by the National Police Agency showed Thursday. The NPA data showed the figure per 100,000 people doubled from 1.7 in 2014 to 3.5 in ...
Police raid yakuza office in Tokyo after deadly shooting in Kabukicho karaoke box
Police on Wednesday raided the Tokyo office of a yakuza group associated with a man wanted in connection with a murder earlier this month in Shinjuku Ward. Masaru Abe, 56, a member of a group under the Sumiyoshikai crime syndicate, is wanted in connection with ...
Shooting in Tokyo's Kabukicho district leaves man dead; police suspect yakuza links
Police said Tuesday a man believed to have shot and killed another man the previous day at a karaoke bar in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment hub fled from the scene via motorcycle, suggesting the suspect had prepared a means of getaway. The victim, identified as Lee ...
Stigma and legal battles show Japan still has tattoo complex even as Olympics loom
When Mana Izumi got her first tattoo at 18, she wasn't trying to rebel or shatter any taboos — just copy pop diva Namie Amuro's beach-bronze "surfer chick" look. In Japan, where tattoos have for centuries been demonized for their association with criminals, former porn ...
U.S. Treasury puts yakuza figures, mob-linked firms on sanctions blacklist
The U.S. Treasury Department took aim Tuesday at Japan's largest yakuza syndicate, placing four senior officials of the Yamaguchi-gumi on its sanctions blacklist as well as two companies tied to the gang. "We are ramping up pressure on this dangerous Japanese crime syndicate and local ...
'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 ...
