Yakuza

For other uses, see Yakuza (disambiguation).

Yakuza
The word yakuza in katakana (ヤクザ)
Founded17th century
(presumed to have originated from the Kabukimono)
TerritoryPrimarily Japan, particularly in Kantō/Tokyo, Kansai, Kyushu/Fukuoka, and Chūbu; also internationally in South Korea, Australia,[1] the Western United States (Hawaii and California), and Thailand (Phuket)
EthnicityPrimarily Japanese; occasionally Koreans and Japanese Americans
Membership10,400 members[2]
10,000 quasi-members[2]
ActivitiesVaried, including illegitimate businesses, an array of criminal and non-criminal activities.
Notable membersPrincipal clans:
  1. Yamaguchi-gumi
  2. Sumiyoshi-kai
  3. Inagawa-kai

Yakuza (Japanese: ヤクザ, IPA: [jaꜜkɯdza]; English: /jəˈkuːzə, ˈjækuːzə/), also known as gokudō (極道, "the extreme path", IPA: [gokɯꜜdoː]), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them bōryokudan (暴力団, "violent groups", IPA: [boːɾʲokɯꜜdaɴ]), while the yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai (任侠団体, "chivalrous organizations", IPA: [ɲiŋkʲoː dantai]). The English equivalent for the term yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization.[3]

The yakuza are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as yubitsume, or amputation of the left little finger.[4] Members are often portrayed as males with heavily tattooed bodies and wearing fundoshi, sometimes with a kimono or, in more recent years, a Western-style "sharp" suit covering them.[5]

At their height, the yakuza maintained a large presence in the Japanese media, and they also operated internationally. In 1963, the number of yakuza members and quasi-members reached a peak of 184,100.[6] However, this number has drastically dropped, a decline attributed to changing market opportunities and several legal and social developments in Japan that discourage the growth of yakuza membership.[7] In 1991, it had 63,800 members and 27,200 quasi-members, but by 2023 it had only 10,400 members and 10,000 quasi-members.[2] The yakuza are aging because young people do not readily join, and their average age at the end of 2022 was 54.2 years: 5.4% in their 20s, 12.9% in their 30s, 26.3% in their 40s, 30.8% in their 50s, 12.5% in their 60s, and 11.6% in their 70s or older, with more than half of the members in their 50s or older.[8]

The yakuza still regularly engage in an array of criminal activities, and many Japanese citizens remain fearful of the threat these individuals pose to their safety.[9] There remains no strict prohibition on yakuza membership in Japan today, although many pieces of legislation have been passed by the Japanese Government aimed at impeding revenue and increasing liability for criminal activities.[9]

  1. ^ "Japanese Organised Crime in Australia".
  2. ^ a b c "Organized Crime Situation 2023" (PDF). National Police Agency. pp. 2–6, 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Britannica Academic". academic.eb.com. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ Bosmia, Anand N.; Griessenauer, Christoph J.; Tubbs, R. Shane (2014). "Yubitsume: ritualistic self-amputation of proximal digits among the Yakuza". Journal of Injury and Violence Research. 6 (2): 54–56. doi:10.5249/jivr.v6i2.489. PMC 4009169. PMID 24284812.
  5. ^ "Feeling the heat; The yakuza". The Economist. Vol. 390, no. 8620. 28 February 2009. Gale A194486438.
  6. ^ 第4章 暴力団総合対策の推進. National Police Agency. 1999.
  7. ^ Hill, Peter (February 2004). "The Changing Face of the Yakuza". Global Crime. 6 (1): 97–116. doi:10.1080/1744057042000297007. S2CID 153495517.
  8. ^ 暴力団勢力、2万2400人 18年連続減少 組員、平均年齢上昇. The Asahi Shimbun. 27 March 2023
  9. ^ a b Shikata, Ko (October 2006). "Yakuza – organized crime in Japan". Journal of Money Laundering Control. 9 (4): 416–421. doi:10.1108/13685200610707653. ProQuest 235850419.