In 2015, members of Japan’s largest organized crime group, the Yamaguchi gumi broke away
to form a new gang, Kobe Yamaguchi-Gumi.
Similar past splits in the Yakuza have resulted in years of warfare, assassinations and a
terrorized Japanese public.
At the same time, organized crime is seen as a necessary evil by many Japanese, and
their gangs are often revered in popular culture.
So, just how powerful is the Yakuza?
Well, the Yakuza is not one group, it is an umbrella term for all of Japan’s organized
crime groups.
With more than 50 thousand members spread over 21 independently-run cartels, the Yakuza
is one of the most powerful mafia-like group in the world.
Their largest and most well-known syndicate is Yamaguchi-gumi.
In 2014, this faction took in $6.6 billion dollars
The Yakuza’s presence in Japan dates back to the 17th century, however they remained
unorganized and largely powerless until the wake of World War Two.
At the time, the US had just bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving Japan and its economy
in ruins.
As a result, the government employed strict food rations on its citizens, and basic goods
became very valuable in black markets.
The Yakuza stepped in to manage those marketplaces, gaining both profits and control over neighborhoods
and towns.
Some liken this to the way prohibition strengthened the US mafia.
Today, Yakuza cartels get most of their money through fraud, bribery, drug trafficking and
blackmail.
The Yakuza’s transnational network of spies extends as far as Europe and the Americas,
and the group is known to outsource assassinations and other criminal acts.
Yakuza gangsters manipulate politicians and powerful businesspeople by leveraging incriminating
insider information In the infamous 2008 hoax, a Yamaguchi Gumi front company got away with
a $350 million dollar loan from Lehman Brothers, which was one of America’s most powerful
investment banks at the time.
Similar schemes, combined with constant manipulation of the Japanese stock market, has made the
Yamaguchi-gumi the country’s second-largest private equity group.
Even members of Japan’s ruling party have allegedly accepted bribes and otherwise associated
themselves with Yakuza syndicates.
But despite their pervasive criminal activity, Yakuza gangsters are often seen as do-gooders,
and their cartels are glorified in Japanese media.
Yakuza members work out of office buildings and carry business cards, and cartels are
often featured in comic books and fan magazines.
The Japanese mafia is even known to carry out charitable acts.
Yakuza gangs were among the first to deliver aid to victims of the 1995 earthquake and
the 2011 Tsunami.
What’s more, Yakuza membership itself is not illegal.
And although Japanese police have cracked down on gang activity in the 21st century,
law enforcement is generally incapable of controlling the Yakuza.
This is because white collar crime is generally hard to prove, and police lack the resources
to track down most organized crime.
So just how powerful is the Japanese mafia?
Well, they’re deeply intertwined in Japanese society, and their largest faction is worth
roughly twice that of Mexico’s biggest drug cartel.
Their international crime syndicates are among the most centralized in the world, making
it easy to secure mass amounts of money from the Japanese economy.
So whether it be as heroes or villains, the Yakuza is a powerful and influential part
of Japan.
While the Yakuza is one of the the biggest mafia-groups in the world, it isn’t the
only one.
Transnational crime accounts for around a trillion dollars worth of revenue worldwide,
so what are some of the other groups in organized crime?
Thanks for watching!
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more videos everyday.