These Japanese "Mafia" Syndicates are well known but do not seem to recieve the same
scrutiny in the West as other Mafia Groups do, for obvious reasons. We all know about
the cool body-suit tattoo's, the missing pinkies and such, but few of us seem to
really care or follow their rackets or reach as we do the Sicilian/Italian, or even
the Russian Syndicates. They are, however, just as well as, if not better established
then other international organized crime groups, with the major "families" commanding
millions of dollars (and billions of yen) obtained through activities ranging from
international business investments and deals (legitimate or otherwise) and large-scale
drug trafficking, to the traditional control of vice and "protection" rackets in the
clans fiefdom. Jake Adelstein (more on him later) and Wikipedia put an estimate at
over 80,000 (wikipedia says 87,000) active Yakuza mobsters spread across a handful of
families, with more than half belonging to the Yamaguchi-Gumi (the biggest such Family)
While we equate them with the other Mafia Syndicates, the reality is far different.
There are a number of cultural differences Westerners may find curious, but are
considered the norm in Japan. Primarily, the Yakuza, unlike Cosa Nostra, Triads or the
"Thieves-in-Law", is not a secret society, and so unlike the American or Italian Mafia
for instance, identifying mobsters and their meeting places is not the problem, as
the Japanese mobsters are highly visible congregating in bars, offices and clubhouses
marked with their groups insignia's and logo's. Steeped in various arcane legends, their open
existence also produces, as i stated, some curious occurences. For one, a Families
"Head-Quarters" very often becomes a literal fortress, a bastion of territory completely
under its control (for example, the HQ of the Yamaguchi-Gumi in the city of Kobe has
sprawled to the size of an entire inner-city block, from which they direct their control
of the city)
Another aspect are the philanthropic efforts of the various Families, who are known for
supporting their local communities through fund donations and undertaking public-works.
They take part in festivals and are keen to pledge support to victims of disaster and
others in need in the name of the syndicate, such as the Yamaguchi-Gumi providing disaster
relief after the Great Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake of '95 (imagine, say, the Bonanno Family
of New York doing something along those lines) Perhaps strangest of all, the comic mad
country of Japan has a market for Yakuza fanzines, complete with profiles of popular
mobsters, and fan-fiction and comics devoted to their exploits. Naturally, theives,
murderers and drug-traffickers are portrayed as "negative" elements of the Yakuza groups,
who are punished for tarnishing the reputation of the other "Honorable" Family members.
Wikipedia mentions a clan that published a monthly newletter, keeping members abreast
of such important events as BirthDays, Anniversaries, Marriages, etc.
This link is an article on such "fanzines"
http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=7347 American Jake Adelstein is an established reported for major Japanese newspapers who became known for his investigation of the Yakuza, discovering information that led to his ;life being threatened by major criminals.
THIS links to an interview of the guy.
And
THIS links to an excellent article he wrote for the Washington Post
And, of course, the Wikipedia page, which has some good info -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza
