Han-gure, or informal gangs, present an all-new breed of criminal group without the close-knit organization or traditional code of the yakuza. Conforming neither to the rules of society, nor to those of the yakuza, these new groups inhabit a gray zone. Police are still struggling to get a grip on Han-gure activities, with current laws targeting only designated crime syndicates. As Han-gure encroach ever deeper into the lives of ordinary people, we take a peek into the dark abyss of their world.

INTERVIEWER First of all, who exactly are the hangure?

SHIBATA DAISUKE Adult hoodlums used to join yakuza organizations. This was a natural progression. But these hangure gangs operate without affiliating themselves to a yakuza group. The term was coined by the journalist Mizoguchi Atsushi. Han means “half,” while gure refers to both “gray zone” and the verb gureru, “to go bad or delinquent.” These criminals don’t belong to established yakuza groups, but they don’t have legitimate employment either. They make their living from violence or engage in crime on the side, in addition to their main job. So they’re half in the gray zone, or half delinquent. But in fact, the word is quite ambiguous, as the nature of the groups can vary a lot by region or by degree.

INTERVIEWER Why did they stop joining the yakuza gangs?

SHIBATA As toughened legislation sent yakuza power into decline, the younger generation saw the world differently. For people like me, who were born and raised in Tokyo and started out in Shibuya or Roppongi, the yakuza lifestyle was not impressive. It was the classic route for a street tough, but it just didn’t seem appealing or cool to sign up for a position that would mean being severely restricted. More than that though, we thought it was smarter to get by with just simple force. I mean, we used to win street fights even against yakuza members.