The secrets of one of the most powerful gangs in the world.
The Yakuza is one of the largest and most powerful crime groups in the world, and as the country in which it operates is Japan – it’s covered in the darkness of secrecy. Hidden behind the many layers of semi-legal businesses, this organization is an integral part of Japanese reality. Today we priotkroem veil of secrecy over 15 of her secrets.
15. Technically, the Yakuza legal
The Yakuza in Japan is valid in the open. Its headquarters, decorated with insignia, metal plates, can be found on the streets. In addition, the Yakuza manages multiple business networks in various fields – from construction to the porn industry. There are Japanese mobsters who act illegally for them in the police accepted the designation “borekudan”.
14. Tattoos members of the Yakuza are made by hand
Members of the Yakuza can immediately find out the body is covered with tattoos. It is because of them wearing clothing completely covering the body to be able to be identified only “among friends”. Tattoos take up all the space on the skin, except for a small strip between the chest and the abdomen, which is allowed to liver failure. The traditional technique of tattooing the Japanese mafia honed over centuries, and does not use appliances.
13. Their wives, too, tattoos
Wives of members of the Yakuza almost no role in their business; most of them follow traditional ideas about the place of women in the family – raising children and doing the house. However, the couple demonstrated their devotion to their husbands, too, causing the body tattoos, and are willing to show them posing for the camera. Members of the Yakuza and their wives – almost the only group in Japan, which makes the tattoo for the rest of the Japanese these decorations are stigmatized as “attribute of the mafia”.
12. They are really helping their country
Believe it or not, but the Yakuza came to the aid of their country in difficult situations many times. For example, during the earthquakes in Kobe, where many of the headquarters of the Yakuza, a huge number of residents of the city were given safe haven, and in General the Yakuza responded to occurring faster than the government.
11. In Japanese society they are outcasts
The descendants of the Buraku – Japanese caste rogue up to 60% of all members of the Yakuza. The burakumin released in a separate group from the 11th century, was practically untouchable, and engaged in “dirty” occupations, unworthy of the rest of the population. Many of them have joined organized crime, it is not surprising that the result is the Yakuza!
10. The origin of the name “Yakuza”
Many have heard the word “Yakuza”, but few know what it is. The term “Yakuza” comes from groups of card players bakuto, named for one of the combinations of the game oyte-Kaba (Japanese version of poker). The “I” in Japanese means “eight”, “ku”, “nine”, “DZA” — a modified “San”, meaning “three”; in the amount of twenty, or the losing number in this Japanese card game. First, the word “Yakuza” came to mean “useless thing”, then “useless man”, as well as the bakuto were considered outcasts and losers, and they became associated with the losing hand in cards. Subsequently, the name “Yakuza” was applied not only to the bakuto, but to all Japanese organized crime groups and is still used to designate them with the term “borekudan”.
9. Members of the Yakuza forced to cut part of the fingers
If you can’t see the tattoo on the human body, presumably belonging to the Yakuza — look at his fingers. Sometimes the whole phalanx of their fingers missing. This is because, when a member of the Yakuza makes a mistake, the internal code of ethics requires him to cut off a finger phalanx and to present to the boss. If the boss will accept the “gift” – the error is forgiven!
8. This was the largest gang in the world
The Yakuza is the largest gang in the world – the group consists of more than 100 000 people, not counting even staff who are not members of the Yakuza in full. Perhaps 100 000 the number seems big, but back in the 1950s-60s, the number of the Yakuza was about 180,000.
7. The Yakuza have a base in America
If you think that the activities of the Yakuza is limited to Japan, you are wrong. They make expansion not only in neighboring Asian countries, but… in the USA! Their biggest base in America is in Hawaii. Their main occupation is smuggling drugs into America and the transportation of American weapons to Japan. Also in the U.S. there are several syndicates, the Yakuza; two of them were frozen personally, Obama not so long ago.
6. The Yakuza is one of the main beneficiaries of the Olympic games-2020
If you didn’t know, the 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, and this is great news for the Yakuza; almost all of the construction business in Japan is controlled by this gang, and for the Olympics will require the construction of many sports facilities. The involvement of the Yakuza in the process became painfully obvious in 2015, when the Internet was circulated photos of the head of the Olympic Committee of Japan and the Yakuza bosses together on certain events. The budget for the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo – $ 50 billion, and even if the profit of the Yakuza will be only 5% of that, it will be quite impressive.
5. Members of the Yakuza right-wing
The Yakuza is very close to the right-wing nationalist groups in Japan. The number of Japanese right-wing groups is about 100 000 people, and this number is suspiciously close to the number of the Yakuza. However, suspicion has no place here – all well known in Japan know well that often we are talking about the same people. These people should not be arrested for their radical views – the Constitution of the country guaranteed freedom of expression.
4. The most famous godfather of the Yakuza was a true legend
From the 1940s to the 1980s the Yakuza syndicate Yamaguchi-Gumi was headed by a man named Kazuo Taoka. He was one of the most iconic bosses in the history of the Yakuza. His parents abandoned him, after which he “adopted” and then tempered in various fights the Yakuza. In 1936 he went to prison for 8 years for the murder, but went out, gained popularity and became a respected leader. Exactly Taoka had transformed his syndicate into one of the most powerful Yakuza groups. The survivors in the many skirmishes, he died of a heart attack in 1981.
3. Once at the head of the Yakuza woman standing
After Kazuo taokee place the boss had to take the other person chosen by him personally; the problem was only that he at the time of death taokee was in prison. While the syndicate waited for the release of the new leader, he died of liver problems. Acting head of the syndicate was the widow of taokee – Fumiko; it was the first time in the history of the organization. She found gangs a new source of income – drugs.
2. The Yakuza control the porn industry in Japan
Widely known is the fact that one of the main sources of income of the Yakuza in Japan, the porn industry, which they keep under complete control. Porn in Japan outside the law, so the Yakuza fills this “gap” on the black market. The Yakuza is also working with pornosnake from other countries (e.g. USA), and imports to Japan girls of foreign origin to shoot. These girls usually blackmail, forcing them to do porn.
1. At the moment, the Yakuza is a large-scale war
And right now this war erupts on the streets of Japan! Yamaguchi-Gumi was split into two warring factions that come in almost daily street battles. This split occurred because of disagreement with the course, which was held by the boss, Shinobu TSUKASA; perhaps one of his reasons was the attempt to expand TSUKASA in Tokyo – he even moved some of the headquarters there with traditional bases in Kyoto.
