Yakuza
members of traditional transnational organized crime syndicates in Japan
Yakuza (Japanese: ヤクザ, IPA: [jaꜜkɯza]), known also as gokudō (極道, "the extreme path", IPA: [gokɯꜜdoː]), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates in Japan.
| Yakuza | |
|---|---|
 Yakuza members displaying their status at Sanja Matsuri | |
| Founded | 17th century (presumed to have originated from the Kabukimono) |
| Membership | more than 200,000 members[1] |
| Criminal activities | Varied, including illegitimate businesses |
Yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai (chivalrous organizations) which the Japanese media and police call them bōryokudan (violence group). They are the world's largest criminal organization and have about 103,000 members.[2][3] The three biggest Yakuza families are Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai, and Inagawa-kai. During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, they opened their offices to help refugees and sent dozens of trucks with supplies to affected areas.[4]
References
change- ↑ "Police of Japan 2017, page 22" http://www.npa.go.jp/english/kokusai/pdf/Police_of_Japan_2017_full_text.pdf Archived 2018-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "US Treasury Freezes Assets Of Top Gangsters From Around The World". Business Insider. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Kiyoshi Nakabayashi: Ex-Tokyo cop speaks out on a life fighting gangs — and what you can do". Japan Times. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ Adelstein, Jake (18 March 2011). "Yakuza to the Rescue". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
Other websites
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yakuza.
- The secret lives of Yakuza women-BBC Reel(Video)
- 101 East – Battling the Yakuza—Al Jazeera (Video)
- FBI What We Investigate - Asian Transnational Organized Crime Groups
- Yakuza Portal site
- Blood ties: Yakuza daughter lifts lid on hidden hell of gangsters' families
- Crime Library: Yakuza
- Yakuza distribution map Archived 2020-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Japanese Mayor Shot Dead; CBS News, 17 April 2007
- Yakuza: The Japanese Mafia
- Yakuza distribution map Archived 2020-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Yakuza: Kind-hearted criminals or monsters in suits?
