Yakuza Gang
Paul Haberstock and Jeremy Sartin 2nd Period
Overview
The Yakuza is a transnational organized crime syndicate that originates in Japan. The yakuza are notorious for their strict codes of conduct and organized nature. They have a large presence in the Japanese media and operate internationally with an estimated 102,000 members. They also operate in North Korea and the United States.
Three largest Syndicates
There are three main, large, syndicates of the Yakuza gang in Japan. They are the Yamaguchi-gumi, The Sumiyoshi-rengo, and The Inagawa-kaï. The Yamaguchi-gumi is the biggest yakuza family, accounting for 50% of all yakuza in Japan, with more than 55,000 members divided into 850 clans. The Sumiyoshi-rengo is the second largest yakuza family, with 20,000 members divided into 277 clans. The Inagawa-kaï is the third largest yakuza family in Japan, with roughly 15,000 members divided into 313 clans.
The Yamaguchi-gumi crest
The Sumiyoshi-rengo crest
The Inagawa-kai crest
Initiation and rituals
There are many imitation rituals practiced by the Yakuza. They very throughout the syndicates. There is one ritual called Yubitsume. It is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger. It is almost exclusively performed by the Yakuza, the prominent Japanese criminal organization. If a person was unable to pay off a gambling debt, yubitsume was sometimes considered as an alternate form of repayment.[
Leader
The leader of the Yakuza's biggest syndicates is Satoru Nomura. Saturo Nomura is the leader of the Kudo-kai and is known as the most dangerous crime syndicate in Japan. He was arrested in September 2014 after reports that he killed an elderly man at point blank range.
Crime
Different syndicates of the Yakuza deal with different crimes. For example, Many yakuza syndicates, notably the Yamaguchi-gumi officially forbid their members from engaging in drug trafficking, while some yakuza syndicates, notably the Dojin-kai, are heavily involved in it. Some yakuza groups are known to deal extensively in human trafficking. Theft is not registered as an official crime of the Yakuza but it is still committed. They also illegally gamble.