Yakuza Numbers Hit Record Low
Yakuza is the name for the Japanese "mafia". The Japanese National Police Agency keeps track of the number of people recognized as Yakuza and claim that their numbers fell to a record low of 30,500 in 2018 because of an intense crackdown on organized crime. The agency claims Yakuza numbers fell about 4,000 from 2017, and this is the 14th consecutive year of decline. I wonder if the decline is due to the police crackdowns or because of the declining population in general?
By groups, the Yamaguchi-gumi was the largest group with 9,500 members. Sumiyoshi-kai had 4,900 members and Inagawa-kai had 3,700, according the the police agency.
The number of Yakuza members investigated by police in 2018 was 16,881 in 2018. Drug cases represented 4,569 members, with bodily harm at 2,042 and fraud at 1,749. Police claim it is harder to live as a Yakuza member because of police crackdowns and social exclusion of members.
In the US, mafia members have the reputation as being very violent. I don't know if that is also true with the Yakuza. When I think of the Yakuza, I think tattoos.
Tattoos have long been associated with the criminal Yakuza, so most ordinary people do not have tattoos. Many (most?) onsens do not allow people with tattoos to enter.
What is the organized crime situation where you live? How are tattoos thought of in your country?
7 comments:
Hi Pamela what an interesting post. Tattoos are very popular here with many young adults having lots of tattoos,including a lot of young women. Hope your day is a good one my friend xx
That tattooing is very intense on those bodies. I do see how the police identify the Yakuza. Tattoos are very common here, almost trendy with younger people. They used to be associated with sailors, bike gangs and generally people who lived on the wrong side of the law. Also the Maori and Islander people have their traditional cultural tattoos, which now seem to have been copied by the general public.
There's a lot of fascinating stuff about the Yakusa, which you probably know. Especially: Juzo Itami was a film director who made two films about the Yakusa. He was beaten up by members of Yakusa gangs who didn't like his work (to say the least) and they may have pushed him off a building to his death, though they tried to make it look like suicide. His films are very wonderful,
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Interesting. I don't know much about gangs. I know A LOT about ink. Terry and I both have ink. My daughter has A LOT more than we do. My youngest grandson his covered pretty much. People form opinions about him. Some are intimidated. Ink IS more acceptable now than it was when we got ours so many decades ago.
xx, Carol
I've no problem with tattoos, whether something small or a whole sleeve/shirt of them. No intention of having any for myself, but if people want artwork on their skin, more power to them. I don't see a lot of people having issues with them around here apart from the older generations who think it's for ruffians haha.
When I did a study abroad in Okinawa, one of the girls was not allowed to go into the onsens because of her tattoos (they were across her back/shoulders).
Pamela: Amazing tattoos, I am not a lover of tattoos, my cousin is a tattoo artist, has won many titles and awards for his work, I an sure he would like to see these people in person.
In America some people relate tattoos to bad people, I know many doctors and professional people with tatts, I am not sure it is considered a bad thing by all people.
I hope you have a great week.
Catherine
I think these tattoos look really cool. Maybe if the number of Yakuza continue to dwindle, tattoos will become fully socially acceptable in Japan one day?
In Germany, we don't really have much trouble with organized crime, at least not as far as most people realize, I guess. And most people won't think badly of someone with tattoos, at least not in the younger generations!
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