Unspeakable Times
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Reasons The Yakuza Is More Than Just A Japanese Mafia

Updated December 15, 2020 181.4k views18 items
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The yakuza are Japanese organized crime syndicates. They have existed in some form for more than 400 years, making them older than America, let alone the American Mafia. Yakuza history is extensive, and the yakuza have come a long way from their days as outcast bands of street peddlers and gamblers. At one point, their members numbered more than 180,000, dwarfing the Mafia. Yakuza organizations are structured as families, with various clans organized into a corporate-like structure under larger ones. Though the word "family" is often used to describe yakuza organizations, they are not families in the biological sense, but rather tightly knit groups. 

The yakuza are very different from other criminal organizations. They are deeply ingrained in Japanese culture, and not always in nefarious ways. For centuries, they have tried to create an image of honor and, in a sense, nobility. Yakuza portray themselves as protectors of outcasts and keepers of order, as can be seen in the name they chose for themselves - ninkyo dantai, or "chivalrous organizations." This name contrasts significantly with what the Japanese police call yakuza families - bōryokudan, or "violent groups."

Some yakuza facts help explain their trademark tattoos, or why some yakuza members are missing bits of their pinky fingers. Less well known is that they often carry business cards and operate openly; it is legal in Japan to be affiliated with yakuza organizations. After reading these facts about the yakuza, you will understand how little the yakuza have in common with other criminal organizations around the world, despite some superficial similarities.


  • 1

    The Inauspicious Origins Of The Modern Yakuza

    Photo: Baron Raimund von Stillfried, Adolfo Farsari / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    The yakuza trace their lineage to two groups of outcasts that emerged during the Edo period (1603 - 1868). The first, the tekiya, were peddlers who went from village to village. Many tekiya were considered burakumin, a class of outcasts similar to untouchables in India - those who exist below the accepted tiers of a caste system. 

    The second group from which the yakuza originated, the bakuto, were gamblers. These two classes eventually organized and moved into criminal activities like loan sharking, racketeering, and extortion. The tekiya would, in some cases, provide protection for underground gambling operations run by the bakuto, creating a criminal network that interlaced the groups. 

  • 2

    The Yakuza Operate More Or Less In The Open

    Unlike the Mafia, the yakuza make little effort to hide their identities and affairs from authorities, with whom they often work in various capacities. Because belonging to a yakuza organization is not a crime, they can openly conduct legal business, and often do illegal business in cooperation with banks, corporations, and officials behind closed doors. 

    Yakuza members have been known to grant interviews to journalists, and some carry business cards with the name of their crime syndicate. 

  • 3

    Yakuza Membership Is Legal

    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    In most countries, crime syndication is illegal. In the United States, for instance, RICO laws against racketeering can be used to prosecute Mafia members.

    Japan, however, recognizes yakuza membership as a legitimate right to assembly.

  • 4

    The Yakuza Reduce Petty Crime And Keep Order

    The yakuza police themselves and follow a strict code of behavior. When a member gets out of hand, the yakuza discipline them. They also help reduce petty crime in areas in which they collect revenue.

    In Kabukichō, a teeming nightlife district of Tokyo with several yakuza businesses, members of the organizations patrol the streets and watch over arcades, restaurants, bars, and more.