The values and social organization of yakuza are usually very conservative. They profess the traditional values such as loyalty to their boss, which they express by slicing off the tip of a finger, and strong nationalism.
Etymology. The name yakuza originates from the traditional Japanese card game Oicho-Kabu, a game in which the goal is to draw three cards adding up to a score of 9. If the sum of the cards exceeds 10, its second digit is used as the score instead, and if the sum is exactly 10, the score is 0.
The Yakuza Code of Ethics prohibits anything that may be considered an indecent act, or an act that goes against Ninkyodo (Chivalry). Reasoning - The Yakuza were known as the chivalrous organization of their community. The whole purpose of the Yakuza was to serve their own form of justice.
The yakuza have been engaged in extortion, money-laundering, prostitution, gambling, trafficking in drugs and weapons, and more sophisticated white-collar crimes. According to a 2014 police report, there were 22,495 organized crime members or those affiliates with gangs arrested that year.
For such a crowded place you might expect an iconic police box or at least cops patrolling, but nope. Yakuza do protect places they collect money from because they don't want other people to take that money. A petty thief or drug dealer looking for a new territory often thinks twice before operating in yakuza turf.
Unfortunately, no such pathways to reintegration currently exist. Social acceptance is unattainable for most who renounce their membership in organized crime groups. As a result, they have no option but to resort to illegal activity to survive.
Violent yakuza crimes usually involve rivalries between families, but sometimes target civilians. Most crimes in modern times are variations on things the yakuza have been doing for decades - a white collar thrown in for good measure. Unlike other crime syndicates, yakuza operate more or less in the open.
Yakuza are viewed by some Japanese as a necessary evil, in light of their chivalrous facade, and the organizational nature of their crime is sometimes viewed as a deterrent to impulsive individual street crime.
Yubitsume (指詰め, "finger shortening") or otoshimae is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology and remorse to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger.
When a kobun receives sake from an oyabun, they have officially passed their initiation into their yakuza family. At this point they're ranked in a similar way to older or younger brothers. They're also required to cut ties to their real family and swear allegiance to their local boss.
The values and social organization of yakuza are usually very conservative. They profess the traditional values such as loyalty to their boss, which they express by slicing off the tip of a finger, and strong nationalism.
Yakuza wear kimono on special occasions — rituals, important meetings, or for commemoration photos. Thus the kimono serves a dual purpose: as the national costume, it denotes belonging to the Japanese cultural milieu.
Unlike Western mafia wives, Yakuza wives remain outside the sphere of criminal activity. Although the women play a vital role in running the clan – managing finances, resolving quarrels and providing emotional support – they are barred from being active participants or formal members.
Opinion: Japan's yakuza aren't disappearing. They're getting smarter. There were about 70,300 known yakuza members in 2011, but that number had dropped to 25,900 by 2020, according to the National Center for Removal of Criminal Organizations.
In Japan, a stunted pinkie signifies membership in the yakuza, or Japanese mafia. In a ritual known as "yubitsume," yakuza members are required to chop off their own digits to atone for serious offenses. The left pinkie is usually the first to go, though repeated offenses call for further severing.
This really shouldn't be a problem at all—the Yakuza, that is, the Japanese mafia, tend to stay away from foreigners (to the point where I've heard amusing stories about foreign guys scaring them off). Most tourists will get around happily without even knowing they are out there.
Japan's yakuza are putting away their weapons after an unprecedented death sentence was passed on a crime boss. Gangs affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the country's biggest crime organisation, have been ordered not to use guns “in public” after the conviction of the head of a rival crime group.
In the United States, the Yakuza has been known to be involved in money laundering and drug trafficking. To date, OFAC has designated 21 individuals, 5 criminal syndicates, 2 subsidiary gangs, and 2 companies associated with the Yakuza.
First off, it's important to understand that your gang is one big happy, although shifty and murderous, family. This is why you call your boss oyassan (おやっさん – father). In return, a yakuza boss or upper level family member calls the younger ones kodomo (子供 – children) and may use other family terms to refer to people.
However, he must repay his debt of gratitude by joining the criminal gang, aiding them in their nefarious activities. However, there's no apparent modern or historical basis for a white American being accepted into the yakuza, with the film's synopsis having little understanding of how the crime syndicates work.
Suggestions for Tourists With Tattoos
While tattoos are not illegal, they can prevent people from getting the full Japanese experience. When using public transportation in Japan, such as trains, tourists with visible tattoos will want to keep in mind that their ink may be offensive to some of the locals.
Most Japanese people love Americans and American culture.
Not only do they get excited to meet folks from the U.S., but you'll also find a handful of American-themed bars and plenty of Japanese versions of American items, especially food.
The yakuza also make money from prostitution. They hire young girls whose are younger than eighteen years old. There are many ways to make a profit from this business, but the most popular one is the "date club." Some groups make more than a million dollars a month from this business.