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The media has been full of stories about the Japanese yen reaching historic highs against the U.S. dollar, and how exchange rates are likely to further squeeze the earnings of manufacturers dependent on exports, such as automobiles and consumer electronics, by making the prices for Japanese goods more expensive.
If the rates stay where they are -- around 76 yen to one dollar -- the general agreement is that even more Japanese manufacturers will shift production and other operations abroad, further exacerbating the hollowing out of Japanese industry.
Not all Japanese organizations moving abroad will be firms listed on the stock exchange. Writing in Nikkan Gendai (Aug 15), journalist Atsushi Mizoguchi says he's picked up scuttlebutt that a certain affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi, nation's largest crime syndicate, may also be mulling a move to another country. Although at this point, he adds, it's only being discussed "jodan hanbun" (half jokingly).
The reasons for such a move by yakuza are not merely appreciation of the yen; this particular gang has been under heavy pressure from the police.
"Right now, even the president of one of our front companies is being harassed by the cops, and he's afraid to show his face in public," a senior member is quoted as saying. "He'd be the last one to get nabbed, but he's just as vulnerable to the crackdown as regular yakuza. Aside from going straight, there's probably no way out of this for us yakuza -- most of us don't have the smarts or knowhow to hold down an honest job. So some guys, half out of spite, have started talking about leaving the country."
This, Mizoguchi cautions, does not necessarily mean that a concrete plan exists for the move. While Japan's hoods are known to have junior members or cronies living in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia and other countries in the region, these relationships are basically those of "birds of a feather," and no real revenue-generating ties exist.
For decades, writes Mizoguchi, the yakuza have been coasting, riding the wave of Japan's strong economy, and they never foresaw any necessity to leave the country to earn a livelihood. Or to put it another way, as long as the pickings were good in Japan, there was no need to labor by the sweat of their brow in foreign countries.
Another thing discouraging yakuza from leaving the country is the lack of a base into which they can set down roots, as Japanese communities abroad tend to be fairly widely dispersed. And aside from such impediments as the language barrier, they would have to strike deals with local gangs -- a highly unlikely prospect.
So the yakuza have diversified more by investing in front companies, and up to now have remained content to confine their operations to the home islands.
It has been reported that a very small number of yakuza have set up shop in South Korea and the U.S. where they joined evangelical Christian sects. Some of them were persuaded to convert by local women or former gang members, but a few find their church membership a useful cover for illegal activities.
"Freedom of belief is guaranteed by the Constitution of Japan," one remarked to Mizoguchi. "Consequently, the church affords sanctuary that's almost the equivalent of extraterritorial law. I bet we could operate a casino on the grounds, for example, and the cops wouldn't do anything to about it. Or what do you think of tht idea of us a buying a big cruise ship with a casino that sails outside Japan's territorial limits? We could hold parties --- limited only to wealthy guests --- where the customers could openly partake women, narcotics and amphetamines. If the cops tried to intervene, it would set off a diplomatic incident."
It's no joke: word on the street is that certain yakuza are already shopping around for a love boat.
© Japan Today
20 Comments
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oginome
Wow, I'm sure your fellow Japanese will just feel so betrayed by this.
paulinusa
These guys will never have the same power and infuence outside of Japan. They would get eaten alive by foreign gangs and police.
ReformedBasher
Good riddance.
I would be far more concerned by local gangs than police overseas though. Hint: Police take prisoners...
Problem with both is the gangs/police making mutally beneficial arrangements. SSE (as in SSDD)
nath
How will they get a visa for america?
Virtuoso
JapanGal, Japanese are one of the nationalities on the visa waiver program. Unless their name is on a no-fly blacklist (or flagged by INTERPOL), all they need is a passport. I've see yakuza at airports all over Asia. I think the Philippines is the only country to ban people with tattoos.
kurisupisu
How to say Koooraaaaa temmeee! In English ?
Wouldn't have the same ring to it!
tmarie
I think the Philippines is the only country to ban people with tattoos.
I am going to call BS on this. LInks please.
Virtuoso
MANILA, March 6 Kyodo
Philippine immigration authorities Tuesday refused entry into the country of 11 heavily tattooed Japanese men suspected of being leaders of a yakuza gang.
thefreelibrary.com/11+suspected+Japanese+gangsters+barred+from+the+Philippines.-a072344372
Foxie
But they already went to Shanghai years ago.
Elbuda Mexicano
Manila and tattoos?? Not too sure, but I know that if you are MISSING FINGERS, look like a yakuza, smell like a yakuza you will not get into the republic, unless you pay a nice bribe??
oberst
It has been reported that a very small number of yakuza have set up shop in South Korea and the U.S. where they joined evangelical Christian sects. ......................................
This is funny. Can any reader post links on this ?
zurcronium
evangelical christians and the yakusa, I can see the connection. Both immoral exploiters of human weakness.
tmarie
Not giving entry to a few is not the same as banning, you get that, right?
Christina O'Neill
Drug dealing, people trafficing,prostitution money laundering, sorry no vacancies, the local gangs operate a closed shop
Pixilated
It's interesting how open some of these gang members can be by expressing their possible criminal intentions and prospects in interviews.
Christopher Blackwell
Of course they already have spread as have all the other crime syndicates. Crime is big business and well developed criminal enterprises work together world wide, such as in the United States. We have all of them here in the States.
There is another option for making money if they want, terrorist organizations would be willing to hire them for terrorism, perhaps not in the home country, but elsewhere. It would be the logical next step as police focus on certain ethnic groups on terrorism.
globalwatcher
Go ahead and export those Yakuza to US. Mafia and US police will take a good care of them. We will make sure they will never go back to Japan alive.
warnerbro
Actually, the FBI in America was running an organ transplant program for yakuza. If they give up a little information, through what means North Korea supplies them with drugs and counterfeit money, for example, they might be allowed in. But from what I hear, the gangs in America could easily make sashima out of them.
ramses68
Not proud to admit it, but yes, they would be eaten alive in the U.S.
bcmoney
An excellent photo gallery of intimate snaps of Yakuza that some brave fellow took: http://www.fotovisura.com/user/antonkusters/view/893-yakuza
People talk about the Yakuza as being weak, but I've also heard a different story that says they own a solid portion of legitimate business and its the "underlings" and weaker edge members that handle the seedy side of the business.
So while they might not go around killing as much as the US mafia has, they have people to do that for them, and they're smarter at making businesses look legit.