Yakuza quick to mount rescue operations in Kyushu

@Strangerland

"But give credit where credit is due."

Does this article on an article on a twitter feed suffice for you? Don't you think this is an embarrassingly bad...I don't even want to call it an article. It's an assemblage of sentences. You can't call it information. We should all expect a little bit more.

...in other countries, drugs.

Um, in Japan too. Plenty. Is that all? What about sex-trafficking? I notice your list is a bit bland.

...why they do the government's work.

perhaps in some cases in the past. But, I'm sorry, this article is not enough for me. There is no reason to trust the Yak's twitter feed or "a gang source." The writer's childishness doesn't win confidence either. I'm not surprised if the offer something. They have to. But doing the government's work? I call bunk on that.

An organisation that does the government's work for them.

I read some articles that said organised crime organisations are underworld governments for regulating and policing illegal activities such as, predominantly cartels, gambling, prostitution and in other countries, drugs. These activities while illegal retain a demand. If there were no organised crime then the the people involved would be ratting, betraying, and murdering each other. Upon this analysis I can see why Japan does not attempt to eradicate organised crime completely, in the short term, and why they do the government's work. In the face of disaster, there is never enough help.

This does not mean to say that anyone approves. Even the yakuza members say “I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to glorify the yakuza." The yakuza exist as a result of the "holism" that is claimed to exist in Japan. The decision to punish something is not taken upon the basis of whether it, in isolation, is good or bad but upon the result that punishment will have upon the whole. It would be good if we lived in a society that had no need for them, and to move in that direction. Is the way to get there by idealism, or in small real politic steps? Have the Japanese given upon getting there?

Armao, F. (2001, April). A ‘standard’ Crime: Why Mafia Win Success. Presented at the European Consortium for Political Research Joint Sessions, Grenoble. Retrieved from http://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/4392d2f7-68b2-4da1-84c4-e3301c046a1e.pdf Lotspeich, R. (2000). The Nature of Organized Crime: An Economic Perspective. Low Intensity Conflict and Law Enforcement, 9(3), 35–66. Milhaupt, C. J., & West, M. D. (2000). The Dark Side of Private Ordering: An Institutional and Empirical Analysis of Organized Crime. The University of Chicago Law Review, 41–98. Retrieved from http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5018&context=uclrev#

I agree that the yaks are scum. But give credit where credit is due. If they are helping out, they are helping out. That doesn't excuse anything else they do. But neither does the other stuff cancel out the help they are providing at this time.

They're scumbags. Quit giving them positive press.

@Graham DeShazo That's right. Shame on the writer of this article for the lack of judgement, sense, and for not attempting a bit of a balanced critique. Perhaps "journalism" is too much to hope for here. However, if you're going to put up a "puff piece" about organized crime you should be prepared to be ridiculed. I think JT has gone too far this time. It's one thing to put up articles from news service feeds or infotainment related to lifestyle. It's quite another to write an unsupported uncritical glamorized portrayal of murderers, extortionists, drug-dealers and slave-traders. Really, this is too rich.

Don't forget these people deal in drugs, human trafficking, prostitution, organised crime, etc...

Too right! (You forgot extortion, elderly fraud, child porn and money laundering)

Yaks are filth. Giving out a few rice balls and ladies undies as a PR exercise does nothing to change that.

@John-San From what I've heard, they are THE biggest criminal organization in Asia. Still, this article is a cartoon made by scribbling from a Yak twitter feed. I don't see any reason to believe that the Yaks are important or necessary in Kyushu relief efforts. Certainly we need something better than this hack work. I doubt Yaks get much of a say in BOJ policy or tax policy, though they do stuff money into politicians pockets to maintain their empire. There is a balance here, but I'm not an expert and I could be wrong. I believe Yaks have influence over gambling, construction, porn, sex-trafficking, meth-trade, etc. But they're not magic or geniuses and I doubt their influence in monetary or tax policy.

Timely assistance by ill-begotten wealth

Strangerland, yes, I have heard that. I just associated pachinko with yaks. From what I have heard, you are correct.

Building industry however, is not totally controlled by the yaks. Puh-lease! rolls eyes

Possibly true about pachinkos but not true of the building industry.

Not even true of pachinko. A lot of them are owned by N. Korean (descendants) who send money back to N. Korea. Nothing to do with the yaks.

John-San "not only do Yakuza have control of the Parchico industries but also total control of the building industry."

Possibly true about pachinkos but not true of the building industry. Talk like that will get you in trouble with plenty of hard working people in the building industry.

The Yakuza are those we can trust, they are the first to every major disaster.

Just like Don Corleone takes care of his people.

I'd like to ask Americans to send us Rudy Giuliani we could use him as the head of Japan's police dept.

@igloobuyer: I live in NZ, we get our fair-share of natural disasters thank you

Still does not mean that you personally or your family have ever experienced losing everything and having to rely on aid for food and everyday supplies.

And you sir, have never had dealings with organized criminals like the Yakuza.

No, I have not. But I doubt that you have either. The truth is that, however despicable their business is, they have always been one of the first to act in providing aid – after the Hanshin earthquake, the Tohoku earthquake and now, the one in Kumamoto. Friends who were in Kobe during and after the Hanshin earthquake always speak about the said aid with mixed feelings. Nobody though has complained of having been approached by the yaks and asked for special favors later. The world is not only black and white and even the nicest person/model citizen can do bad things. Would being nice excuse their bad deeds then?

JaneMAPR. 26, 2016 - 10:52AM JST @igloobuyer: Just say, 'no thank you'.

Obviously, you have never been caught in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Sitting in your comfortable house thousands of miles way and advising the victims to say “no, thank you!” when there is little/no food and hardly any consumables for them and their children. What can be better than that advice?

I live in NZ, we get our fair-share of natural disasters thank you, but we do not have organised crime families and nefarious ways lurking in the background ready for every opportunity. And you sir, have never had dealings with organised criminals like the Yakuza. Once they can claim they 'helped you', don't expect to ever get rid of them.

Screw these guys, just another opportunity to make themselves look good..... bunch of no good crims.... Next day back to money laundering, blackmail, human trafficking and drugs.

@igloobuyer: Just say, 'no thank you'.

Obviously, you have never been caught in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Sitting in your comfortable house thousands of miles way and advising the victims to say “no, thank you!” when there is little/no food and hardly any consumables for them and their children. What can be better than that advice?

@hatsoff: They only do it as an organisation because there's a pay off.

Hate to say it but the above sounds so very much like the social responsibility programs of any legitimate company – at the end everything is simply publicity for the organization.

@ThePBot : So the Koreans flew in to help.....the Yakuza came in to help......Abe? Do you have some time?

Do not know how much he did while there but Abe did go to the disaster-hit area/s a couple of days ago. If you had watched the news you wouldn’t have wasted time on writing the above question.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to glorify the yakuza, but ‘assisting the weak’ is part of our code;

Now thats just marvelous. Quote of the week.

Shallots: The Biggest growth industry in Japan since the 2000 have been the Parchico Places. This Industry is control by the Yakuza. I have no evidence only that of the USA. Where organise crime and legal gambling go hand in hand. In Japan, not only do Yakuza have control of the Parchico industries but also total control of the building industry. Making them very powerful and hold great influence with Government of the day. I suspect the Yakuza also have sway of the Port of Japan. These side line industries of loans, porn, and pimping are only a front for their real money industry. Since living here I have never seen any industrially action for anything. This tell me that the Japanese are really please with the way Japan is governed and enjoy the comsumption tax raises and the disgustingly low minimum wage. Where is the Union action. There is none. Because there is no leadership because the leader of the unions are in the back pockets of the Yakuza. All this is circumstantial but there is something really wrong when you have one of Asia,s biggest criminal Organisation leading a rescue effect.

Only in Japan; what a truly unique society,

StrangerlandAPR. 25, 2016 - 07:49PM JST Search 'Yakuza' in Google and research how they operate Why would I spend time proving a claim I never made? Usually when someone says to google something it doesn't actually exist.

I think if you don't know how the Yakuza works you'd find out.

ThePBot.

The JSDF was the 1st help there and Abe sent an additional 25.000 troops after the 2nd Quake.

So the Koreans flew in to help.....the Yakuza came in to help......Abe? Do you have some time?

Organized crime groups always pulls stunts like this as PR. They know a few moments of charity to the vulnerable after a high-profile disaster will grab more attention than years and years of exploiting the vulnerable for profit. And the gullible will always fall for it, because you can see them handing out assistance after a quake, but you (usually) don't get to see them beating some guy at the end of his rope to a pulp for not paying back a loans with exploitative interest.

interesting how all these people there to help have to post self-promoting images of bottled water on twitter

Dan Lewis, If the yaks didn't get contracts for reconstruction work, you wouldn't see them helping out. They only do it as an organisation because there's a pay off. After all, if they really cared for their communities, they wouldn't be extorting business owners and the like on a daily basis in the first place.

People claim the yaks have ulterior motives. Dunno about that, but what they're doing now is good. Can we not judge them favorably for that?

@John-San I don't understand. What evidence is there that the Yaks have influence over tax policy or the minimum wage? I agree they buy some politicians and influence over their wheelhouse (aka gambling). But let's not overdo it. ...unless you have something concrete on that?

"All the recuse supplies [sic]"...

I doubt it. @misunderstood

"they at least acted faster"

In Kyushu? What makes you think that? This comic books article? I doubt their actions are more than negligible compared to government and quasi-governmental services. I really wouldn't take some schmuck's twitter seriously.

Wow they at least acted faster than the government

The yakuza have the government in their back pocket. Without the Yakusa standing over union the government can keep pushing up the consumption tax and keep the minimum wage below the poverty line. Remember two years back crown casino applied and got knock bad on a casino licence for Tokyo. I assume this was because of the pachinco empire the yakuza has built in Japan. All the recuse supplies are form the money made off addicted gambler,s.

@bjohnson23 Don't knock the yakuza? How about the mafia? Can we "knock them"? Can we "knock" murderers? Can we "knock" pimps and rapists? Bullies? Let us know when it's safe to criticize hackwork too. This piece of nonsense would not have found it's way into journalism. But it's Ok on JT's mix of clickbait and infotainment. Jyst don't confuse it for news.

I recommend Jake Adelstein's "Tokyo Vice" as a fascinating insight into the Yakuza.

Search 'Yakuza' in Google and research how they operate

Why would I spend time proving a claim I never made? Usually when someone says to google something it doesn't actually exist.

I wouldn't be surprised if this article originally came with a cartoon. Too bad the reality of these dirtbags is too disgusting to be printed on these (virtual) pages.

StrangerlandAPR. 25, 2016 - 07:03PM JST The Yakuza are just looking after the ill prepared and lining their own pockets. They have no altruistic motivations. How are they lining their own pockets?

Search 'Yakuza' in Google and research how they operate.

The Yakuza are just looking after the ill prepared and lining their own pockets. They have no altruistic motivations.

How are they lining their own pockets?

It's not the governments job to check whether citizens are prepared or not. Most smart people have supplies available for emergencies. The Yakuza are just looking after the ill prepared and lining their own pockets. They have no altruistic motivations.

Well well, first of all let me say if it wasn't for the Yakuza who helped out the needy, shocked and unfed people in Sendai-Fukushima the casualties may well have been much higher. These guys love em or hate em, for what it is worth at best can be counted on to be around during a disaster to help out. So for those whiners who complain about where the funding comes from don't worry, it's being put to good use and some legitimate work will be done too. It's a lot of what I can say that the avg Japanese is not there hand's on and helping out with money either or food but rather eating and drinking a beer or saki watching on TV. Don't knock something until your actually there or part of it.

I love the line about empathy and expecting a reward... empathy has nothing to do with a reward. That's just gangsters saying "we did you a favour, now how about doing us one?" Don't forget these people deal in drugs, human trafficking, prostitution, organised crime, etc... in disasters they ride in like the tattooed cavalry, but they always expect to be paid for their 'kindness'.

A new definition for the term yakuza: An organisation that does the government's work for them.

I do agree with you, John Debacco. For a while, there was a Yakuza house near my place. They looked like the average person in my neighborhood. I spoke with one while taking his dog on a walk. He was a big beefy looking guy with a deep voice, but very friendly. I didn't realize he was a Yakuza member until my wife told me later and she told me to be careful. He spoke some English, just enough to understand him.

“After they set up soup kitchens and feed the survivors of a disaster, they expect some form of repayment.

Shame on the govt to let such of situation happening, letting people in distress fall into gang's hand, and shame twice to not provide people with those basic supplies, they have no excuse.

Nothing good comes from organised criminals even if it looks good on the surface. Sadly, kindness from the Yakuza is largely a ploy to win over the public in their dealings. Just say, 'no thank you'.

According to various surveys I've seen, in the wake of a destructive earthquake people in areas away from the disaster tend to replenish their stocks of food, water, batteries, etc. But the shelf life is usually between 2-3 years, so these must be checked, consumed and replenished, which is troublesome. Another problem is the small size of Japanese homes, which limits the space where emergency foods, etc., can be stored. Clearly, the public would benefit from some sort of strategic plan, perhaps using available space at public buildings, rail stations, hospitals, fire stations, etc. I've got no objections to the yakuza pitching in to assist, but it's a poor excuse for lack of community preparedness.

Yakuza is...? ...the Govt? trying to rise the sales tax to 10% ASAP to aid Kumamoto earthquake.

Not unlike cattlemen tending and nurturing their herds.

They have to get in quick - too many contracts up for grabs. Looks like nothing has changed whatsoever since Tohoku & Fukushima...

All help is appreciated in times like these, beggars can't be choosers.

Other mafias or small time criminals have looted houses or even bodies in similar circumstances. Doesn't make local Yakuza model citizens but it explains why they are more 'tolerated' in japan than others elsewhere.

Sort of reminds me of the Yakuza cancelling their Halloween Party for local kids last year. My question remains the same, Why is such a thing even allowed by the local Gov/police? They are what is called a "shitei bouryokudan" or a "designated organized crime group". Trick or Treat...

It's good to know absolutely nothing was learned from the disaster in Fukushima when exactly the same thing happened.

A government perfectly happy to throw trillions of taxpayers' money at Olympic boondoggles can't get its act together to beat the Yaks to disaster relief.

So now guess what happens when reconstruction starts in the devastated area? Who runs construction companies again?

Why, it's almost enough to make you think that the LDP and the Yaks are working together.

The police here are often arrested for stealing underwear. The yakuza give them out to people in need.

Ironic.

The yakuza wouldn't be needed if the government was better prepared to assist with disasters.

Darn. You beat me to it. That was going to be my comment.

pauli - agree. More a reflection of an inadequacy in the govt. supported disaster relief process.

And the money used by yakuza to sponsor such "wonderful aid" comes from illgotten criminal gains - extortion, drugs, pimping, fraud, stealing, racketeering, etc.

No glory in their actions.

The yakuza wouldn't be needed if the government was better prepared to assist with disasters.

I guess you can't blame people in need for accepting a helping hand, even if that hand is missing a finger.

This was seen as ‘the kind of assistance to people that only caring yakuza could provide.’”

The irony of seeing "caring" and "yakuza" in the same sentence.

The left always calls them Yakuza. Right wing would be a better word. Very kind and passionate people. They treat gaijin as equals if they love Japan and try to fit in. Unlike many government workers that see gaijin as a servant class. Paying them less than Japanese workers. Anyone who has been an ALT has experienced this.

Afterwards they also arranged to supply items that other volunteers had not considered, such as women’s underwear in a wide variety of sizes. This was seen as ‘the kind of assistance to people that only caring yakuza could provide.’”

Could have chosen a better example.

The difference between "organized" and "un-organized" crime.