Yakuza

Yakuza is the collective label attached to the organized crime groups of Japan. The word bends to fit either a single gangster or a whole syndicate, and the phenomenon is often measured against the American Mob and the Italian crime families abroad, matching them in the reach of its operations.

These outfits run a striking mixture of enterprises. Some are entirely lawful, reaching into farming and charitable causes, while others cover prostitution, narcotics, and the trafficking of weapons. What sets the Japanese version apart is how openly it works and how far the surrounding society tolerates its presence. Members are widely recognized by the sweeping, full-body patterns of irezumi tattooing, and the many clans uphold intricate rules of honor, behavior, and ceremony.

Numerous families trace their bloodlines deep into the feudal era of the 1700s, and a handful even claim descent from the masterless samurai remembered as Ronin. The crime world answers to other names too: Boryokudan, a harsher term favored by law enforcement, and ninkyo dentai, the phrasing preferred by admirers, supporters, and the members themselves.