to form a new gang, Kobe Yamaguchi-Gumi. Similar past splits in the Yakuza have resulted in

years of warfare, assassinations and a terrorized Japanese public. At the same time, organized

crime is seen as a necessary evil by many Japanese, and their gangs are often revered

in popular culture. So, just how powerful is the Yakuza?

Well, the Yakuza is not one group, it is an umbrella term for all of Japan’s organized

crime groups. With more than 50 thousand members spread over 21 independently-run cartels,

the Yakuza is one of the most powerful mafia-like group in the world. Their largest and most

well-known syndicate is Yamaguchi-gumi. In 2014, this faction took in $6.6 billion dollars

The Yakuza’s presence in Japan dates back to the 17th century, however they remained

unorganized and largely powerless until the wake of World War Two. At the time, the US

had just bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving Japan and its economy in ruins. As a result,

the government employed strict food rations on its citizens, and basic goods became very

valuable in black markets. The Yakuza stepped in to manage those marketplaces, gaining both

profits and control over neighborhoods and towns. Some liken this to the way prohibition

strengthened the US mafia.

Today, Yakuza cartels get most of their money through fraud, bribery, drug trafficking and

blackmail. The Yakuza’s transnational network of spies extends as far as Europe and the

Americas, and the group is known to outsource assassinations and other criminal acts. Yakuza

gangsters manipulate politicians and powerful businesspeople by leveraging incriminating

insider information In the infamous 2008 hoax, a Yamaguchi Gumi front company got away with

a $350 million dollar loan from Lehman Brothers, which was one of America’s most powerful

investment banks at the time. Similar schemes, combined with constant manipulation of the

Japanese stock market, has made the Yamaguchi-gumi the country’s second-largest private equity

group. Even members of Japan’s ruling party have allegedly accepted bribes and otherwise

associated themselves with Yakuza syndicates.

But despite their pervasive criminal activity, Yakuza gangsters are often seen as do-gooders,

and their cartels are glorified in Japanese media. Yakuza members work out of office buildings

and carry business cards, and cartels are often featured in comic books and fan magazines.

The Japanese mafia is even known to carry out charitable acts. Yakuza gangs were among

the first to deliver aid to victims of the 1995 earthquake and the 2011 Tsunami. What’s

more, Yakuza membership itself is not illegal. And although Japanese police have cracked

down on gang activity in the 21st century, law enforcement is generally incapable of

controlling the Yakuza. This is because white collar crime is generally hard to prove, and

police lack the resources to track down most organized crime.

So just how powerful is the Japanese mafia? Well, they’re deeply intertwined in Japanese

society, and their largest faction is worth roughly twice that of Mexico’s biggest drug

cartel. Their international crime syndicates are among the most centralized in the world,

making it easy to secure mass amounts of money from the Japanese economy. So whether it be

as heroes or villains, the Yakuza is a powerful and influential part of Japan.

While the Yakuza is one of the the biggest mafia-groups in the world, it isn’t the

only one. Transnational crime accounts for around a trillion dollars worth of revenue

worldwide, so what are some of the other groups in organized crime? Thanks for watching! Don’t

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