End of the yakuza? Inside Japan's vanishing underworld
By Jeff W. Richards
Once feared and oddly tolerated, Japan's yakuza are now in rapid decline — with membership dropping to historic lows. But what's replacing them?
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we trace the fall of the yakuza, from their deep historical roots to modern crackdowns, and explore how younger criminals are moving into the shadows with encrypted apps and online scams.
We also look at the uncomfortable legacy they've left behind — from front companies and nationalist megaphones to the stigma against tattoos that persists in Japanese society today.
Are the yakuza really finished? Or is Japan simply facing a new kind of threat?
Watch the full story, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Chapters:
0:00 Topic overview
1:02 Role in Japanese society
3:15 Things start to fall apart
4:59 Branching out
6:16 Looking ahead
7:34 Sunset on yakuza?
8:54 Outro
Japan Today sources:
Join the conversation!
Do you think Japan is better off without the yakuza — or are the criminals replacing them even more dangerous? Let us know in the comments!
Don't forget to like, subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an update on Japan's biggest news stories.
Follow us for more updates:
The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the host and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of GPlusMedia, Inc.
© Japan Today
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
29 minutes ago
- Japan Today
The Japanese sword experience was one of our main programs, so this is a real blow to us.
The president of the Yamagata tourist association. A program that lets foreign tourists use real Japanese swords as part of the martial art iaido was suddenly canceled in January in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, because it violated the Firearms and Swords Control Law. © Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Bicycle gang terrorizes Shibuya Scramble with lame and annoying wheelies
By SoraNews24 Although it's often associated with illegal activity, there's still something romantic about casting off the shackles of society and feeling the wind through your hair as you tear across the country on two wheels… and riding a bicycle is kind of neat too, I guess. Last week a gang of bike-a-doodles took to the famous Shibuya Scramble intersection to show off their rad bicycles and sick tricks like wheelies and more wheelies. About 10 riders in total went in circles around the intersection and interfered with both pedestrian and car traffic as they aimlessly weaved around everyone trying to go about their lives. ▼ A news report on the kids. As if in defiance of the bicycle's very definition of a two-wheeled vehicle, they continuously did wheelies as they ran red lights and took videos of each other doing even more wheelies. This followed a similar video posted on social media a few days earlier, showing a group of bike-a-doodles riding along Yasukuni-dori. You're probably not going to believe this, but they were doing wheelies at the time too. Online comments were mixed. 'They must be from out of town… way out of town.' 'They got all their friends together for a bike ride. How cute!' 'They're a regular Team Rocket, those guys.' 'At least it's not as noisy as motorcycles.' 'It's funny because they can't even afford motorbikes.' 'Modern depression-era bikers.' 'They couldn't even get hand-me-down motorbikes from the older kids.' 'At least they're giving us all something to laugh at.' 'This kind of thing should be out of your system by junior high.' 'Are they environmentally conscious bikers?' 'I wonder if they twist their hands on the handlebars and make 'brrrrrrrrr' sounds with their mouths.' 'Those poor kids. That's so sad.' Those people must not have seen the wheelies, because if they did, they'd be singing a different tune. Meanwhile, lawyer Koji Mizogami told media that actions on bicycles are also covered by the Road Traffic Act and points out that their reckless and disruptive behavior could result in fines as high as 500,000 yen or up to three months in prison, and all the wheelies in the world won't get them out of that. Source: FNN Prime Online, Hachima Kiko Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- 14 things never to do on a bicycle in Japan with new traffic laws -- Japanese people outraged by group riding bikes through underground shopping mall in Osaka 【Video】 -- Japanese police officer pursues, pulls over Lamborghini supercar…while on a bicycle【Video】 External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
7 hours ago
- SoraNews24
'Bumping men' are a uniquely Japanese class of criminals that are hard to deal with
This peculiar Japanese crime leaves its victims wondering what to do. Although Japan is widely considered a safe country, there is a violent crime going on that goes under-reported but has been caught on social media for years. The perpetrators are called 'butsukari otoko' or 'bumping men' because they do just that; bump into people in crowded places like train stations or on the street. The severity of the bump — or in some cases even a punch — can vary quite a bit as does the purpose, whether releasing some sort of aggression, as a form of molestation, or in an attempt to claim the victim damaged an item of theirs. In most cases, they take advantage of the ambiguity of whether their actions are intentional and the general passiveness of Japanese society to get away with their attacks. ▼ A news report that opens with a video of a real bumping man, and shows that bumping women are also known to happen A relatively high-profile bumping man incident occurred in Fukuoka City early last April. Police had gotten reports of a bumping man in the Nishi Ward area and were staking it out when they spotted a man in his 50s bumping into a high school student who was riding his bike. The man turned out to be an associate professor at Seinan Gakuin University and denied the charge, claiming that the student bumped into him. Police seem to disagree though, because on 28 May, the professor was rearrested for the third time on new charges of assault. The investigation is still ongoing, but according to the police, reports of a bumping man in that area go back to December 2024, which means there may end up being a large number of assaults in total. It would seem that in cases like this, the bumping men may see themselves as the victim in the same psychological way that harassers sometimes do. That's only speculation though, and online comments about the news were just as baffled as everyone else about why bumping men do what they do while also sharing some experiences about dealing with them. 'I'm surprised the university hasn't fired him yet.' 'What kind of mental state do you have to be in to do that?' 'These guys are just letting off stress, but they need a good butt-kicking.' 'I once intercepted someone who was running at me by putting my knee up. Was I wrong?' 'If my parents had money, that's the university I would have gone to.' 'We should just put all the bumping men in the country in one place and let them battle to be the king of bumping men.' 'I'm a big guy and often bump into people, but I always make sure I'm the first to apologize.' 'I caught one once, but he started crying and begging for mercy. I let him go, but I wonder what he was thinking.' There is some anecdotal evidence that bumping men tend to shrink when confronted. A report by News Post Seven, interviewing people in places where bumping men are known to lurk, mentioned that incidents involving them may have decreased significantly with the rise in foreign tourism in Tokyo. One restaurant owner in an underground shopping area recalled seeing a known bumping man there attack a Chinese woman, who then quickly berated the man and demanded an apology while her friends took video. He hadn't been seen since. According to the legal experts at since bumping is a form of assault, people are entitled to defend themselves and others, and citizen's arrest is also permitted under Japanese law. However, doing these things would put yourself at risk with the law if excessive force is said to have been used. Anyone who encounters a bumping man would do best to stay clear of them and report it to the police while taking video evidence if possible. Source: NHK News Web, Itai News, News Post Seven Feature image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
