Behind Japan Files

The Yakuza File

Japan never banned its largest crime syndicates. What happens to an organization the state will not outlaw, and to the people it will not release?

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Part 1

A photograph of a man seated cross-legged on tatami in a dim traditional room, seen from directly behind. His cotton robe is lowered to the waist, revealing a full traditional Japanese back tattoo of waves, chrysanthemums and a carp, its colours faded with age. Only his back and the back of his head are visible; no face and nothing identifiable. He is alone in a bare room with a folded futon in the corner, lit by grey daylight through a paper screen. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real person.

The Underworld

Is the Yakuza Dying?

Police counted 9,400 full members at the end of 2025, down from 91,000 when the law was passed. The crime moved into groups the state now calls anonymous and fluid, from Japanese primary sources.

Aug 4, 2026

Part 2

A photograph of a concrete driveway beside a plain low building on a bright cold morning. A long black chauffeur-driven sedan waits at the kerb with its rear door held open by a driver in a dark suit and white cotton gloves, who is bowing. Along the wall a line of about twelve men bows deeply toward the car in unison, each bent sharply from the waist with the head dropped and hands pressed to the thighs, so that no face is visible; those nearest the car wear dark double-breasted suits and those behind them wear grey work jackets. A rolled steel shutter, a clipped hedge, grey utility poles with bundled cables and gravel at the edge of the concrete. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real place, organisation or person.

The Underworld

How Many Yakuza Groups Are There in Japan?

Japan designates 25. The largest has about 3,100 members, the smallest about 10, and both meet the same legal test, a probability written into the statute itself.

Aug 11, 2026

Part 3

A photograph of the closed front gate of a large walled compound on a quiet Japanese residential street under flat overcast light. A high plastered wall topped with grey roof tiles runs along the pavement to a heavy dark wooden gate, shut, with two small security cameras on brackets angled down at it and a blank white paper notice pasted to the gatepost. Four polished black sedans stand nose to tail along the kerb. Six men in plain black suits wait in a loose line on the pavement facing the gate, all seen from behind; no faces are visible. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real premises, organisation or person.

The Underworld

Why Did the Yamaguchi-gumi Split?

In 2015 the largest crime syndicate in Japan broke in two. The war that followed produced over 100 incidents, a new legal designation, and a surrender letter, but not the ending the law requires.

Aug 5, 2026

Part 4

A photograph looking down on the workbench of a small prosthetics workshop. Five silicone prosthetic fingertips in slightly different skin tones lie in a row on a grey work mat, each hollow and open at its base. Around them are fine sable brushes, open pots of skin pigment, a scalpel, a plaster cast of a hand and the edge of a magnifying lamp. Everything is worn and orderly. No people and no hands appear. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real workshop.

The Underworld

Why Do Yakuza Cut Off Their Pinky Finger?

The little finger goes first, and Japanese law names the practice in statute. Why yubitsume starts with the pinky, whether it still happens, and how a missing finger now blocks the way out.

Aug 5, 2026

Part 5

A photograph of a suburban parking area under a flat overcast sky, packed with about twenty extravagantly customised motorcycles parked at careless angles. Each machine differs from the others: towering three-tier stepped seats with tall padded backrests, narrow pull-back handlebars, bulbous rocket-shaped cowls and enormous chrome exhaust pipes sweeping up and back above the rear wheels, finished in candy metalflake pink, sky blue, purple, crimson, white and gold. Several young riders in long boxy white and black coats with bold gold embroidery stand among the machines, all seen from behind or with heads turned away so that no face is visible. Low houses and power lines run along the horizon. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real gathering.

The Underworld

Did Japan's Bosozoku Disappear? They Didn't

Do bosozoku still exist? Police statistics say yes, membership has held steady since 2019, and 77 percent now ride alone. What ended was the hierarchy, not the gangs.

Aug 4, 2026

Part 6

A photograph of the empty changing room of an old public bathhouse. Rows of wooden locker doors with worn brass fittings line the walls, a woven rattan basket sits on a low bench beside a folded white towel, and a tall analogue scale stands in the corner. A slatted wooden floor leads to a frosted glass door at the far end, through which pale light comes. The room is deserted. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real bathhouse.

Society

Why Does Japan Still Treat Tattoos as a Warning Sign?

No Japanese law bans tattooed customers from hot springs. What operates instead is a 150-year chain: a punishment the state once inked on criminals, a syndicate that adopted the mark, and a film industry that mass-produced the image.

Aug 6, 2026

Other files

The Faith & State File →