What is a female yakuza called?
The Yakuza is populated almost entirely by men and the very few women who are acknowledged are the wives of bosses, who are referred to by the title ane-san (姐さん, older sister).
What happened to the Yamaguchi-gumi?
Split in 2015 On August 27, 2015, Japanese police confirmed that powerful factions, including the Kobe-based Yamaken-gumi, the Osaka-based Takumi-gumi, and the Kyoyu-kai, broke away from the Yamaguchi-gumi and formed a new group called the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.
How many families are in the Yamaguchi-gumi?
It has roughly 15,000 members divided into 313 clans. It is based in the Tokyo-Yokohama area and was one of the first yakuza families to expand its operations to outside of Japan. Its current oyabun is Yoshio Tsunoda.
Can a white person join the Yakuza?
Yes, you can join the Yakuza as an American. A small percentage of the Yakuza are not Japanese. But it may be a hard feat to achieve. That’s because the Yakuza have the traditional Japanese warrior spirit that sees the foreigner as a threat.
How much is the Yamaguchi-gumi worth?
The Yamaguchi-gumi, which Morgan Stanley analyst Robert Feldman once called Japan’s second largest private equity group, operates in 44 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, with a yearly net revenue at $80 billion, as estimated by Fortune magazine.
Why did Yamaguchi-gumi split?
“The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi could end up just breaking up if it loses its power and money,” one investigative source said. The cause of the conflict is familiar: infighting over money the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi demands in tribute, compounded by the current lack of gang bosses.
What is the meaning of Yamaguchi?
mountain entrance
Japanese: from a very common place name. The meaning as now written is ‘mountain entrance’, but originally the full meaning was ‘entrance to the mountain forest’ (yamabayashi no iriguchi). The surname occurs most frequently in western Japan.
Is Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza?
Yamaken-gumi was one of the main gangs that had separated from it in August 2015 to form the splinter group Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. …
Do the yakuza use guns?
Japan’s yakuza are putting away their weapons after an unprecedented death sentence was passed on a crime boss. Gangs affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the country’s biggest crime organisation, have been ordered not to use guns “in public” after the conviction of the head of a rival crime group.
Will Yamaguchi-gumi split into 21 crime groups in Japan?
In August, Japan’s largest crime group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two main factions, potentially creating a gang war that may ultimately involve all 21 designated crime groups in Japan.
Are the Yakuza the Japanese mafia?
When news broke that the Yakuza were among the first on the scene after Japan’s devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, it caused a minor sensation in Western media outlets, which tended to view the Yakuza as the Japanese mafia, more akin to John Gotti than to Jimmy Carter. But that notion of the Yakuza gets it all wrong.
What is the Yamaguchi-gumi?
The Yamaguchi-gumi is the biggest Yakuza family, accounting for 50% of all Yakuza in Japan, with more than 55,000 members divided into 850 clans. Despite more than a decade of police repression, the Yamaguchi-gumi has continued to grow. From its headquarters in Kobe, it directs criminal activities throughout Japan.
Why is the Yamaguchi family so successful?
The Yamaguchi family is successful to the point where its name has become synonymous with Japanese organized crime in many parts of Asia outside Japan. Many Chinese or Korean persons who do not know the name “Yakuza” would know the name “Yamaguchi-gumi”, which is frequently portrayed in gangster films.