Editing Yakuza (section)

== Current activities ==
=== Japan ===
In the 2010s and 2020s, the yakuza's main source of funding is a fraud called {{nihongo3|special fraud|特殊詐欺|tokushu sagi}}, which mainly targets the elderly to cheat them out of large amounts of money. Their methods include calling the homes of elderly people to beg for money by pretending to be the elderly person's son, or visiting the homes of elderly people posing as employees of financial institutions to swindle them out of their money. In 2014, ''tokushu sagi'' accounted for 10.4 percent of all yakuza arrests, surpassing theft for the first time at 10.2 percent, and 34.6 percent of ''tokushu sagi'' perpetrators were yakuza and their associates. The total damage from ''tokushu sagi'' identified in 2019 exceeded 30 billion yen, and while yakuza accounted for just over 10 percent of the lowest level members of criminal groups, such as cash receivers who play the role of financial institution employees, yakuza accounted for nearly 40 percent of the main perpetrators leading fraud schemes.<ref name="nik120515">{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDG10H4N_S5A310C1CC0000/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315075415/https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDG10H4N_S5A310C1CC0000/|script-title=ja:暴力団、資金源を特殊詐欺にシフト　14年の摘発2337人と最多|language=ja|work=[[The Nikkei]]|date=12 March 2015|archive-date=15 March 2015|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2020/10180558/?all=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020221712/https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2020/10180558/?all=1|script-title=ja:暴力団の主たる資金源「特殊詐欺」にオドロキ判決　背景に「警察」「民暴弁護士」の活躍|language=ja|publisher=[[Shinchosha]]|date=18 October 2020|archive-date=20 October 2020|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20190328/k00/00m/040/061000c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214629/https://mainichi.jp/articles/20190328/k00/00m/040/061000c|script-title=ja:特殊詐欺に暴力団関与　「主犯」の半数　組織の資金源か　警察庁まとめ|language=ja|publisher=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]|date=28 March 2019|archive-date=28 March 2019|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>

The yakuza and its affiliated gangs control drug trafficking in Japan, especially [[methamphetamine]].<ref>Vorobyov, Niko (2019) ''Dopeworld.'' Hodder, UK. p. 91–93</ref> While many yakuza syndicates, notably the [[Yamaguchi-gumi]], officially forbid their members from engaging in [[drug trafficking]], some other yakuza syndicates, like the [[Dojin-kai]], are heavily involved in it. The most common charge for yakuza and their associates arrested in 2014 was violation of the {{nihongo3|Stimulants Control Act|覚せい剤取締法|}}, which prohibits the import, export, sale, transfer, possession, and use of methamphetamine, accounting for 26.5 percent of arrests.<ref name="nik120515"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/ja/laws/view/2814/je|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214081252/https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/ja/laws/view/2814/je#je_ch3|script-title=ja:Stimulants Control Act|language=ja|publisher=[[Ministry of Justice, Japan]]|date=|archive-date=14 December 2023|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>

Some yakuza groups are known to deal extensively in [[human trafficking in Japan|human trafficking]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/japan|title=HumanTrafficking.org, "Human Trafficking in Japan"|access-date=10 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115130632/http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/japan|archive-date=15 November 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the [[Philippines]] Yakuza trick girls from impoverished villages into coming to Japan by promising them respectable jobs with good wages. Instead, they are forced into becoming sex workers and strippers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/4.html|title=The Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia – The Crime Library – Crime Library on truTV.com}}</ref>

[[File:Kabukicho red gate and colorful neon street signs at night, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Kabukicho]] district of [[Shinjuku]] has historically been known as a popular yakuza hangout in Tokyo.]]
Yakuza frequently engaged in a unique form of Japanese [[extortion]] known as ''[[sōkaiya]]''. In essence, this is a specialized form of [[protection racket]]. Instead of harassing small businesses, the Yakuza harass a stockholders' meeting of a larger corporation. Yakuza operatives obtain the right to attend by making a small purchase of stock, and then at the meeting physically intimidate other stockholders. The number of {{Transliteration|ja|sōkaiya}} has decreased over the years, and in 2024 there were only about 130 {{Transliteration|ja|sōkaiya}}, of whom 20 worked in groups and 110 worked alone.<ref name="npa-7">{{cite web|url=https://www.npa.go.jp/publications/statistics/kikakubunseki/r6jyousei.pdf|title=Organized Crime Trend in 2024|page=21|website=[[National Police Agency (Japan)|National Police Agency]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250403084126/https://www.npa.go.jp/publications/statistics/kikakubunseki/r6jyousei.pdf|accessdate=30 March 2024|archive-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>

Yakuza also had ties to the Japanese real estate market and banking sector through ''jiageya''. Jiageya specializes in inducing holders of small real estate to sell their property so that estate companies can carry out much larger development plans. The [[Japanese bubble economy]] of the 1980s is often blamed on real estate speculation by banking subsidiaries. After the collapse of the property bubble, a manager of a major bank in [[Nagoya]] was assassinated, prompting much speculation about the banking industry's indirect connection to the Japanese underworld.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.ft.com/content/57bcd6b2-9ecd-11e5-b45d-4812f209f861 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/57bcd6b2-9ecd-11e5-b45d-4812f209f861 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription | work=Financial Times | title=US clamps down on Japanese Yakuza mafia}}</ref>
[[File:Japan-Yakuza-Sanja Matsuri-01.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Yakuza often take part in local festivals such as [[Sanja Matsuri]], where they often ride the shrine through the streets proudly showing off their elaborate tattoos.]]

In 1989, Susumu Ishii, the [[Oyabun]] of the [[Inagawa-kai]] (a well-known yakuza group) bought [[United States dollar|US$]]255 million worth of [[Tokyo Kyuko Electric Railway]]'s stock.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kaplan |first1=David E. |last2=Dubro |first2=Alec |title=Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld |year=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-27490-7 }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> Japan's [[Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission]] has knowledge of more than 50 listed companies with ties to organized crime, and in March 2008, the [[Osaka Securities Exchange]] decided to review all listed companies and expel those with yakuza ties.<ref name=adelstein>Jake Adelstein. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/09/AR2008050902544.html This Mob Is Big in Japan], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 11 May 2008</ref>

Yakuza involvement in politics functions similarly to that of a [[lobbyist|lobbying group]], with them backing those who share in their opinions or beliefs.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/12/13/the-yakuza-lobby/ | work=Foreign Policy | title=The Yakuza Lobby}}</ref>

====Yakuza's aid in earthquakes====
In the wake of the [[Great Hanshin earthquake|1995 Kobe earthquake]], the [[Yamaguchi-gumi]] yakuza group, who are based in the area, mobilized to provide disaster relief services (including the use of a helicopter). Media reports contrasted this rapid response with the much slower pace at which the Japanese government's official relief efforts took place.<ref>{{citation | work = The New York Times | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DF1E31F931A15752C0A963958260 | title = Quake in Japan: Gangsters; Gang in Kobe Organizes Aid for People in Quake | first=James | last=Sterngold | date=22 January 1995}}.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sawada |first1=Yasuyuki |last2=Shimizutani |first2=Satoshi |title=How Do People Cope with Natural Disasters? Evidence from the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake in 1995 |journal=Journal of Money, Credit and Banking |date=March 2008 |volume=40 |issue=2–3 |pages=463–488 |doi=10.1111/j.1538-4616.2008.00122.x }}</ref>

Following the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]] on 11 March 2011, the yakuza sent hundreds of trucks filled with food, water, blankets, and sanitary accessories to aid the people in the affected areas of the natural disaster.<ref name= adelstein20110318>{{cite web |url= https://www.thedailybeast.com/japanese-yakuza-aid-earthquake-relief-efforts |title = Japanese Yakuza Aid Earthquake Relief Efforts |date=2011-03-18 |last=Adelstein |first=Jake |website= The Daily Beast |access-date= 2021-07-08}}</ref>
[[CNN en Español|CNN México]] said that although the yakuza operates through extortion and other violent methods, they "[moved] swiftly and quietly to provide aid to those most in need."<ref name=cnnmexico>{{cite news|title=La mafia japonesa de los 'yakuza' envía alimentos a las víctimas del sismo|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/mundo/2011/03/25/la-mafia-japonesa-de-los-yakuza-envia-alimentos-a-las-victimas-del-sismo|access-date=28 February 2012|newspaper=[[CNN en Español|CNN México]]|date=25 March 2011|language=es}}</ref>

=== United States ===
The presence of individuals affiliated with the yakuza in the United States has increased tremendously since the 1960s, and although much of their activity is concentrated in [[Hawaii]], they have made their presence known in other parts of the country, especially in [[Los Angeles]] and the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], as well as [[Seattle]], [[Las Vegas metropolitan area|Las Vegas]], [[Arizona]], [[Virginia]], [[Chicago]], and [[New York City]].<ref name=crimelibrary>[http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/5.html Yakuza] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911231912/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/5.html |date=11 September 2008 }}, Crimelibrary.com</ref><ref name=yakuza03-america>{{cite book |last1=Kaplan |first1=David E. |last2=Dubro |first2=Alec |title=Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld |year=2003 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-21562-7 }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> The yakuza are said to use Hawaii as a midway station between Japan and mainland America, smuggling [[methamphetamine]] into the country and smuggling firearms back to Japan.  They easily fit into the local population, since many tourists from Japan and other Asian countries visit the islands on a regular basis, and there is a large population of residents who are of full or partial Japanese descent. They also work with local gangs, funneling Japanese tourists to gambling parlors and brothels.<ref name=crimelibrary/>

In California, the yakuza have made alliances with local Korean gangs as well as [[Triad (organized crime)|Chinese triads]] and Vietnamese gangs. The yakuza identified these gangs as useful partners due to the constant stream of Vietnamese cafe shoot-outs and home invasion burglaries throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In New York City, they appear to collect finder's fees from Russian, Irish and Italian gang members and businessmen for guiding Japanese tourists to gambling establishments, both legal and illegal.<ref name=crimelibrary/>

[[Handgun]]s manufactured in the US account for a large share (33%) of handguns seized in Japan, followed by handguns manufactured in [[China]] (16%) and in the [[Philippines]] (10%).  In 1990, a [[Smith & Wesson]] [[.38 caliber]] [[revolver]] that cost $275 in the US could sell for up to $4,000 in Tokyo.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

In 2001, the FBI's representative in Tokyo arranged for [[Tadamasa Goto]], the head of the group [[Goto-gumi]], to receive a [[liver transplant]] at the [[UCLA Medical Center]] in the United States, in return for information of Yamaguchi-gumi operations in the US. This was done without prior consultation of the [[National Police Agency (Japan)|NPA]]. The journalist who uncovered the deal received threats from Goto and was given police protection in the US and in Japan.<ref name="adelstein"/>

The [[FBI]] suspects that the yakuza were using various operations to launder money in the US {{as of|2008|lc=y}}.<ref name=adelstein/>

=== Asia (outside Japan) ===
The yakuza have engaged in illegal activities in [[Southeast Asia]] since the 1960s; they are working there to develop sex tourism and drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bouissou |first1=Jean-Marie |title=Le marché des services criminels au Japon. Les yakuzas et l'État |trans-title=The criminal services market in Japan. The Yakuza and the State |language=fr |journal=Critique Internationale |year=1999 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=155–174 |doi=10.3406/criti.1999.1602 |url=https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01010801/file/ci03p155-174.pdf }}</ref> This is the area where they are still the most active today.

In addition to their presence in Southeast Asian countries such as [[Thailand]], the [[Philippines]], and [[Vietnam]], yakuza groups also operate in [[South Korea]], [[China]], [[Taiwan]], and in the [[Pacific Islands]] (mainly [[Hawaii]]).<ref name="page104" >Jean-François Gayraud, ''Le Monde des mafias'', édition 2008, p. 104</ref>

Yakuza groups also have a presence in North Korea; in 2009, yakuza Yoshiaki Sawada was released from a North Korean prison after spending five years there attempting to bribe a North Korean official and smuggle drugs.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090116a6.html Yakuza returns after five years in North Korea jail on drug charge] 2009-01-16 The Japan Times</ref>