Research Paper On The Yakuza

Yakuza is a term used to refer to organized crime syndicates in Japan. These groups have been a part of Japanese society for centuries and have a complex and fascinating culture. The Yakuza have a rich history and are often romanticized in popular culture as outlaws with a code of honor. However, their activities have also had a negative impact on society, including the trafficking of women and children for the sex industry and the smuggling of illegal goods. The Yakuza, however, are remarkably interesting when it comes to their history, structure, looks, internal ways, and their outreach across the world.

The Yakuza is one of the longest running gangs in the world and because of that they have quite an extensive history. The Yakuza originated

Hill (n.d) wrote, “As of December 2010, the police had identified 78,600 members of designated violent groups (boryokudan- the official term for yakuza), and this number has remained reasonably stable over the last two decades.” According to Edwards (2016) the structure of the Yakuza is a hierarchy that is treated like a family. Additionally, “Each recruit is referred to as a kobun (child), and has a father, known as oyabun. This parent-child relationship operates throughout every level of the yakuza...” (Edwards, 2016). The Yakuza care about loyalty, which explains why their structure is built like a family. The Yakuza structure is unique. They act like a family so it would make sense that they care about how loyal people are. The way that the hierarchy structure works is that you have the leaders, or the fathers. Then it is just layers of children that go down like a family tree with each level having less and less power. Structure is one of the most unique aspects of the Yakuza. Another thing that stands out in the yakuza is their unique

“The most well-known of these is called yubitsume, or “finger-shortening.” This gruesome atonement ceremony is required of a yakuza member when saying “sorry” simply does not cut it.” The Yakuza believe in hard punishment. If people screw up, they will not take sorry for an answer. They want the members' fingers. They make members cut off their own fingers to show that they are still loyal to the Yakuza. Michael Tonry (2014) wrote about the way Yakuza recruit people is that they look everywhere for new members. All rankings of the Yakuza are constantly recruiting if they see someone with potential they try and get them. Every member is always looking for new recruits because that also helps them move up in the Yakuza hierarchy. The ways that the Yakuza go about are vastly different from other gangs. They work in their own special way and that is why they have been around so long. Another important tradition in Yakuza culture is the exchange of sakazuki cups. Sakazuki cups are small, shallow cups that are used for drinking sake. Yakuza members exchange these cups as a sign of respect and loyalty. The exchange of sakazuki cups is seen as a symbol of the close bond between Yakuza members and their families. Yakuza members also have their own way of speaking, which is a mixture of Japanese and Yakuza slang. This language is known as Yakuza-go, and it is used to communicate within the