Crime in Japan has been recorded since at least the 1800s, and has varied over time. [1]
Crime in Japan has been recorded since at least the 1800s, and has varied over time. [1]
Before the Meiji Era, crime was handled often severely at a daimyo level.
The yakuza existed in Japan well before the 1800s and followed codes similar to the samurai. Their early operations were usually close-knit, and the leader and his subordinates had father-son relationships. Although this traditional arrangement continues to exist, yakuza activities are increasingly replaced by modern types of gangs that depend on force and money as organizing concepts. Nonetheless, yakuza often picture themselves as saviors of traditional Japanese virtues in postwar society, sometimes forming ties with traditionalist groups espousing the same views and attracting citizens not satisfied with society.
Yakuza groups in 1990 were estimated to number more than 3,300 and together contained more than 88,000 members. Although concentrated in the largest urban prefectures, yakuza operate in most cities and often receive protection from high-ranking officials. After concerted police pressure in the 1960s, smaller gangs either disappeared or began to consolidate in syndicate-type organizations. In 1990, three large syndicates (Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai, Inagawa-kai) dominated organized crime in the nation and controlled more than 1,600 gangs and 42,000 gangsters. Their number has since swelled and shrunk, often coinciding with economic conditions.
The yakuza tradition also spread to the Okinawa Island in the 20th century. The Kyokuryu-kai and the Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai are the two largest known yakuza groups in Okinawa Prefecture and both have been registered as designated bōryokudan groups under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law since 1992. [2]
Yakuza the leader Takeshi Ebisawa, pleaded guilty to trafficking nuclear material that had been smuggled through Myanmar for an illicit arms deal. The deal had involved military weaponry, including air-to-surface missiles. On 9 January 2025, Yakuza confessed in court to his involvement in the trafficking of nuclear material, including weapon-grade plutonium, as disclosed by U.S. Attorney Edward Kim. [3]
Beginning in 2013, the National Police Agency re-classified the Chinese Dragons, Kanto Rengo, and bōsōzoku biker gangs as "pseudo-yakuza" organizations. [4]
In 1989 Japan experienced 1.3 robberies and 1.1 murders per 100,000 population. [5] In the same year, Japanese authorities solved 75.9% of robberies and 95.9% of homicides. [5]
In 1990 the police identified over 2.2 million Penal Code violations. Two types of violations — larceny (65.1 percent of total violation) and negligent homicide or injury as a result of accidents (26.2%) — accounted for over 90 percent of criminal offenses. [6]
In 2002, the number of crimes recorded was 2,853,739. This number decreased to less than one-third by 2017 with 915,042 crimes being recorded. [7] In 2013, the overall crime rate in Japan fell for the 11th straight year and the number of murders and attempted murders also fell to a postwar low. [8] [9]
As of 2012, on average there are two gun related homicides per year. [10]
According to the 2013 UNODC statistics, Japan's rate of intentional homicide per 100,000 population was one of the lowest in the world at 0.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. [11]
Of particular concern to the police are crimes associated with modernization. Increased wealth and technological sophistication has brought new white collar crimes, such as computer and credit card fraud, larceny involving coin dispensers, and insurance fraud. Incidence of drug abuse is minuscule, compared with other industrialized nations and limited mainly to stimulants. Japanese law enforcement authorities endeavor to control this problem by extensive coordination with international investigative organizations and stringent punishment of Japanese and foreign offenders. Traffic accidents and fatalities consume substantial law enforcement resources. There is also evidence of foreign criminals traveling from overseas to take advantage of Japan's lax security[ citation needed ]. In his autobiography Undesirables, English criminal Colin Blaney stated that English thieves have targeted the nation due to the low crime rate and because Japanese people are unprepared for crime. [17] Pakistani, Russian, Sri Lankan, and Burmese car theft gangs have also been known to target the nation. [18]
Rape has been an issue in Japan since before industrialization. [19] Thee have criticisms regarding the lack of justice for and support of victims in the nation. [20] [21] [22] [23]
Japanese and foreign [24] [25] women and girls have been victims of sex trafficking in Japan. They are raped in brothels and other locations and experience physical and psychological trauma. [26] [27] [28] [ dubious – discuss ]
Osaka has the highest crime rates in Japan. [29] [ citation not found ]
The Okinawan prefecture is home to 74% of all US bases in the country and around 26 thousand military personnel. [30] The prefecture saw from, 1972 to 2011, 5,747 criminal cases involving US military personnel, however during the same period the rest of Okinawa's populace had a crime rate more than twice as high — 69.7 crimes per 10,000 people, compared with 27.4 by U.S. military affiliated members. [31]
Local government and treaties, such as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), have been viewed by some to turn a blind eye to crimes perpetrated by US forces, especially of this type and against women. [32] Policies surrounding the punishment of these crimes and the protection of Okinawan women are few and far between, trials are most often handled by military courts-martial. [32] State-led initiatives did not offer much to help face and punish these aggressions, civilians took matters into their own hands, in 1995 a group of women-led protests of over 85,000 people in the capital of the prefecture and started their own organization to protect themselves from these crimes: the Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence. [32] International actions were taken that same year, following the subsequent political ruckus the organization created, the Special Action Committee of Okinawa with representatives from Washington, Okinawa, and Tokyo, decided on a referendum, whereby 21% of military occupied areas should be returned to Okinawa, in the hope of improving diplomatic relations. [33]
As Okinawa's importance continues to increase, as political tensions in the region rise, further compromisation by the US military to improve diplomatic relations with the prefecture and Tokyo, through policies to protect Okinawan women, and punish military criminals, can be expected. [30]
Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It has a population of 1,457,162 and a geographic area of 2,281 km2.
Yakuza, also known as gokudō, are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media call them bōryokudan, while the yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai. The English equivalent for the term yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization.
The United States Forces Japan (USFJ) is a subordinate unified command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. It was activated at Fuchū Air Station in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 July 1957 to replace the Far East Command. USFJ is headquartered at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo and is commanded by the Commander, US Forces Japan who is also commander of the Fifth Air Force. Since then, it is the first and only sustained presence of a foreign military on Japanese soil in its history.
The Toa-kai is a yakuza syndicate based in Tokyo with a predominantly Zainichi Korean membership. Originally named the Tosei-kai, with its historic leader Hisayuki Machii, the Toa-kai was deeply involved in the history of Tokyo's South Korean community and Japan's anti-communist circles in the 20th century.
Bōsōzoku is a Japanese youth subculture associated with customized motorcycles. The first appearance of these types of biker gangs was in the 1950s. Popularity climbed throughout the 1980s, peaking at an estimated 42,510 members in 1982. Their numbers dropped dramatically in the 2000s, with fewer than 7,297 members in 2012. Later, in 2020, a Bōsōzoku rally that used to attract thousands of members only had 53 members, with police stating that it was a long time since they had to round up that many people.
The Kudo-kai is a yakuza group headquartered in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 200 active members. The Kudo-kai has been a purely independent syndicate ever since its foundation, and has caused numerous conflicts with the Yamaguchi-gumi.
The Taishu-kai is a yakuza organization based in Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 70 active members.
The Soai-kai is a yakuza organization based in Chiba, Japan. The Soai-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 120 active members.
The Dojin-kai is a yakuza organization headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka, on the Kyushu island of Japan, a designated yakuza syndicate, with approximately 320 members. As well as being known as a militant yakuza organization, the Dojin-kai has also been known as a de facto drug cartel, as its activities have allegedly included large-scale drug trafficking, specifically methamphetamine trafficking, which is traditionally shunned in the yakuza world.
The Goto-gumi was a Japanese yakuza organization founded by Tadamasa Goto.
The Kyokuto-kai is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan. The Kyokuto-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 430 active members.
The Goda-ikka is a yakuza group based in Yamaguchi, Japan. It is a designated yakuza group and Yamaguchi Prefecture's largest, with an estimated 60 members.
The Kyokuryu-kai is a yakuza criminal organization based on the Okinawa island of Japan, with an estimated membership of 210–270.
The Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai is a yakuza criminal organization based on the Okinawa island of Japan. A designated yakuza group with an estimated 300 active members, the Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai is the largest yakuza organization in Okinawa Prefecture.
Allied and Japanese troops committed a number of rapes during the Battle of Okinawa during the last months of the Pacific War and the subsequent Allied occupation of Japan. The Allies occupied Japan until 1952 following the end of World War II and Okinawa Prefecture remained under US governance for two decades after.
The Kyushu Seido-kai was a yakuza organization based in Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 150 active members. Headquartered in the southern Fukuoka region of Omuta, the Kyushu Seido-kai maintains its offices in five other prefectures including Tokyo.
Yakuza exclusion ordinances or Organized crime exclusion ordinances is the Japanese collective term for ordinances or local laws that aim to cut the citizen–yakuza relationship. The intent is to shift from "the yakuza versus the police" to "the yakuza versus society". The ordinances prohibit citizens from making or keeping up a relationship with the yakuza. The targeted acts and treatment for the violators differ between prefectures. Some prefectures only set an obligation of "endeavor" to citizens, or a penalty in which companies in violation of the law are publicly exposed. But others impose imprisonment or a fine on their citizens. Among the prefectures, Fukuoka leads the way in toughening the regulations.
Sex trafficking in Japan is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the country. Japan is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.
Rape in Japan is sexual assault involving sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent in the nation. Victims and perpetrators include Japanese citizens, residents, and foreign nationals from a wide range of backgrounds and every social class.
Law enforcement had long viewed Chinese Dragon, along with Kento Rengo, as bosozoku biker gangs. However, starting in 2013 the National Police Agency began classifying bosozoku gangs as "pseudo-yakuza" groups to better reflect the true state of their activities.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division. - Japan | History |
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