TOKYO VICE, PART I

There are a number of books that are must-reads if you're interested in Japan, and I'd argue that Jake Adelstein's Tokyo Vice is one of them, particularly if you like stories that make you say to yourself, "WHAAAAAAT?!"  Adelstein is a bit of a wunderkind in that he was the first non-Japanese reporter to work at the Yomiuri newspaper.  He started out on the Tokyo police beat, and became (very) closely acquainted with what might be termed the "seedy underbelly" of the city (if that sounds hokey, so will the parts of the book that read like a noir novel).  The book is filled with fascinating tidbits, from the fact that the LDP (a major political party) was founded with yakuza money, to the revelation that a yakuza crime boss was granted an entry visa into the US by the FBI in exchange for information on different crime groups.  He also somehow mysteriously made it to the top of the organ transplant list at UCLA.  When Adelstein uncovered the story, a price was put on his head; fortunately, the hit was never carried out and he managed to publish Tokyo Vice.

HOW TO SPOT A YAKUZA 

Unlike other organized crime groups throughout the world, the yakuza possess a kind of notoriety that verges on celebrity.  Comic books and scads of fan magazines feature profiles on prominent members, reviews of the best yakuza-run sex clubs, photos of members' body art, etc.  Some gangsters are even willing to speak to the press, weighing in on recent crimes and pointing out rookie mistakes, like attempts to dump or bury a body after a murder.  In their professional opinion, the only way to properly dispose of a body is to burn it.  

Yakuza fan magazines.  From www.japansubculture.com

Helpful diagram based on feedback from yakuza member on how to incinerate a body.  From www.tokyoreporter.com

While the yakuza aren't exactly in hiding, they don't necessarily flaunt their affiliations.  Telltale signs used to be flashy suits, tattoos, and missing joints on fingers.  Today, a man in a sharkskin suit could simply be a fashionable salaryman, and tattoos an indication of counterculture.  Amputations of digits have decreased.  Still, the Japanese are well-aware of what qualifies as yakuza territory, and a surprising number have had encounters or dealings with gangsters.

Lone Grandpa used to work at the kencho (prefectural office), and told me two stories of how he came face-to-face with the yakuza.  First, he was assigned to negotiate with them over their failure to pay taxes.  This local group had a "business," but wouldn't report their income or pay the expected tariffs, and so every year, a bureaucrat from the kencho (always a man- women are never allowed to go) was sent over to ask for the money.  And every year, the response was the same: "I have no money," meaning that the "company" couldn't be taxed on nonexistent profits.     

I asked LG if he was scared, or if the police went with him.  He said that no, the police don't assist in these negotiations, but they advised LG, "Well, if they beat you up, please tell me and I'll arrest them." However, the yakuza carefully refrain from violence.  All the parties involved know that this meeting is no more than a formality.  No one at the kencho is ever going to get the yakuza to pay up, and so both sides simply go through the motions and save face.

LG's second run-in with the yakuza was slightly scarier.  One day, two men in suits approached LG's desk at the kencho and asked him point-blank to give them inside information on a construction project that was being launched.  The kencho was taking bids for the contract, and the yakuza wanted LG to give them a number.   He refused, and the gangsters were furious and began shouting and making threats.  LG, though nervous, had the presence of mind to attempt to diffuse the situation by serving tea.  Someone had once advised him that if the yakuza ever stopped by, LG should always serve tea, so that if the interview got tense or the gangsters got rough and spilled the tea or broke one of the cups, LG could summon the police and report that property damage had occurred.  

The yakuza left in a huff, and LG ended up waiting until past midnight in the office before making a mad dash to his car, just in case the thugs were waiting for him in the parking lot.  Later he learned that someone else in the department had been bribed or coerced into giving up the information, and was subsequently fired.  LG never heard another word about the matter.


In addition to public works projects, real estate, and good, old-fashioned blackmail, the yakuza have their hands in a number of profitable pies in Japan.  This includes, but is not limited to, drugs, sex and pachinko (gambling).  To learn more, stay tuned for the sequel to this post, "Tokyo Vice, Part II: Sex, Drugs and Pachinko." 

Recent ad for Playtex diapers.  The all-over body tattoos are characteristic of the yakuza.