6 months ago
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NEW DELHI: A senior member of the infamous Japanese yakuza gang was arrested in April for allegedly
stealing Pokémon cards
near Tokyo. This case highlights the challenges Japanese organized crime groups face, including declining membership and resorting to petty
criminal activities
.
Police agents, who previously dealt with thousands of yakuza members, now confront unorganized and loosely connected groups responsible for crimes traditionally dominated by the yakuza.
These new groups, referred to as “tokuryu,” consist of
anonymous gangsters
and tech-savvy young people hired for specific tasks. They often cooperate with the yakuza, blurring the lines and complicating police investigations, a report in Independent said.
Taihei Ogawa, a former police investigator and crime analyst, described these crimes as being carried out like part-time jobs. “Tasks are divided, making it difficult for police to track down where instructions come from,” Ogawa said.
The yakuza's membership has dwindled to 20,400, a third of what it was two decades ago, according to the National Police Agency. This decline is largely attributed to legislation combating organized crime, including measures that bar yakuza members from opening bank accounts, renting apartments, buying cell phones, or obtaining insurance.
Historically, yakuza operated from well-marked offices and were often depicted in media as noble outlaws with a code of honor. Their activities included extortion, gambling, prostitution, gunrunning, drug trafficking, and construction kickbacks. However, increasing gang violence, including the 2007 fatal shooting of Nagasaki Mayor Iccho Ito, led to tighter gun control and anti-gang laws, the Independent report said.
Local residents and businesses have also taken action against the yakuza. In December 2022, Fukuoka city filed for a court injunction to close an office led by the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi branch near schools, forcing it to shut down six months later.
The aging yakuza members and financial struggles have further weakened the syndicate. In 2023, the number of arrested yakuza members fell to 9,610 from 22,495 in 2014.
The crackdown on yakuza has driven many members underground or prompted them to quit. This has led younger generations to join “tokuryu” groups instead of traditional crime structures. These groups, described as “anonymous and fluid,” form and disband via social media to carry out various crimes, often remotely and sometimes from overseas.
The National Police Agency reported that more than 10,000 people were arrested from 2021 to 2023 for crimes linked to “tokuryu,” including swindling, illegal drug trade, and forgery of identification cards. In one instance, police in April 2022 busted a ring of 19 people in Cambodia who swindled elderly Japanese citizens by posing as a telecom company.
National Police chief Yasuhiro Tsuyuki expressed concern over the surge in crimes via social media attributed to “tokuryu.” He called for unified efforts and cooperation with international authorities to address the issue. In response, the police launched a joint investigation unit specializing in social media and telephone scams and increased policing in entertainment districts.
The arrest of the yakuza member for stealing
Pokémon cards
symbolizes the broader challenges facing Japanese organized crime and the evolving landscape of criminal activity in the country.
