crime

Yakuza mobsters becoming 'Goldman Sachs with guns'

19 Comments
By Hiroshi Hiyama

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© 2013 AFP

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Adelstein, a former reporter at Japan’s top-selling Yomiuri daily, likens the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s biggest organized crime group, to “Goldman Sachs with guns”.

Boy, that doesn't say much for Goldman Sachs, does it?

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Unfortunately organized crime will never go away, no matter what country.

They hold the true power in this world whether people like it or not.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The difference between the Yakuza and Goldman-Sachs, is that Yakuza can be respected at times.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Hmm, 300 million yen in loans to 230 individuals, the vast majority of whom had paid or were paying on the loans in a timely manner. Hardly an earth-shaking scandal, but a good headline to distract people from the more serious problems Japan has to deal with.

In Japan there is no law requiring banks not to make loans to gangsters or anyone else, so long as the people applying for the loan meet the basic requirements for securing the loan, such as a steady job and income, or collateral.

The banks keep an unofficial record of those people who are "anti-social" forces, and refer to this list when doing a basic check of any applicant. Not everyone who is on the list now was on the list when many of the previously mentioned loans were written, and names which appear on lists at one bank may not appear on the list of another.

As advanced and safe as Japan is, it is not a great believer in the "law" part of "law and order". In this situation, like many others, culture is the only absolute law. Laws which do not adhere to culture are not enforced, and in cases where there is no law (such as making loans to gangsters) culture becomes an unwritten law.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

The Yakuza etc...all of the mafias, call them what you want, have been around for ever and my guess, they will be around for a long, long time.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Or Goldman Sachs has become "Yakuza with bloombergs and laptops"

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Sangetsu03 wrote

As advanced and safe as Japan is, it is not a great believer in the "law" part of "law and order". In this situation, like many others, culture is the only absolute law. Laws which do not adhere to culture are not enforced, and in cases where there is no law (such as making loans to gangsters) culture becomes an unwritten law.

I agree. I hope Japan stays extra-legal in this sense. Not that I hope that gangsters still get loans, but I believe that a lot is lost when you try and write it all down, when you try to nail life with words.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"Yakuza mobsters becoming 'Goldman Sachs with guns'" They already became, 'Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, JP morgan, Lehman, etc...Yaks and thangs, rads and the soon coming mega quake, have fun while it last....cause the Disneyland white man world for them made after ww2 is going to vanish.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So Tokyo will get tough on the Yakuza?? So they will go to Kanagawa?? Chiba?? Saitama??

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Well-known Yakuza "retirees" have held very high posts in the Japanese government, so this story should be no big deal.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"Sometimes loans were legitimately used by gangsters to buy foreign sports cars or other expensive items, while in other cases the vehicle was quickly sold on the black market with the loan never paid back."

I can't understand how the bank can continue to do what it does and simply punish the president by 'withholding pay for six months' and society not insist people go to prison. They KNOWINGLY committed crimes, but are let off with a bow and pay cut? This "usually law-abiding society" ought to abide by the laws and put these criminals in jail, Mizuho and Yakuza alike (and they are alike).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Jake Adelstein is an idiot, read his book and was not impressed, blew up everything 100 times more than it is, his book is suppose to be a true story but it's obviously not living here so long. No wonder Hollywood picked it up it writes like a hollywood movie.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

In fact, the Yamaguchi-gumi helped dole out food after a major quake in the western city of Kobe in 1995.

And the neighbours showed their appreciation by putting up banners telling them to clear out. As far as I know, both are still there - the banner and the scum.

https://maps.google.co.jp/maps?q=kobe+city&ll=34.718949,135.225603&spn=0.0008,0.003862&hnear=Kobe,+Hyogo+Prefecture&gl=jp&t=h&z=19&brcurrent=3,0x60008c1fad96fc35:0x7f7d3939e4c916a2,0&layer=c&cbll=34.718949,135.225603&panoid=I23Xt2SaVFIwy0ALxf3unw&cbp=11,12.62,,0,-2.58

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Much the same degree how it takes FEMA forever to send supplies. So did the japanese govenment during Kobe earthquake. Within 24 hours This organization was mobilizing food water and large construction equipment. Japanese people know who to count on regardiing catastrophic natural disasters.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

... and will forever be stuck in the 80s

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Iris Delgado: Don't mistake 1 "good" deed for 100 bad ones.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@gogogo, I think there's really no pure motive. They did one good deed and were able to deliver who are we to discredit them. If you were one of the disaster victim, you'd feel what gratitude means.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

trinklets2: Screw them, they are responsible for Fukushima workers only get 500yen an hour, they are responsible for nearly all drugs in Japan, all human trafficking, insider trading... guns... loan sharking....protection money.... get your facts together man!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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