crime

Woman sues yakuza boss, seeking protection money refund

55 Comments
By Harumi Ozawa

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© 2013 AFP

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55 Comments
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I hope she kept her billing statements and receipts!

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Good luck to this plaintiff. A shame to see not a single criminal charge has been filed, although maybe that happened and the story was just silent on it. Doubt it though.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Even if she wins this case I'll bet she loses. Takes a lot of guts to take these guys on.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

My hats off to her. I don't know if I would have the courage to do the same if I was in the same situation.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

That's a pretty ballsy move. She should really be filing a criminal complaint for extortion.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Since their ties with the politicians are strong, they function as virtual mercenaries. Even though police and prosecutors are placed under their (politicians) control, the gang is well-suited to force a hand in work that cannot be done by them.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is a great first step!

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Good for her. This case makes me wonder about the bar that burned down in Mito recently...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I hope she doesn't get an OUT OF COURT settelment.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Why do the people and government tolerate these "groups"? Doesnt Japan have an FBI equivalent that works to just stomp these people out of existence?

13 ( +15 / -2 )

combinibentoJUL. 18, 2013 - 06:49AM JST Good luck to this plaintiff. A shame to see not a single criminal charge has been filed, although maybe that happened and the story was just silent on it. Doubt it though.

Mirai HayashiJUL. 18, 2013 - 07:19AM JST That's a pretty ballsy move. She should really be filing a criminal complaint for extortion.

A Japan Times article on this said that the Innbaji Ikka executive who made the 2008 extortion threat was indicted. Doesn't say whether he was subsequently convicted or not.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

They always claim they're legit, so let them answer in court for their "business" misdeeds. And I have to think that this lawsuit being so high profile would keep this woman from harm.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I always imagine they are tolerated because too many politicians and people in power are making money off the back of their actions. From their point of view it would be cutting off a nice stream of income, and those massage chairs don't come cheap.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

This woman certainly has more testosterone than most men!

10 ( +12 / -2 )

wildwestJul. 18, 2013 - 08:02AM JST

I hope she doesn't get an OUT OF COURT settelment

---> I hope she doesn't get "WE MADE AN OFFER SHE COULDN'T REFUSE" settlement

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Like someone mentioned above, she may win the court case, but I'll bet she will eventually mysteriously disappear off the face of the earth afterwards.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

How does one go about suing an illegal and supposedly non-existent group of losers?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

RIP mamasan ;)

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

She should also apply the screws to the apathetic or complicit crooked law enforcement officers and bureaucrats who make their living by seeing and hearing no evil and skimming off some of the ill-gotten moolah.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

The police and law makers should be embarrassed, at the very least, that a citizen has to sue a gangster to try to get some justice. Shame on the establishment!

14 ( +15 / -1 )

Like someone mentioned above, she may win the court case, but I'll bet she will eventually mysteriously disappear off the face of the earth afterwards.

Well, even if she does I hope it will bring the ire of non-yak affiliated citizens and her friends/family to become outraged. No criminal organization can keep functioning if the regular ordinary citizens get angry and decide enough is enough of the thuggery.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is a ballsy move, but I think smart on her part. She got it out there in the public. If something happens to her, the J-Cops would look very bad into not looking into her disapperance or ruling it a "suicide" with a bullet in her head. Bringing it out in the public may be her best defense.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

fair play! If the courts are smart (ha! did I really say that about Japanese courts?) they will back her all the way. Bring on the civil suits!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It is common knowlage in many areas who the gangsters are. Do up local lists and publish them. Its about time the populace said enough. Give these low life some of their own medicine. If you have one in your neighbourhood, make sure the whole area knows, and hound them out. Its obvious that the cops and politicians wont do anything. Viva the vigilante.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The plaintiff, whose name has not been made public

The gangsters will know her name by now, having paid off the appropriate court workers. She is very brave, but the gangsters will be able to find someone to kill her for less than the Y17 million she is asking for.

It's the authorities who should be arresting and jailing the gangsters, but they lack the will to do so.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Thugs are rampent in every culture no matter where you are in the world.... such a shame, human beings are still so primative in their quest for survival.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Wow! It's amazing that it is accepted & do everything out in the open.

In the United States, our mafia, a.k.a. government, does all of its crooked dealings in secrecy.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Now there's a woman with some true courage!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Is it just me or does he look like an idiot in that hat, overly large glasses, and pencil-thin mustache?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

They run this country I swear...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

She has nothing to lose. They have burned out her place once so what's left. If anything, this will probably give some of the people being extorted to make similar suits. They can't go and kill everyone off, and if the bodies start to pile up because of these suits, more heat will be applied to them.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

tokyo_eiyuu:

" Why do the people and government tolerate these "groups"? Doesnt Japan have an FBI equivalent that works to just stomp these people out of existence? "

Because traditionally, they have served a useful purpose. They dealt with petty crime and did dirty work that the police would not touch, such as enforcing some order in businesses while theoratically illegal are tolerated by society.

But times are changing, I think they will very gradually fade into a minor role.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This woman has more balls than the police here. I support her, she needs to be put on police protection watch. I hope she wins this case and teaches the yaks something.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Bold move, my respect! And better than putting your tail between the legs like all the others. Because they will never achieve anything with that.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

WOW! Lady, you ROCK! Good luck with your suit!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Graham DeShazo:

Is it just me or does he look like an idiot in that hat, overly large glasses, and pencil-thin mustache?

Not just you. He looks like he's going to a costume party.

Best of luck to the plaintiff. I hope she has some other (legal) protection around her to ensure her safety during and after the proceedings.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

how embarrassing for japan. Police are absolutely useless

6 ( +7 / -1 )

So, the police know who all these criminals are, they are aware of their activities of extortion, protection rackets, illegal gambling, etc. but they do nothing about it? I read the article last week about how much it costs to buy a senior police officer. No doubt the Yaks have a large proportion of the J-Flops on payroll. Steal a bicycle and go to jail, but extort millions of yen from people with protection rackets and death threats and get ignored. Welcome to Japan folks!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Seriously why do the police tolerate these guys? Protection rackets? Just stealing off hard working business owners. They need something like the RICO laws that stop criminals even meeting to conspire. Threats should be punished more severely. If the police here weren't a bunch of pencil pushing nerds they might have the stones to stand up to criminals. Instead it's considered just another cushy government office job.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Disillusioned: Welcome to the world!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you know the story of Pinokiyo, he visited Donkey Island. Well welcome to Donkey Island! After a while you understand boys!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

If everyone stood up to these scum they would have nothing to do! I'm so proud of this person! I hope she gets everything back and I hope that nothing happens to her!!!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I am living in Japan, and I can confirm. The Police is absolutely USELESS there, specially reagarding gangs and Yakuza. Yakuza is owning I think more than 50% of the Police, and also all the big lawyers, prosecutors and specially judges. I am curious, actually very curious about the verdict, but I almost sure she will loose, mostly because of "lack of evidence". Is not like she's having the receipts from the gangsters.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

when the government inherently looks the other way, they are condoning and protecting these hooligans, so any reprisal against them would not be very effective

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I hope she wins. They are business men and like any business. They can sue and be sued. There are laws here in the US that say you can sue the local dopeman. Good luck to her.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Naturally, the court has served the yakuza boss with a subpoena and read it to him, including the plaintiff's real name and current address.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The life of a gangster is nowhere near glamorous. Sleeping with hookers that you most likely pimping, dealing and smuggling w/e you think you can get a buck off of, and always under threat of getting a bullet in your back or being deprived of your life at any given time. No guarantee of advancement, no health benefits, and the law can crack down on you at any time, anywhere. Only idiots aim to become involved in this kind of lifestyle.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why is it the Japanese population dosent get rid of this SCUM... OH, maybe some important people are part of this trash. My Japanese wife of 58 years just shakes her head when I mention this Criminal bunch.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Can't believe business owners were still paying protection money to gangsters in this day n age. Legislators must deal with this problem once and for all and annihilate extortion from Japan. I applaud this lady for going after the biggest crime boss and it will be great to see her yank those bloodsucking fangs off from this monster.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I wish JT would add a "confusing' button to the "good" and "bad" options for posts. Some of these just make NO sense.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

she got guts! hope many would follow and stop being scared of their wits to earn a living

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Women got some balls taking these guys on, hope she wins

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She has a bar. What kind of her activity caused to pay protection? Protection racket usually find some illegal activity and offer protection, Human trafficking? operating prostitution ring? Many bars have side businesses. She coukd be a rival yakuza. Onna-oyabun or working on rival oyabun. Yamaguchigumi is huge so this one is one of kumis. She sued means she has permission from upper level yakuza oyabun and followed their shikitari.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't want anything bad to happen to her, but if they didn't kill her the Yakuza would never be taken serious again. Just saying she needs to watch her back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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