In other words what do we know we were never initiated or ever come across one.

There were previously held assumptions that the yakuza were the ones to approach the bankers, but it really turned out that events happened the other way around. After WWII, enormous amounts of borrowing occurred so that industries could become competitive with the West. However, by the 1980s, the financial banking rates were poor, so banks were beginning to look elsewhere, namely to international capital markets. There was such a significant loss in loans, that banks were pursuing new borrowers, and in particular, they went to the yakuza to increase their portfolios. The son of a gangster boss and author on various books on the subject, Manabu Miyazaki, said that as activity spread through the grapevine, many illegitimate organizations joined in so that they would be able to gain access to legal businesses. It became too late for the banks to reverse this problem by the time they realized what was actually happening.

Often, the banks lent to front companies of the yakuza, which are also known as kigyo shatei. Sometimes, they even lent directly to crime bosses – for around 10 years, until his death in 1991, Susumu Ishii, head of Inagawa-kai, was able to borrow a lot of funding from financial institutions in Japan. The money was funneled into twelve different companies, making up a total of 38.4 billion yen, or US$300 million.[15] From there, it is possible that some of the funds went to crime-free sectors, such as health care and hospitals; however, the majority was likely invested in stocks and property. Miyazaki said that banks encouraged the buying of stocks and property by yakuza at inflated prices by paying out commissions and promising to find buyers who were willing to purchase some goods at an even higher rate. As he stated, “normal people wouldn’t get involved in such schemes, so the banks grew reliant on the yakuza.”[16] Overall, the lenders were happy, and the gangsters were increasing their profits as a result of the schemes.

being associated to many politicians, bureaucrats, and corporate elite. As a result, they seem to be somewhat accepted as a part of everyday life there. Importantly, they are active on the international scene, and not just where Japanese people are present. They are beginning to infiltrate various other regions of the world, becoming more and more sophisticated in the process. As the world is undergoing the process of globalization, the yakuza have managed to adjust to the changes that are continually occurring and even overcome them to a certain degree. While many of their activities are known, there are certainly many more that have been kept below the surface under the eyes of law enforcement officials. Also, their deep connections with elite businesspeople and politicians throughout the world makes it even more difficult to reduce their presence and authority over daily life in various sectors. They must be dealt with sufficiently to help reduce their influence over aspects of everyday life in various regions of the world – specifically, where they have strong linkages with the rest of East Asia and in Latin America.

There are rumours that a banking crisis is on its way in Japan, as discussed earlier, which may cause problems for the rest of the globe. In a recent US International Crime Threat Assessment, it was stated that the yakuza is one of “the world’s largest and most powerful criminal syndicates,” and it found that the Inagawa-kai was responsible for money laundering that was occurring in the United States.[30] There are worries that since there is so much yakuza investment in the US, if it is withdrawn, it will create much larger problems. The yakuza are always looking for other ways to gather funding, as they are also being hit by the Japanese recession. The financial global markets give them more and more options that could create greater global dilemmas in the future if something is not done as soon as possible.

is this real?

The world has changed, and you neglect to mention that the Yakuza’s choice to betray killing as a method of making money has resulted in them still being around without serious police problems. The less impact you have on the common man, and the less waves you make with your illegal actions, the better your chances of being around for a long time. The bloods and MS13 haven’t been around for as long as the Yakuza, but believe me, they’ll be shut down like Gotti if they make enough trouble. They will either figure this out, or they will be gone.

The triads are common criminals. People idolize common criminals? If you ask me, all of these groups are filled with idiots, but at least the Yakuza’s guys are somewhat smart to adapt to civilized culture.