[ YAKUZA - JAPAN’S ORGANIZED CRIME SYNDICATES RELY ON CONSERVATIVE VALUES, UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE TO THE BOSS AND STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR CODE, VIOLATION OF WHICHRESULTS IN SEVERE PUNISHMENT. THE YAKUZA ARE BEING CONFRONTED AT ALL LEVELS OF JAPANESE SOCIETY ]
[ VO ] “Yakuza” – a combination of eight, nine and three.
[ VO ] It’s also the worst possible hand in the Japanese equivalent of black jack.
[ VO ] In other words, good for nothing another
term often used for the Yakuza.
YAKUZA. GOOD FOR NOTHING.
[ Makoto ] I never liked to work in the traditional sense of the word.
[ Makoto ] That's why I ended up in this business.
[ Makoto ] I'm unfit for other jobs.
[ Makoto ] I've tried this and that, would even get up early,
but I got sick and tired of it.
[ Makoto ] I'm the kind of person who quickly gets bored.
[ Makoto ] What do I like about this job?
[ Makoto ] It's the adrenaline, the excitement.
[ Makoto ] Well adrenaline might not be the right word.
[ Makoto ] How can I say... [ Makoto ] I made my decision and entered this world.
[ Makoto ] It's not about whether I like it or not anymore.
[ Makoto ] But I wanted this life and will continue with it.
[ VO ] Mr. Kiyabu is 69.
[ VO ] He’s spent 27 of those years with the Tokyo police homicide division, dealing mainly with the Yakuza.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] There was one guy with yubitsume.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] He was pretty cool.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] His fingers had been cut.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] When I tried to arrest him, he jumped from the 4th floor.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] He was a crack addict and paranoid.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] He didn't want to get arrested and jumped.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] Luckily, he landed on a bike rack, and broke some bones.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] But he escaped anyway.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] We didn't track him down for 3 months.
[ VO ] The yakuza image is so popular in modern culture that even former
members take advantage. [ VO ] They’re still mobsters – if only on screen.
[ VO ] Two of these five actors were real
Yakuza. [ VO ] Can you guess which?
[ MR.ARUFU ] What are you looking at?
[ MR.ARUFU ] Why are you staring at me?
[ MR.ARUFU ] So...
is something wrong with my face?
[ VO ] On the outskirts of Tokyo, Mr. Akasaka rents a room
in one of these ordinary apartment blocks.
[ VO ] One of his clients has agreed to meet us here.
[ MAKOTO ] Hello,
[ MAKOTO ] I'm Makoto.
[ Mr. Akasaka ] Nice to meet you.
[ MAKOTO ] What shall we work on, the top or bottom?
[ MAKOTO ] Maybe the front?
[ MAKOTO ] There's a lot of space left.
[ MAKOTO ] The left side. [ MAKOTO ]And this line is ready.
[ VO ] For Yakuza, getting tattooed is a point of no return
it displays the status of a second-class citizen.
[ VO ] It’s said that genuine Yakuza tattoos, called irezumi, are only
ever created with a special wooden stick tipped with a needle.
[ VO ] Mr. Akasaka does own a few but hasn't used them for a while.
[ VO ] Modern tattoo machines are much faster 00:05:11:00 00:05:19:00 [ THE YAKUZA TATTOO IS CALLED IREZUMI IN THE PAST YAKUZA USED IREZUMI TO HIDE BRANDS GIVEN TO THEM FOR CRIMES THEY COMMITTED ]
[ VO ] Makoto refers to himself an old-fashioned guy.
[ VO ] He used to be married but is now divorced and is a single parent, raising a son
and he’s not planning to remarry any time soon,
because he has a family – the Yakuza.
[ VO ]What do you tell your son about your job?
[ MAKOTO ] I say I'm president of a company.
[ VO ] There are no specific Yakuza tattoos but there are several
traditionally topics that usually feature. [ VO ] It's not the tattoo 00:06:10:00 00:06:13:00 subject matter that says the wearer is a mafia member.
[ VO ] There’s a blank space on Mr. Mokoto's chest?
[ VO ] It’s reserved for a name, once the Oyabun or crime family boss’s
name is inked in, the tattoo becomes Yakuza specific. 00:06:22:0000:06:26:00 [ OYABUN A YAKUZA HEAD.HE'S THE FATHER OF A CRIMINAL FAMILY AND THE BIG BOSS ]
[ VO ] Kazyua is a former Yakuza. 00:06:33:00 00:06:36:00 [ VO ] He's not afraid to show his face, but insisted that we conceal his Oyabun's name.
[ VO ] There's a myth that no one can quit the family and go back
to being an ordinary person but actually, anyone can and there are many who have.
[ VO ] Regular Yakuza mobsters can switch gangs or retire.
[ VO ] For members in the higher ranks of a family,
quitting is a bit more complicated.
[ VO ] But it can still be done once you’ve paid a penalty.
[ VO ] Before becoming a priest, Mr. Shindo was a Yakuza member.
[ VO ] After serving a prison sentence he went home and converted his 00:07:12:00 00:07:16:00 mother's bar into a church. [ VO ] There are many former
Yakuza in his parish.
[ Kazyua ]When I heard he'd become a pastor,
[ Kazyua ]I thought he'd gone mad due to drug abuse.
[ VO ] While Mr. Akasaka enjoys a cigarette break,
Makoto recalls his father's irezumi.
[ MAKOTO ] I was just a kid.
[ MAKOTO ] I remember...
my father had...
a tattoo of...
a woman on his back. [ MAKOTO ]I was just primary school age.
[ TRANSLATOR ] Do you remember what you thought about it?
[ MAKOTO ]We'd go to the beach,
and everyone around us would have tattoos.
[ MAKOTO ]I was little so I didn't think much about it.
[ MAKOTO ]I didn't really notice them.
[ MAKOTO ]It was only when I was older that I realized
what they really meant.
[ VO ] The tattoo master and Yakuza member want to chill out for a while.
[ song ] Tonight...
I painted my lips dark-red,
To ease my sorrow a little.
In a damp, dark alleyway, wet with tears.
In the bar my sake flower will bloom.
I don't want to dream, it makes life even more painful.
[ MAKOTO ] When my father and I went to the beach,
others would run away.
[ MAKOTO ] I always wondered why.
[ VO ] Makoto didn't dare go to a bathhouse with us.
[ VO ] But Kazuya wasn’t had no qualms.
[ VO ] We wanted to see if people would give him a wide berth.
Actually, they’re still hanging around. [ VO ] There’s Kazuya bathing in
all his glory no one seems to be paying any attention at all,
they barely even look at him. [ VO ] Finally, someone does take notice,
another former Yakuza member apparently.
[ VO ] Our experiment appears to have failed.
No one minds sharing this particular bathhouse with the Yakuza.
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] What are you looking at?
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] Go on then.
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] Are you scared?
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] Lost your nerve?
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] You can't even fight.
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] You haven't got what it takes to mess with me!
[ MR.USHUDOMARY ] Stop acting like a sissy.
[ VO ] Mаkoto shows us the neighborhood his boss has instructed him keep an eye on.
[ MAKOTO ] This neighbourhood is no longer safe.
[ MAKOTO ] For example, yesterday we went to Nishikawaguchi town...
[ MAKOTO ] There are lots of Chinese there now.
[ MAKOTO ] They fight among themselves,
and it's the ordinary people
who fall victim to their feuds.
[ MAKOTO ] We try to force them out, ask them to leave.
[ MAKOTO ] If they don't listen, we arrange meetings with their bosses and talk to them.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] The Chinese gang,
one of the top three,
was fighting with the Taiwanese
for gambling concessions in Kabukicho district.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] There are many Chinese girls
in Kabukicho district.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] Big money is being made
up to tens of millions a night.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] One day, the Taiwanese gang's number three...
spoke with the Chinese,
but they did not come to an agreement.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] So he took a gun
and shot three of them in the head.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] Bam!
[ YAKUZA ACTOR ] Did you miss me? [ YAKUZA ACTOR ] Who do you think I am?
[ YAKUZA ACTOR ] What are you looking at?
[ MAKOTO ] My 'family' and I go to meetings
with other gangs.
[ MAKOTO ] Most of the time, we do the talking.
[ MAKOTO ] Usually we talk things over,
but when that fails,
we use force.
[ MAKOTO ] They bring their guys and we call up our own.
[ MAKOTO ] It turns into a street fight.
[ VO ] This business is one of the establishments that
Mr. Mаkoto looks after. [ VO ] It also happens to have met his former 00:14:15:00 00:14:18:00 wife here; she wasn’t one of the staff though.
[ MAKOTO ] Please film my colleague.
[ MAKOTO ] We have the same aniki.
[ MAKOTO ] Oh, this is Akasaka's work.
[ MAKOTO ] It's all his work.
GRAFICS ANIKE MEANS BROTHER. AS WELL AS “FATHER & SON” RELATIONSHIPS, YAKUZAS HONOUR FRATERNAL TIES.
[ MAKOTO COLLEAGUE ] I can't describe what [ MAKOTO COLLEAGUE ] I feel when I'm in a fight.
[ MAKOTO COLLEAGUE ] Sometimes I fight one on one, sometimes several men. 00:14:54:00 00:14:59:00 [ VO ] Yakuza are always depicted in movies as grim-faced tough guys who
tear their enemies apart without a second thought. [ VO ] That may be
true but interestingly enough, until recently, syndicates
operated openly. [ VO ] They even had offices with a list of employees 00:15:15:00 00:15:19:00 and a sign on the door. [ VO ] That openness set Japan’s 00:15:19:00 00:15:21:00 mafia apart from the rest.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] After the adoption of the Botaiho law,
even discussing a crime,
is liable for prosecution.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] That's made it tough for the yakuza to survive in modern society.
[ VO ] For the first time in Yakuza history, its status has come close
to its literal meaning – good for nothing.
[ MAKOTO ] There are so many problems.
[ MAKOTO ] For example, yesterday I went to the bank
because I've been having problems with my account.
[ MAKOTO ] I can't get a regular bank card,
[ MAKOTO ] I can't apply for a credit card,
and I can't...
rent an apartment.
[ MAKOTO ] The police give us a hard time,
they're ready to arrest us at the drop of a hat.
[ MAKOTO ] They can arrest us for the slightest reason.
[ MAKOTO ] We live in an age of problems and difficulties.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] Statistics show
the number of syndicates is going down
and their activities slumping.
[ Mr. Kiyabu ] On other hand, the mafia still exists
but now they are in the shadows,
just like everywhere else.
[ VO ] Out of these actors, only Mr. Arufu and Mr. Yushidomaro
were real Yakuza. [ VO ] Mr. Arufu enjoyed a long career in the mafia.
[ VO ] On top of that he was also a member of a Chinese crime gang.
[ VO ] And his tattoos are Chinese, not Japanese.
[ VO ] And because he’s an actor, we asked Mr. Arufu
to play a small role for us.
[ MR.ARUFU ] Do you have a rubber band or something?
[ MR.ARUFU ] Ask around.
[ MR.ARUFU ] Just tell them we're not planning to hang ourselves.
[ MR.ARUFU ] Memory lane!
[ VO ] The rubber band stops blood flow to the finger.
[ VO ] In about 10 minutes Mr. Arufu's, digit will
go numb and losing all feeling.
[ VO ] The Yubitsume ritual dates back to Japan’s Middle Ages.
[ VO ] Cut fingers affected a warrior’s skill
making it hard to hold a sword.
[ MR.ARUFU ] Come on, hold my hand down firmly.
GRAFICS YAKUZA CUT THEIR OWN FINGERTIP TO SHOW REMORSE TO THEIR BOSS. THEY CALL THIS, YUBITSUME.
[ TRANSLATOR ] Four, three, two, one...
[ TRANSLATOR ] Go!
[ MAN ] - Let me do it. [ MR.ARUFU ] - Please do.
[ VO ] Of course, the oyabun doesn’t eat the fingers, in the old days
he'd have taken the digits and put them in formaldehyde jars,
which became a source of pride for the syndicates.
[ VO ] These days an oyabun would run into serious trouble with the 00:19:25:00 00:19:28:00 police if any of his followers practiced yubitsume.
[ VO ] When we told Mаkoto about our yubitsume prank,
he was quick to highlight s ome of our mistakes.
[ MAKOTO ] You sever it here. [ MAKOTO ] I chopped his finger off for him.
[ MAKOTO ] You wrap the band round here,
then you take a knife and a hammer...
[ MAKOTO ] It's hard to sever it completely in one go.
[ MAKOTO ] You have to do it twice!
[ MAKOTO ] It took three attempts.
[ VO ] Mаkoto wants to sing a song about his life principles.
[ VO ] It's a very important tune for him.
[ SONG ] Have a drink,
have another one,
Don't bother with snacks.
Smile, if you're passed the microphone...
Just sing your favourite song.
Don't let your wife see you cry,
Don't show weakness to your kids.
Share your sorrows with a friend at the bar,
Don't be a show off but don't hold back, either.
Don't do things you don't believe in.
Look straight into a man's heart.
I want to be an old-fashioned man.
[ MAKOTO ] I usually tell people I run a small business,
a stall or a shop,
but the head of my son's kindergarten knew who I was.
[ MAKOTO ] And he let my son enter the kindergarten.
[ MAKOTO ] As for his school,
I don't think anyone knows.
[ VO ] Mаkoto introduced this Yakuza member as one of the family’s
best fighters. [ VO ] They regularly train together at the gym.
Mаkoto's son trains with the Yakuza too. [ VO ] Just as it did
when Mаkoto was a child, ordinary life goes on that's what this is
- regular life – for the Yakuza.
[ MAKOTO ]I don't want to explain to my boy
what it's all about unless he becomes a yakuza.
[ BOY ]What's that?
[ MAKOTO ]Here it is.
[ MAKOTO ] It has my oyabun's name on it, so blur that out, please.
[ MAKOTO ]My boss.
[ MAKOTO ]And this is my aniki.
[ MAKOTO ] This is the 'family' emblem. [ MAKOTO ] Just don't show it, please.
[ VO ] Sakazuki is a yakuza rite of passage. [ VO ] In fact, Mаkoto is about
to reveal some very intimate facts about his second birth to us.
GRAFICS SAKAZUKI A ritual by which new members are initiated into a Yakuza family. also the name for a flat sake bowl.
[ MAKOTO ] This is what's
most important to me, after my children's lives, and my own.
[ MAKOTO ]I've never shown it to anyone before.
[ MAKOTO ]This is no joke.
[ MAKOTO ]Please blur everything that's written
or I'll be expelled.
[ MAKOTO ] These are the names of the syndicates...
[ MAKOTO ] So, the oyabun drinks it like this.
[ MAKOTO ] He pours some sake...
then I take the cup and drink after him.
[ MAKOTO ] Then I hide it away.
[ YAKUZA ] If you want foreigners to understand,
say it's like a religious act.
[ YAKUZA ] It has a lot to do with faith.
[ YAKUZA ] It's based on trust.
[ MAKOTO ] I don't want my son to become a yakuza,
because it's become very difficult to be one in our society.
[ MAKOTO ] When he grows up, it'll be even harder.
[ MAKOTO ] Yakuza are turning into regular mafia.
[ MAKOTO ] If he chooses to be a yakuza, I'll accept it,
but I wouldn't want it to happen.
[ VO ] It’s worth remembering that Japan’s crime rates are amongst
the lowest in the world. [ VO ] That's why the story of the modern-day
yakuza is much less about a particular crime problem than
it is about a rapidly vanishing breed.
GRAFICS Even though Yakuza membership is dwindling the gangs remain violently active. I n September 2017, the shooting of a crime boss’s bodyguard in Tokyo sparked a bloody series of reprisal killings.