Japan's most powerful mafia announces the end of a decade of internal wars

TokyoThe Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's most influential mafia group, has officially informed the police of its intention to end a period of bloody internal conflict that has lasted more than ten years. In a letter sent on April 7, the Yakuza leaders pledged to cease hostilities with the factions that splintered in recent years. However, the Japanese authorities have received this announcement with caution, knowing that control over mafia groups remains a delicate issue.

Founded in 1915 in the port city of Kobe, the Yamaguchi-gumi had more than 20,000 members at its peak and became not only the most influential Yakuza group in Japan, but also one of the most feared in the world. Although its power has drastically diminished in recent decades due to legislative and police pressure, its presence remains significant in the country: in 2023, the group still had around 3,300 active members and around 3,600 affiliates.

The group's origins date back to a dockworkers' association, but it evolved into a criminal organization. During the chaos of post-war Japan, particularly under the leadership of Kazuo Taoka between 1946 and 1981, the Yakuza established itself as a parallel force that, despite its criminal activities, provided a degree of social stability. During this time, illegal gambling, extortion, and drug trafficking networks were part of its activities, while it also invested in other sectors, such as real estate, to launder its money.

But social and political tolerance toward Yakuza groups began to disappear starting in the 1980s. Between 1984 and 1989, the Yamaguchi-gumi experienced a particularly violent internal war, which led the government to tighten legislation against organized crime. It was during these years that laws were passed to limit their finances and stigmatize their membership.

A decade of violence

In 2015, a new fracture shook the criminal group with the creation of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, which led to open warfare between the two factions. These moves included restrictions on the use of offices and a ban on gatherings in public spaces.

The Kobe District Court recently ordered the seizure of the residence of Kunio Inoue, leader of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi clan (approximately €1.6 million) from a company affected by a suspicious loan. The property, located in the exclusive Kita district, was formally seized in January and could soon be auctioned. Inoue's lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch attempt to stop the eviction, but if the ruling is upheld.

This case exemplifies the legal offensive against the Yakuza group, which in recent years has intensified its strict control over its finances.

In this context, the Yamaguchi-gumi's gesture can be understood as an attempt to halt its decline. There has yet to be an official response from the dissident group, but this announcement could mark the beginning of the end of a particularly violent period in the recent history of Japanese organized crime.

The police, for their part, have greeted this statement with skepticism and are closely monitoring the movements of the various clans. A formal truce between the factions would provide a respite for the security forces and a change of direction in the long history of the Yakuza in Japan. But that war has had no winners. According to data published this month by the National Police Agency (NPA), the number of Yakuza members fell to 18,800 at the end of 2024, the lowest level since its registration in 1958, marking twenty consecutive years of decline. For the first time, both formal members and non-affiliated associates fell below the symbolic 10,000 mark.

The neo-Yakuza

While large traditional mafias like the Yamaguchi-gumi are losing ground and members at a historic rate, Japanese authorities are detecting a worrying rise in criminal gangs. ad hoc, known as the Tokuryū, who operate anonymously and use new digital tactics. The old guard is slowly disappearing due to the combined effect of legal pressure, social stigmatization and the aging of its leaders, While these new forms of crime are gaining strength.

These are groups without clear hierarchies, without traditional ties, who recruit through social media and commit crimes from digital anonymity. In 2024, more than 10,100 members of these groups were arrested for criminal activities related to financial gain, a figure higher than the arrests among traditional Yakuza, which totaled 8,249. The most frequent crimes include the sale of bank accounts for money laundering, online scams, violent robberies, drug trafficking, and love or real estate fraud.

Tokuryū gangs are often recruited through illegal job offers known as Yami Baito, shady jobs that promise large profits in exchange for participating in illegal activities. According to the NPA, approximately 40% of those arrested were recruited this way. Despite the scale of the operations, only 10% of arrests are of leaders or instigators.

According to data from Japan's National Police Agency, of the 5,203 arrests recorded for crimes related to obtaining financial gain, the majority were for fraud, followed by robbery, drug-related offenses, and theft. A smaller percentage were violations of the Entertainment Business Act, which regulates establishments such as nightclubs and entertainment venues.

Although authorities consider them to be separate phenomena, the lines between the traditional Yakuza and the Tokuryū are beginning to blur. In some cases, established mafias may use these groups as a front or collaborate directly with them. "The reality is that they often act together and share the profits," acknowledged Yoshinobu Kusunoki, director general of the NPA, at a press conference on April 3.