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Japan’s second-largest family member within an organized crime syndicate has become a foul of law, but not in the way people outside of Japan would expect.
Four members of Sumiyoshi Kai Union, part of Japan’s infamous yakuza, have been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of “conspiratorship” to run an office 90 metres from the public library.
According to Japan’s Zoning Act, Yakuza offices must be located outside schools, libraries and other educational institutions with a 200-meter radius.
It may be rare for an organized crime syndicate office to be subject to urban planning regulations, but in Japan it is not illegal to run or become a member of a registered syndicate.
However, profits from the effects of gangs are syndicated as being monitored by authorities, including the prefectural safety board and national police agencies.
Currently, there are 25 white people in Japan (“particularly harmful groups”), but unlike perceived terrorist groups, Sitey Boliokudan is permitted to operate more or less openly, unless he engages in criminal acts such as ironic violence.
It may seem strange that criminal groups are tolerated in this way in a country known for their orderly and strict adherence to rules. However, this practice dates back to 1991 and is a Bolio Kudan countermeasure known in Japan as Botaiho.
Before the law was passed, violent inscribed among many criminal groups in the country tended to be leaked to the general public.
Additionally, the increased involvement of criminal groups in legal businesses such as real estate has also led to growing concern.
Botaiho was set up as a way to maintain a tighter chain of activities for these groups.
To ban yakuza groups entirely was not an option as it was considered a violation of their right to parliamentary freedom as enshrined in the constitution, so the authorities instead justified them and allowed the police to keep them on watch at all times.
Known for its strict hierarchy and honor code, Yakuza are engaged in everything from fear tor and money laundering to drug trafficking and sex trafficking.
The National Police Agency (NPA) lists business addresses of several yakuza organizations on its official website.
For example, Sumiyoshikai’s main office is located in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, not far from the parliamentary building.
According to the NPA, during the heyday of the Yakuza in the 1960s, the group was run internationally and boasted more than 184,000 members.
But their numbers have steadily declined over the years after a series of police crackdowns on their activities.
They are legally allowed to exist, but regulations have made it difficult for gangs to survive after it became illegal to recruit yakuza members or share profits.
Police data show that in 2024, the number of members of the criminal organization fell below 20,000 for the first time to fall to around 18,000.
In the capital, Tokyo, Yakuza offices are also prohibited from being operated within schools, child welfare centers, community halls, museums, probation agencies, or courts.
