Japan: No Safe Country for Foreign Women

Ceewan

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Jul 23, 2008
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Sad story but I have heard worse. Personally it sounds like either a misunderstanding or someone just trying to scam a bike. Nobody was really hurt though, just frightened, so it is not all that unsurprising the police didn't take the matter all that seriously. If the male and female she encountered on the bike were a serious threat they would have at least chased her and since she wasn't being assualted passerbys would have hesitated to get involved in what may have seemed like a domestic dispute.

I have heard of worse tales, in Japan and in my home country...as well as other countries. I have seen a policeman beat a prone man he was straddling in the head with a billyclub while his partner watched. I have approached a cop about a crime and gotten the response that he was on his lunchbreak and to call 911. We all have stories. Hers made for a good article but I wouldn't blow it out of proportion. I think there is a good chance that if she had been Japanese then things would have turned out almost exactly the same.

I will state one fact of interest: The Yakuza, who run any organized crime in Japan, were the first responders at the Fukushima incident. They were there before the police or the military, lending a helping hand to the people in need. We could have used that type of attitude in America when the dams failed in New Orleans but all they did was prey on each other (well, that wasn't all they did but it was commonplace). Of course the Yakuza made a mint on the clean-up work at Fukushima (and probably still are) but that is just business.
 

kharo88

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Sep 13, 2015
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That is seriously messed up! Honestly, scammers are everywhere, unfortunately, but what she was describing about halfway into the article definitely gives cause to be concerned. I always knew that many genres of JAV embodied the fantasies of lots of Japanese guys, but I would have never thought that they actually masturbated on the train, groped women and tried to carry a girl to a love hotel against her will - and all this in broad daylight, without anyone batting an eye (not even the police)... I'll let this Chinese girl speak for me: go to 1:36 on this video! :)

I will state one fact of interest: The Yakuza, who run any organized crime in Japan, were the first responders at the Fukushima incident. They were there before the police or the military, lending a helping hand to the people in need.

All right, but they're still criminals. They still do terrible things. And what do you think, did they do that out of the goodness of their hearts, or to have those people whom they had helped be indebted to them? I don't mean to offend you, of course, I knew you brought it up as "a fact of interest", but come on...
 
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Ceewan

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All right, but they're still criminals. They still do terrible things. And what do you think, did they do that out of the goodness of their hearts, or to have those people whom they had helped be indebted to them? I don't mean to offend you, of course, I knew you brought it up as "a fact of interest", but come on...


The concept might be foreign to you but I think, according to what I have garnered of Japanese tradition, the Yakuza did not act thusly because they were indebted to the people. It was a matter of duty and honor. Yakuza are criminals but they are not exactly thugs per se. They are not Mafia, they are not your your corner gangbangers. You might want to do some research before you dismiss something:

The reasons for yakuza tolerance are complex, but one is that while they are bands of criminals, they share an almost universal list of standards and practices that keeps them in check. All yakuza are expected to follow these, and failure to do so results in expulsion. In theory, if not in practice, yakuza are banned from: 1) theft (including looting) 2) robbery (taking things by force) 3) using or selling drugs 4) r*** 5) anything else not in harmony with the “noble way” — ninkyodo. And even though it may not be written down, the prevailing rule of thumb for yakuza is “katagi ni meiwaku wo kakenai,” “Do not cause trouble to ordinary citizens.” In short, yakuza are banned from committing street crimes. (In response to the question, “Why aren’t blackmail and extortion banned?” The reply was, “if you have something to be blackmailed about, you deserve to be punished. That’s social justice.”)

Exactly how did the Yakuza really help? since you asked:
The response of the Sumiyoshi-kai in Tokyo was fast and furious. They opened their offices to those stranded in Tokyo, as all major forms of transportation shut down. In a surprising gesture of civility, they even reached out to the foreign community, offering shelter to Chinese and Americans who were unable to make it home that day, providing futons to sleep on and food. I was surprised to have one yakuza member write to me directly and ask me to get the word out to other foreigners in the area.

In Saitama, the Sumiyoshi-kai immediately began piling trucks with supplies and foods and sent them to Ibaraki prefecture. Within a week, the Sumiyoshi-kai had mobilized 60 cars and trucks and over 100 drivers to carry supplies into the devastated areas. In heavily stricken Sendai, they had 100 of their toughest thugs patrol the streets and stay at the shelters keeping the peace.

The Matsuba-kai, which has a strong presence in the devastated areas including Fukushima, rounded up 100 trucks and 121 drivers to carry water, blankets and other essentials to the stricken areas.

The Inagawa-kai was enormously effective. Within one week, they had sent 100 trucks with over 280 tons of supplies to Hitachinaka City and other devastated areas in Japan. It helped that they have at least one trucking company affiliated with the organization. They went under the cover of night — all clad in long sleeve shirts as not to reveal their telltale tattoos. They dropped off the supplies directly at shelters and in front of city halls.

The response of the Kyokutokai was what you would expect from a historically tekiya group, traveling merchants and food vendors. They sent food supplies and went themselves to the areas and provided hot meals. By April 14, they had sent two tons of sugar, 15,000 bottles of water, 700 boxes of cooking oil, 80 portable generators, 600 light bulbs, 1,000 flashlights, 400 boxes of batteries, 250 boxes of miso for soup and seasoning, 30 tons of food supplies and 80 portable food stands. To do this they mobilized a total of 110 trucks, microbuses and cars. They travelled on roads where they existed, and made their own where they couldn’t find them and had their members carry the supplies into areas where vehicles could not reach. The members cooked meals at some shelters, left supplies at city halls, and then came back to the Kanto area.

Of course, the most efficient and fast-moving group in the relief effort was the Yamaguchi-gumi, who have a history of post disaster humanitarian work. After the great Kobe earthquake in 1995, the Yamaguchi-gumi (which has their fortress-like headquarters in Kobe) gathered supplies from all around the country and brought them into the devastated city, dispensing hot food from their offices and patrolling the streets to keep down looting. They were lauded for being faster and more efficient than the government in getting supplies to those who needed them. They’ve been capitalizing on the goodwill generated by those events for over a decade now.

During the Tohoku disaster, the Yamaguchi-gumi, under heavy police scrutiny, did most of their work via civilian allies, called kyoseisha (cooperative entities)in police lingo. The acting leader at the time, Tadashi Irie, of the Takumi-gumi faction, organized most of the support. The Yamaguchi-gumi Okuura-Gumi leader (based in Osaka) chartered several trucks and sent all 200 of his subordinates into disaster-stricken areas with supplies, allegedly even setting up temporary bathing facilities in Miyagi Prefecture and making sure victims got hot meals. The boss himself cooked up food and served it to the victims.

source:
http://www.japansubculture.com/reconstructing-311-sometimes-the-yakuza-live-up-to-their-ideals /
 

kharo88

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Sep 13, 2015
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The concept might be foreign to you but I think, according to what I have garnered of Japanese tradition, the Yakuza did not act thusly because they were indebted to the people. It was a matter of duty and honor. Yakuza are criminals but they are not exactly thugs per se. They are not Mafia, they are not your your corner gangbangers. You might want to do some research before you dismiss something:



Exactly how did the Yakuza really help? since you asked:


source:
http://www.japansubculture.com/reconstructing-311-sometimes-the-yakuza-live-up-to-their-ideals /

You totally misread/misinterpreted what I wrote. I did not say that the yakuza helped those people because the yakuza were indebted to them, but so that those people whom the yakuza helped will be indebted to the yakuza. And no, I don't need to do any research before "dismissing" criminals. That "noble way" still does not stop them from committing crime, even if (and that's a massive if, if you ask me) everything in that quote is actually true.

And no, I did not ask how the yakuza helped.
 

Ceewan

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And no, I don't need to do any research before "dismissing" criminals.

So. You don't need to know what you are talking about in order to say something about it?!? Okay, fine.
 

kharo88

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Sep 13, 2015
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So. You don't need to know what you are talking about in order to say something about it?!? Okay, fine.

All I need to know is that they're criminals. Isn't that enough in this case? I certainly think so. How much can you really know, anyway? You won't get any first-hand experience regarding the yakuza, nor will I. If you believe what they say about themselves, or what others say about them, go ahead, just please don't fault me for not doing the same.
 

jugulear

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Jan 20, 2012
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John Gotti (the now late, once "Teflon Don") was loved by the locals in his community for having generously provided goods and services for the neighborhood. The American Mafia also has its code of honor (a code no doubt broken now and then... we should not be surprised if the Yakuza has not always been rigid about their code), such as with treating family members as off-limits, when it comes to retribution. The American Mafia has also shown examples of "helping society" (in a kind of Fukushima sort of parallel), what with "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky doing their bit to help with the WWII effort (albeit their patriotism was always mixed with business; interestingly, "Bugsy" Siegel supposedly came close to killing Goering and Goebbels at a party), and the FBI actually enlisted the help of the local mob to crack the Ku Klux Klan. That does not prevent any members of organized crime from being the dirty, disgusting parasites of society that they are.
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Ceewan

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The American Mafia has also shown examples of "helping society" (in a kind of Fukushima sort of parallel), what with "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky doing their bit to help with the WWII effort (albeit their patriotism was always mixed with business; interestingly, "Bugsy" Siegel supposedly came close to killing Goering and Goebbels at a party), and the FBI actually enlisted the help of the local mob to crack the Ku Klux Klan. That does not prevent any members of organized crime from being the dirty, disgusting parasites of society that they are.


That is a bit of a stretch. There is no parallel to a natural disaster such as what happened in Japan in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and random acts by American mobsters. You are comparing general scratches and scrapes to a specific maiming.

As far as "That does not prevent any members of organized crime from being the dirty, disgusting parasites of society that they are", well that is an overly broad statement which means it is full of holes and exceptions. People are just people, some better than others and all capable of displaying the best and worst that humanity has to offer each other. The Yakuza play a more specific role in Japan than the American mob ever did in their country. That doesn't make them "good people" but it does affect crime in Japan and Japanese society in general. I would agree that Yakuza are "parasites of society" but parasites have been known to have beneficial side-effects. I have no love for the Yakuza, they perpetrate awful crimes against people. I do find their relationship as pertaining to Japanese sociology to be somewhat fascinating and unique though.
 

jugulear

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No stretch whatsoever; the idea was to find examples of bad people doing good things (although in the mentioned cases, the good things were not always done completely selflessly), and the scale (i.e., whether there was a disaster or not) is irrelevant. Yes, just as good people can do bad things, everything is not always black and white. The point is, the underworld is responsible for so much injustice and suffering and violence, they must never be glamorized. If I may kid you a little... you keep this up, Ceewan, and I am going to fear you may be in line to cut off your own pinky.

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Ceewan

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No stretch whatsoever; the idea was to find examples of bad people doing good things (although in the mentioned cases, the good things were not always done completely selflessly), and the scale (i.e., whether there was a disaster or not) is irrelevant. Yes, just as good people can do bad things, everything is not always black and white. The point is, the underworld is responsible for so much injustice and suffering and violence, they must never be glamorized. If I may kid you a little... you keep this up, Ceewan, and I am going to fear you may be in line to cut off your own pinky.

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Not sure where you get the idea that reporting facts can be interpeted as glamourizing and the scale of deeds had no relevance. It is not glamourizing the Yakuza to say they are an integrated part of Japanese society, which in itself is unique among any organized crime syndicates in the world, let alone Asia. Nor is there anything wrong with finding their part in Japanese society interesting. Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and it is not farfetched to suggest that the Yakuza, instead of contributing to more crime might actually be a factor in reducing crime in Japan.

The orgins of the Yakuza go all the way back to the Edo period and many of their traditions and initiations still reflect that. Much of their "code of honor" is influenced by Bushido, which is the same code of the ancient Samurai.

Funny you should mention yubitsume (where Yakuza sacrifice the tips of their finger in atonement for an offense). Did you know that is connected to the term "pinky swear"? The word for this is yubikiri. In Japan, the pinky swear originally indicated that the person who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky finger.

Also worthy of note is that if you watch Japanese porn, well you can bet that the Yakuza had a hand in it somewhere along the line. Pornography is one of the Yakuzas' most infamous business ventures.

One more thing, while there is plenty to rightfully criticise about the Yakuza, criticising something you are ignorant of is just bad form. The Yakuza are not a synonym to organized crime syndicates as are more commonly referenced to around the world. There are many differences and idioms in the way they fit into Japanese society that make them unique and perhaps integral to the control and prevention of crime in a country with more than 120 million people. While the Yakuza are worthy of disdain they are also worthy of study and interest.
 

jugulear

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Jan 20, 2012
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Ceewan, if you keep this up, I'm going to have to put up a shrine to the Yakuza in my room.

Ignorant... yes, I am guilty of not having studied every nuance of this criminal organization, and thus shame on me for daring to comment on it. (I'm still going through my muddy "Hell's Angels" initiation, before saying a few words about them bikers at another forum.) Don't think I am not aware they have their own special character; naturally, they are a product of Japan, and how could they escape Japan's cultural influences, what with the famous Japanese sense of honor, which even most dumbbells are aware of from old WWII movies, with Hara-kira and the like.

The parallels I offered with the American Mafia were mainly to show that these more commonly known wise guys, too, have their code of honor (and not to display the levels of their charity work on a large-scale disaster, which I still contend is not relevant... particularly when the charity gestures of either the Mafia or the Yakuza are not always entirely selfless); while I am not suggesting that the world's oldest profession is a crime of equal parallel (particularly when I believe that this victimless crime needs to be decriminalized), but as an analogy, the high-class Mafias of the world may be call girls while the common crooks may be streetwalkers... the bottom line is that they are all prostitutes.

Kharo88 put it best: "All I need to know is that they're criminals. Isn't that enough in this case? I certainly think so. How much can you really know, anyway? You won't get any first-hand experience regarding the yakuza, nor will I."

"Not sure where you get the idea that reporting facts can be interpeted as glamourizing..." Leaving aside that the "facts" you are reporting may not always translate to reality, you were glamorizing these criminals: "They are not exactly thugs per se. They are not Mafia, they are not your your corner gangbangers." The Mafia is not your "corner gangbangers" either; they have their own code of honor. Yet that is a far cry from practically making them out to be heroes.

Here is a page that comes across as very even-handed about these Japanese cretins. It tells us, as you, that they have been integrated into society perhaps more than the other Mafias of the world. Yet we get the clear idea their methods are no less despicable. For example, "Item 10" tells us they are "polite" as they go about their extortion racket. Okay, so they don't always threaten to break your kneecaps. I love the Yakuza!

"Item 3" tells us of victims taking the Yakuza to court, which is pretty unusual, and is one for the Yakuza, making them out to be more "reasonable." The one who brought the suit claimed the Yakuza "threatened to burn down her bar if she didn’t cough up" protection money. Good thing these heroes don't act as thugs.

Continuing with your glamorization, you wrote the Yakuza is "perhaps integral to the control and prevention of crime in a country with more than 120 million people," making them out to be almost on the level of Dick Tracy, and as though if there were no Yakuza, there would be more crime in Japan. None of us can say whether that would be the case, but it sounds ludicrous to even suggest. The U.S. Mafia is also famous for conducting an on-the-surface "clean" operation, with legitimate businesses acting as fronts. No doubt, at least when local Mafia chapters were more powerful and controlled individual territories, they reined in the small-scale criminals in their own right. Yet that still does not take away from the fact that they were bleeding the common people dry.

As much as the U.S. Mafia tries to keep it clean, when they have disagreements, their violence has been known to spill forth into the streets. This article detailing the bludgeoning of a Yakuza boss (one example of their “noble way” — ninkyodo) goes on to reveal: "The last split in the Yamaguchi-gumi occurred in 1984 and resulted in several years of violent warfare marked with assassinations, shootings and attempted bombings that terrified the Japanese public." That must not have been one of the "beneficial side-effects" of these parasites.

Even if the targets of gang warfare are not the general public, one gets the collateral damage, with unlucky innocents in the crossfire paying the price... leading to societal fear. Yes, the Yakuza may be "banned from committing street crimes," (pointing to the passage above, where we have read these "civilized" criminals are banned from: 1) theft, robbery, using or selling drugs, r*** generally speaking, not all that different than the "respectable" gangsters of the U.S. Mafia, by the way), but once all hell breaks loose, or even when these creeps run into a snag... what "code of honor" is going to prevent immoral people from breaking the rules, when they need to?

Our disagreement is not in that you are fascinated by the sociological effects of this idiosyncratic crime organization. Although you have acknowledged they are criminals, you came across as putting them on a pedestal, and you sniff at the ignorants who don't know as much as you think you do.

Although there is one good thing about these bastards, as you revealed; as with the U.S. Mafia, at least in the Golden Age of Porn, the Yakuza appears to be a potent force behind JAV. (All hail the Yakuza!)

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Ceewan

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Wow. Funny how all internet arguments seem to get personal. Here I thought we were attempting an intelligent conversation. My mistake. I should have known by the tone of your replies that you were showing little respect for mine. Pity...but no harm done. At least you took the time to learn "something" about what you were arguing about which is more than I could have hoped for. Too bad you misinterpeted my comments, they were merely to invite a little discourse. Just something to pass the time.

In Japan there are 6 different "fanzines" published on the Yakuza, some weekly, with information about what is going on in the Yakuza world. I don't read them and many people are much more versed on the subject of "The Yakuza" than I. I never pretended different.

Foreign news agencies such as CNN are horrible sources for news on Japan by the way. Try Japantoday (there are others but that is a decent source). I don't read it daily but I peruse it often, it is informative and interesting if you are interested in Japan and things that are going on there.

It has been fun and see you around the forum.
 

kharo88

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Sep 13, 2015
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Wow. Funny how all internet arguments seem to get personal. Here I thought we were attempting an intelligent conversation. My mistake. I should have known by the tone of your replies that you were showing little respect for mine.

He didn't get personal at all, at least I don't think so. Could you point to the part which made you take offense? If it was the part where he said that you were "glamourising" the yakuza and "put them on a pedestal", I have to agree with him, that's exactly how you came off for me too. And that first comment was clearly a joke (I often joke about having a shrine to Cyndi Wang in my room, so I know). As for Jugulear's tone, you can't possibly know what tone he had used, since it's written speech, but I assure you, if someone, Jugulear never aims to offend anyone. You might have assigned that tone to him because he was disagreeing with you, but that doesn't automatically mean that he was being disrespectful... but alas, this often happens online. He simply addressed your points, in a much more eloquent way than I could ever have, I might add!

On a side note, I'm shocked how neither of you commented on how cheerful that Chinese girl is in that video while saying "I hate Japan". And here I thought that it would be funny... Yeah, my biggest takeaway from this thread is that I should re-evaluate my sense of humour! :D
 

WillEater

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Mar 13, 2008
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Here in the US, the Mafia has been running legal business operations for decades. M.C.A. and the MCA Universal are two. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MCA_Inc.

The running of MCA by Mafia is not just an urban legend. They purchased Universal Studios, sucked all the money out, and sold it to the Japanese.

Even the CIA uses the Mafia thugs for "Wet Work". Who knew..
 

Ceewan

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Actually Universal Studios is owned by Comcast, an American Company and one of the largest media giants in the world. To the best of my knowldge organized crime syndicates are small and diverse for the most part in the USA and constantly being pursued and shutdown little by little by the FBI.....one of the things they are actually good at and what they were formed to do in the first place. As far as legititmate businesses the ones they are best known for is your waste disposal and chances are your local trash collection agency has underworld ties on some level (at least that is the urban legend). Probably the biggest syndicates left in America are not in New York or Chicago but Las Vegas (and I have always been a little curious about the UFC having some syndicate ties but that is just specualtion).

They don't really compare well to the Yakuza in Japan which has a much more organized hierachy and each branch tends to specialize in one area or another. Most of the Yakuza won't even deal drugs for instance. The Yakuza have like 50 or more companies on the Japanese stock exchange (that is just off the top of my head, it could be more). What they do have in common with American syndicates are they both make money off preying on the weak as an acceptable means of income.

As far as the CIA using Mafia thugs....well the CIA doesn't operate on American soil so that must be an overseas thing. I remember MCA but this is the first I ever heard of it having syndicate ties. I didn't notice anything about that in the wiki either (well...they booked acts for Al Capone in the 20s' but MCA was run and founded by Jules C. Stein, who was jewish. Jews weren't allowed in the mob in those days, only allowed to work for them, like any other non-goombah).
 
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WillEater

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From Publishers Weekly
Though former Los Angeles Times reporter Knoedelseder has dug up much dirt, his fast-paced tale of music industry nefariousness suffers from convoluted detail. In 1984 a minor tax investigation sics Justice Department attorney Marvin Rudnick on Sal Pisello, a reputed mobster who had planted himself inside MCA Records managing sales of budget "cutout" discs. The story eventually involves strange upheavals inside MCA, a counterfeiting ring, a corrupt cutout dealer who turns on the Mafia, and a band of dishonest record promoters. As Rudnick probes deeper, he faces threats from MCA and odd pressure from his superiors. Knoedelseder suggests that a greater scandal has been missed because the Justice Department, under Attorney General Ed Meese, backed off from making a deeper inquiry into mob involvement in the record industry. Knoedelseder's effort to weave together several court cases, competing investigations and a large cast of characters makes for a confusing narrative. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This fascinating look at the underbelly of the music business by a former investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times will confirm any pessimist's worst suspicion of what lies beneath the glitter and glitz. The complicated story revolves around the ability of organized crime to get a proverbial "foot in the door" at one of the world's largest entertainment corporations during the 1980s. Presenting a large array of bad folks (and a few good ones) seemingly right out of Central Casting, plus the industry's usual copious quantities of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, this gripping report is fraught with twists and turns. The book combines a detective story, a plausible account of record industry business practices (in the days prior to the compact disc explosion), and vibrant, memorable characters, all of which make it more interesting than anything a talented fiction writer could devise. Highly recommended.
- David M. Tur kalo, Social Law Lib., Boston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.