"Its easier to build stronger children, then to repair broken men"

"If i shoot myself and survive, i get arrested for firing a gun" That killed me

A classmate in university lived a while in Tokyo in the 00s or early 10s, and she told me a story about one of her friends when she lived there. He was a western guy, but he had cherryblossoms, or something, tattooed on his arms. Whatever his tattoos were they were at least symbolically charged for yakuza. So, one day, some guys just came straight up to him, and asked him to get into their car. He couldn't really refuse. They drove for a while and eventually they stopped and met with some sort of Yakuza boss. They were polite and at least not overtly threatening. The reason they wanted to meet him was only to find out just who he was, based on his tattoos. If he was a member of some other yakuza or whatever, or maybe they just wanted to make a statement about how that kind of tattoo was only for them. They let him go of course, nothing more happened. But that dude never wore short sleeves in public again.

A few years ago our local shop was bought by a new owner, it was a Japanese man, his wife and kid who bought the shop. Every day I went to the shop he was always wearing a long sleeve shirt buttoned up to the neck… during summer, one day I walked into the shop and can see that the shopkeeper had the collar unbuttoned and i could see a tattoo. When I asked what kind of tattoo it was, he buttoned it back up and kinda laughed about it and said it was a stupid one lol few months later when i started to know him more (being a regular customer) he finally showed me his tattoo across his chest and back and told me he was a member of the yakuza. The sad thing was, when he showed me the tattoo his wife was there and tearfully explained how bad life was like for them…and that they escaped Japan when she fell pregnant and he wanted out of the gang…unfortunately this meant the gang would kill him and her and their unborn child if he left the gang. So without letting anyone know, they saved to get out of the country and ended up in NZ. They still feared they would be found even in a country like NZ so he always covered himself up by wearing a shirt so no one could see his tattoo…but had since become comfortable bearing his tattoo because we literally have ZERO Japanese people in our community lol but sad to learn their ordeal and the terrible things that the yakuza got up to!

"they would only agree to the interview if we promised not to air the documentary in japan" Well shit, lets just put it on youtube

"there used to be a great nurse themed sex club" yes a great tragedy indeed

I really relate to when he was interviewing the ex member and he said “Organized crime members are not better than anyone else, but wall around like they’re better than everyone else” This shit is so true. I grew up selling drugs and really addicted to drugs and shit hanging out with gang bangers and just living the street life and the disrespect and egotism and nihilism and harm they were causing the community, is one of the main reasons I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s one thing to be an addict serving addicts, but it’s another when you get off doing it, and get an ego.

Respect to the former boss who realised he could do more to help society outside the Yakuza than from within it.

I thought the bicycle smash in the Yakuza games was an exaggeration, I never imagined they'd actually do that lol

So a lack of strong father figures draws them to other, stronger males that give them a sense of belonging and family... It's the same all over the world. Crips, Yazukas, Triads.

The hardest part about dealing with those you've known have done wrong is how utterly human they turn out to be when you sit down and talk to them. So often we make all those engaged in criminal acts out to be monsters. If only it was that easy.

I love the shots in between that portray the small gestures and atmospheres in each of the subject’s daily lives. I especially love 22:03. The cameraperson also did great capturing moments of subtle tension vs calm in the room. That along with the choice of interviewer, storytelling, and pace of the documentary all made this a great piece.

Man, the tension in room is just insane during the interview with the Yakuza sub-boss in Osaka.

6:07 i love that one of the ex yakuza bosses are polite enough to give even the cameraman a card

9:35 "My heart goes far away when I think about him." Such a beautiful way of describing the emotion he feels.

Whatever respect I had for the Yakuza, whatever fascination I harbored, died when I heard the story of Junko Furata. The Yakuza in recent years has been fictionalized and popularized by the masses in the form of video games and anime in a way that makes them seem “bad, but not that bad”. Bad guys with honor, with a code and morals. When I heard the story of 16 year old Junko and how, just because she dared to reject some Yakuza street kid wannabe when he asked her out, she was kidnapped and forced to undergo the most horrific and inhumane forms of torture and abuse for 44 straight days at the hands of over 100+ Yakuza affiliated people, before she finally died from her extreme suffering, I knew that any media portraying the Yakuza as anything but bad was so completely wrong. It’s like the retired Don in this vid said. “If my master could see what we have become, he would cry.” Any honor the Yakuza may have once had is gone, and all that remains is an ugly plight on the country of Japan, one that capitalizes on the exploitation of the weak (particularly women and children). There are dozens if not hundreds of Junko’s that have been victimized by the Yakuza whose stories will never be told, who will never receive justice for their suffering. I’m glad that journalists and anti-Yakuza advocates are joining forces to expose the association’s ugliness, and that Japan has realized what a plight the Yakuza has become on their society and is finally cracking down and punishing offenders. If only the Japanese judicial system could have the same for Junko Furata, instead of giving her torturers insultingly light sentences and allowing one of their families to desecrate her grave…At the very least, her story has been told, so that we may remember not just her suffering, but her immense willpower and strength in the face of the most terrible, hellish condition imaginable. Fly high, Junko. May your soul be free of this world’s suffering and find the peace it so deserves. You will never be forgotten. ❤️🙏🏾

That beat reporter got balls for just saying the Yakuza is now an unnecessary evil, given how frequently he hangs with those guys.

"Has anyone at work seen your tattoos yet?" "No, none have" VICE: Lemme help ya with that.

Fun fact: the Japanese police calls the Yakuza, “Bōryokudan” (“violent groups”) while the Yakuza call themselves, “Ninkyō Dantai” (“chivalrous organizations”)

imagine watching this after coming from the hospital and you remembered how bad you treated your nurse who's actually a former member of the most violent faction of yakuza.

Interviewer looks like a cartel boss himself.

I would like to add that how meticulously Vice selects their interviewers, in this case the interviewer is an ex Mongol himself, so he is wary of the criminal mentality. Also, the Yakuza will never give interview to a layman.

During the end, I think we got very deep within a gang member's thoughts but I find it hard for them to really show how they feel when their boss is RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. Every answer seemed to go back to favoring the organization and the boss.

That Ex-Yakuza Boss has a presence that has transcended both time and distance. I just bowed when he offered the camera man a business card.

That flower face dude had the most serious face and the best smiley face.

Yes VICE returning to its older self!!! Love these documentaries.

Man, the former bike gang member as the interviwer was just the most amazing job ever! Someone from the same violent backround, who had a simmilar path, and could actually not only relate, but fully understand the emotions of the former yakuza - a brilliant intervie ("briliant" in the Amercain sense of the word, not the underwelming British one, to clairfy)!

*Offered raisin butter* Yakuza: "NOOOOOO" That part killed me.

This reporter is the real deal.. So gentle the way he speaks.. and the ending monolog he gave clearly shows he is very intelligent and understanding.

I must say, the dude and the cameraman has balls to actually talk to actual yakuza. I'll shit my pants if I even saw one

Can't leave without commending whoever worked on the audio/music for this.

love the editing and atmosphere in this one

"One of the classic ways when the Yakuza got in a fight is they pick up a bicycle and they smash it on someone" Ah yes, Kiryu's ultimate weapon

That guy Koyama, the nurse, seems to me the most potentially dangerous and scary of them all.

when I lived in Japan, the yakuza were an open secret. We'd be driving in the car with my coworkers and they'd say, "Oh, a yakuza lives in this house over here." and I was floored that people just... knew. It was like, "watch out for that house" but it was also really blase.

A friend of mine played rugby in Japan he came from New Zealand and had a lot of tattoos. He said people in public would always stare at him in public to the point he never wore short sleeve tops again and plus his coach told him in Japan people looked at tattoos and think you're yakuza!

Dom would approve of the Yakuza if it’s all about family

Wait, so the bicycle move from yakuza 0 was based off of real life yakuza?? Holy shit!

I can feel Koyama is a sweet and soft person. Love his calmness, honesty and his hospitality. Hope he can live well through his present life.

keep up the good work Vice . Very nice documentaries.😮

Not fallen. 'Thugs' are a nuisance value. The era where loan sharks and racketeers used to harrass small businesses is over. Yakuza clans who survived simply evolved to the point they contribute to Japan's economic growth. The most active (and smartest?) Yakuza clans reorganized their criminal syndicate groups into different businesses such as politics for instance, which is actually very smart.

To give the international audience some context: 17:49 The reporter said “It was the first time I have seen Jake anxious” Well Jake Adelstine is famous American journalist in Japan. In the early days he built a reputation of being the middle man between some of the Yakuzas and the Police to get some information to make cover stories for his local newspaper in Tokyo. After many years he became quite opposed to the active Yakuza groups and took a harsher stance to the point where one of the former bosses if I remember indirectly put a price on his head (In the Yakuza world it is not allowed to call for violence against a civilian). The situation was so dangerous that Jake had to bring the “Americans” to protect him while flying his family back to America. So it make sense he was so anxious. The people drinking with him were his enemies in a way. I am quite surprised they accepted the interview maybe they wanted to show their part of the story too…I am pretty sure they had a lot of respect for that Professor (Professor are a huge deal in Japan) Yet you can see here 19:58 Jake smiling and showing a genuine face of interest like a student in a table with his teachers (Yakuzas). Thats Japanese culture for you boys.

This is one of the best vice documentaries. I always respected the old Yakuza, they followed a code of honor and helped people in need. Like many things, power and time corrupt, I’m proud of these men for taking a stand and leaving.

Beautiful film. Well done. Sensitive. Compassionate. Great cinematography. Loved it..! ;)

The one that has the most unique fashion taste in the group always the crazy one. Dont mess with the guy wearing stars jacket & shorts with pink tshirt.

Criminal underworlds never go extinct, they just get replaced with new variants. Japan will still need gambling houses, prostitutes, and drugs. Someone will be there to fulfill those needs, whether we call them Yakuza or not, it is the way of this world.

I like the calmness of the interviewer and his thoughtful questions.

@16:55, that really freaked me out. It's like he was reacting to sustaining a paradox in his head. He's clearly had a rough life. I hope he's able to enjoy the rest of his in peace.

'Was it fun?' 'It was not unpleasant' Well, that scared me 14:55

I have to say the interviewer was the best man for the job. Coming from a motorcycle club background I have often thought of the violence that surrounded my life and I think he said it best at the end "lost souls on the fringe of society looking to belong to family to give them higher purpose" that simple sentence made me understand my father in a different way.

Excellent documentary. You got right to the heart of that organization. Kudos.

Very interesting and informative! Thank you!

Growin up in compton ca, we had such an obsession with Japanese anime, Chinese kung fu movies, the Asian culture, the yakuza in Japan, seeing the real deal is so interesting.

Everybody gansta until an ex-Yakuza brings out his Japanese sword

Great documentary - thankyou sir for the insight into what the Yakuza have largely become.

i absolutely love this video, very cool and informative

“They pick up a bicycle and smash it on someone” HEAT actions are REEEAAALLL !!

4:23 He says "the video game" implying that he expects everyone to know which video game he's talking about, which is cool. I do remember reading that the Yakuza themselves approved of the Yakuza games.

This was a very good production, simple and to the point. Thank you. You say the Yakuza have been around more than a hundred years. I would love to know their roll in Japan from say.....1937 to the end of the war and did they serve in the military. Any parallels to the American Mafia during the war? Control of the docks, labor organizations etc. Again thank you.

This was absolutely fascinating!

This Don is a true Yakuza. He's still keeping his short sword for harakiri. Much more respect for him, even he has resigned.

It’s the lady feeding the each person buttered raisin for me

Mahmood's voice is very ASMR-ish. 😉 Another great segment, Vice! Keep 'em coming! 👍

This is bloody amazing! Well done!!

It is very interesting to see that old-school members saw the Yakuza more as a community of people willing to protect and balance social homeostasis rather than just be organised crime syndicate (even if it's romanticised vision of self). They had different role in Japanese society at the time, therefore they were tolerated more by government officials and locals. Nonetheless, society evolved and Yakuza seem to grew into pastiche of itself, using the name behind the organisation to commit more and more atrocious crimes for gain rather to thrive on its principles. It is of course a bit cringy to consider one way or another, group of highly organised and hierarchical criminals as social equalisers. Despite all the good deeds they did (when it was necessary), at the end of the day, they were still above the law. Shift like that (newly introduced laws criminalising semi-legal status of the Yakuza) must hit hard, but with such a significant exodus of the members (100k), I am guessing that being powerful, wealthy or impactful can can be achieved using different measures than plain violence.

I like the fact that most of them took seconds to think before answer the question

Beautiful documentary man

Superb documentary. Cheers :)

"They throw bikes at people" I'm fucking done lmaooo

I'll tell ya, I like Koyama, who joked about how he still has all his fingers. He seems like a genuine guy who truly learned what respect is, at a late age

Definitely not the best times for yakuza. Had a chance to interview Jake Adelstein myself. Thanks for an interesting documentary! :)

Great doc! Thank you!

feels like the group at the end was super careful what they talked about ,just like prisoners in a yard when the gang leader is near by, you could tell some questions were kind of danced around

"its like love, when one thing goes bad it all becomes bad" lots of powerful quotes in this episode. much appreciated

Excellent video lived in Japan for 2 years would love to go again

Amazing insights of yakuza's philosophy. Vice at its best

Koyama is a brave warrior. To leave the yakuza knowing the penalties from both sides, his old family and society. To weather those burdens he shows it can be done. He leads by example on a path that is both strong and brave, and helps to protect others via leading by example.

The guy with the flower tattoo around his mouth scares me more than the others. He looks like a Japanese Joker, that a person should never cross.

very good questions and very interesting work (y) like

Excellent!!

The yakuza fell when Kiryu stepped down as 4th chairman.

Its kind of fascinating how contemplative and thoughtful they are of their answers. Honest, raw and insightful

I lived in Japan for 6 years. Never felt threaten by the yakuza. It's like the older ones say. Its they youth and the corrupted neo yakuza that's are bad ones.

Amazing work vice people.

Dude the osaka yakuza boss was so calm yet so intimidating . Chills 😂

“Exiled from the underworld, and outcasted by society” This sounds like a plot already

The way the yakuza member instantly put up the lighter for the boss was badass…

I think Mr. Fazal - because of his past - asks very educated questions.

That wooden sword he has is a historical sword that was supposed to be banned and destroyed during the war. That’s one expensive sword he has. Easily hundreds of years old and could be worth thousands.

They all seem like my old uncle who swears he would have gone PRO if it wasn't for his bad knee

20:05 the look on his face reads. "next question please"

Bravo to Mahmood Fazal for turning his life around after leaving one of the most violent outlaw motorcycle gangs and positively contributing to society. I work in prison where OMCG violence is prevalent, so it's refreshing to see what is possible and assists me in remaining open minded and impartial. This was a well researched and informative insight into the Japanese underworld.

Those Glasses looks so badass ^_^ 6:41

They didn't fall they simply upgrade to corporate companies

What an insightful documentary.

This was just beautiful

'When one thing comes bad, the whole thing becomes bad', that would be so true for anything corrupt or unjust.

It's scary you could actually hear kids playing in the background while having intense conversation like that.

This is a very close look at this dark world . And jake is an amazing reporter ! Your very lucky to sit with him

Yazuka , world will never forget Junko faruto