A Comparison of Organized Crime Organizations

In the dangerous atmosphere in which organized crime exists and survives, criminals share a need for trust and often bond together when the need arises. While attempts to create a standard and acceptable definition for organized crime have resulted in limited success at best, the subject remains one of great discussion. Even without a widely accepted definition, there are certain attributes that are associated with this phenomenon. Among them are the facts that organized crime has a hierarchical structure with an exclusive membership, it is its own subculture with no political goals, it is monopolistic and governed by specific rules, plus it is self perpetuating and demonstrates a willingness to use illegal violence.

Japanese Organized Crime

For over three hundred years, organized crime in Japan has been controlled by Yakuza gangs who are involved in an array of illegal activities including smuggling drugs and aliens, gun trafficking and extortion. These gangs are more like secret societies that thrive on intimidation and show a penchant for nonconformity. While the exact origins of the yakuza has yet to be satisfactorily determined, there are those who believe they are descended from 17th century samurai who became leaderless when Japan experienced an extended era of peace and turned to wandering the countryside as freelance mercenaries. Modern-day members of the yakuza, however, reject this theory and instead prefer to believe they are descended from the machi-yokko whose role was to protect their villages (The Yakuza-The Japanese Mafia-The Crime Library- Origins and Traditions-Crime Library on truTv, 2010). Over time, these common criminals banded together in structured groups called boryokudan.

The modern-day yakuza who are proud of their outcast status favor tattoos that cover their entire upper body as well as the upper halves of their arms and legs. They are also known to have clipped fingers that serve as a show of repentance for mistakes....