| Yakuza |
|---|
 |
| Founded | 17th century
(presumed to have originated from theKabukimono) |
|---|
| Membership | more than 200,000 members[1] |
|---|
| Criminal activities | Varied, including illegitimate businesses |
|---|
Yakuza (Japanese:ヤクザ,IPA: [jaꜜkɯza]), known also asgokudō (極道, "the extreme path",IPA: [gokɯꜜdoː]), are members of transnationalorganized crime syndicates inJapan.
Yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai (chivalrous organizations) which the Japanese media and police call them bōryokudan (violence group). They are the world's largest criminal organization and have about 103,000 members.[2][3] The three biggest Yakuza families areYamaguchi-gumi,Sumiyoshi-kai, andInagawa-kai. During the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, they opened their offices to help refugees and sent dozens of trucks with supplies to affected areas.[4]
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