Gang war on the horizon?

[inflames]

There was the time when they gave me friend date rape drugs, which he took them himself.

He roofied himself?! Was he hoping he'd get raped??

Yeah - the yak gave it to him and said to give it to a girl when you're on a date and the dude took it. Wound up puking about 3 minutes after leaving the izakaya and we carried him home to his fiance, who was massively pissed.

[Coligny]

Did she rape him ?

[matsuki]

Did she rape him ?

Does it matter? I'd have told his fiance to stick a carrot up his ass and in the morning ask him about his new "boyfriend" bubba taro.

[Coligny]

Did she rape him ?

Does it matter? I'd have told his fiance to stick a carrot up his ass and in the morning ask him about his new "boyfriend" bubba taro.

For the view count yes...

Yiur carrot suggestion is soo weak... A strap on now...

[inflames]

Did she rape him ?

Does it matter? I'd have told his fiance to stick a carrot up his ass and in the morning ask him about his new "boyfriend" bubba taro.

For the view count yes...

Yiur carrot suggestion is soo weak... A strap on now...

I thought about suggesting a black dildo, which I knew they were already in possession of, but decided I didn't want to get beaten with it before it got shoved up my friends ass.

[Coligny]

That would have been pay per view gold....

Any goats around (aiming for platinum...)

[Samurai_Jerk]

Japan police urge vigilance against 'yakuza' gang violence

apanese police called Wednesday for nationwide vigilance against possible gang violence following a rift in the largest "yakuza" organised crime syndicate.

The warning came from the National Police Agency at an emergency meeting with special officers from the nation's 47 prefectures.

The Yamaguchi-gumi, regarded as Japan's biggest crime syndicate, boasts 23,000 members and associates.

Local reports have said the syndicate expelled 13 leaders of its member factions and that 11 were moving to form a new group -- which could ally with other mobsters to build a new syndicate.

[matsuki]

Like the Italian Mafia and Chinese triads, the yakuza engage in everything from gambling, drugs and prostitution to loan sharking, protection rackets and white-collar crime.

But unlike their foreign counterparts, they are not illegal and each of the designated groups have their own headquarters.

Japaneeeeeze culture etc etc etc

[Wage Slave]

Like the Italian Mafia and Chinese triads, the yakuza engage in everything from gambling, drugs and prostitution to loan sharking, protection rackets and white-collar crime.

But unlike their foreign counterparts, they are not illegal and each of the designated groups have their own headquarters.

Japaneeeeeze culture etc etc etc

I haven't taken vast interest in these guys - so I stand ready to be corrected - but isn't a big part of the reason they are so entrenched and enjoy legal status the fact that they were instrumental in establishing and policing the occupation. The fact they were fanatically anti communist/union and had troops on the ground meant that they were given a free pass by both the US and the local ruling elite . Their anti commie credentials were valued so highly that their criminality was overlooked. And that has never really changed.

[Coligny]

So, it's like Afghanistan with yaks instead of islamodirkas. Anything but the commies... With "anything" becoming a bigger threat than the commies could have been... Thanks uncle Sam... Again...

News of Osama Bin Tanaka lately ?

[matsuki]

So, it's like Afghanistan with yaks instead of islamodirkas. Anything but the commies... With "anything" becoming a bigger threat than the commies could have been... Thanks uncle Sam... Again...

News of Osama Bin Tanaka lately ?

I doubt it's quite that simple but even if it was, the whole "pachinko is not gambling" bit hits comedic proportion when the local police are advertising at the pachinko parlors.

[Wage Slave]

So, it's like Afghanistan with yaks instead of islamodirkas. Anything but the commies... With "anything" becoming a bigger threat than the commies could have been... Thanks uncle Sam... Again...

News of Osama Bin Tanaka lately ?

I doubt it's quite that simple but even if it was, the whole "pachinko is not gambling" bit hits comedic proportion when the local police are advertising at the pachinko parlors.

Do they actually say all gambling is illegal and "Pachinko is not gambling"? Or do they say "Pachinko is a legal form of gambling?" Like betting on boat races or horse races on course and at licensed outlets?

[kurogane]

Pachinko is not gambling because you only win more steelies which are then exchanged for furry mascot prizes, and the subsequent exchange of furry mascots for cash is not part of the licensed business but a private transaction between consenting adults, so no monetary reward = not gambling, and so the end result is disregarded. And like Matsuki noted, the whole farce is so comedic I think it quite endearing. Not Pachinko itself, mind. That's as toxic as crack.

[Wage Slave]

Pachinko is not gambling because you only win more steelies which are then exchanged for furry mascot prizes, and the subsequent exchange of furry mascots for cash is not part of the licensed business but a private transaction between consenting adults, so no monetary reward = not gambling, and so the end result is disregarded. And like Matsuki noted, the whole farce is so comedic I think it quite endearing. Not Pachinko itself, mind. That's as toxic as crack.

I see. So Pachinko is not legally speaking, gambling.

[wagyl]

Pachinko is not gambling because you only win more steelies which are then exchanged for furry mascot prizes, and the subsequent exchange of furry mascots for cash is not part of the licensed business but a private transaction between consenting adults, so no monetary reward = not gambling, and so the end result is disregarded. And like Matsuki noted, the whole farce is so comedic I think it quite endearing. Not Pachinko itself, mind. That's as toxic as crack.

I see. So Pachinko is not legally speaking, gambling.

Especially not now that it does not involve chance, and skill plays a very very minor part. It is entertainment/amusement, a game centre for those old enough to leave their infants in the car with the windows up while they play.

[kurogane]

No, legally not at all. In the same way that Soaplands provide a bathing service but not paid sexual gratification. Both are entertainments the whole family can enjoy.............unless addicted parents forget and leave their children locked in the car with the windows up

EDIT Wow. Just saw Wagyl's post. Synchronicity Alarms on Full...........

[matsuki]

No, legally not at all. In the same way that Soaplands provide a bathing service but not paid sexual gratification. Both are entertainments the whole family can enjoy.............unless addicted parents forget and leave their children locked in the car with the windows up

EDIT Wow. Just saw Wagyl's post. Synchronicity Alarms on Full...........

Don't get too cocky, is there ever a year without some asshole parents in the news for doing this?

[kurogane]

No, no. He was writing his reply as I was writing mine and when I posted after him I saw it was a Police song with a nasty ending. That was my only point there.

Dose poor widdle chilluns. And Pachinko is defintely sadder than drinking or drugs. Because it's Pachinko. My ex used to top up her civil service salary once or twice a month doing it. Fortunately there was a nice bar only 2 shops over, which is where I waited. Pachinko is the best reason I know why it was okay to drop the bomb.

[matsuki]

No, no. He was writing his reply as I was writing mine and when I posted after him I saw it was a Police song with a nasty ending. That was my only point there.

Dose poor widdle chilluns. And Pachinko is defintely sadder than drinking or drugs. Because it's Pachinko. My ex used to top up her civil service salary once or twice a month doing it. Fortunately there was a nice bar only 2 shops over, which is where I waited. Pachinko is the best reason I know why it was okay to drop the bomb.

LOL, one of my friends in LA has a bunch of "classic" pachinko machines "from the pier/boardwalk." Apparently it was all the rage in NA way way way back in the day.

[Samurai_Jerk]

The yakuza: Inside Japan's murky criminal underworld

Who are the yakuza?

The yakuza is a blanket term for Japan's organized crime groups: The country's mafia. They were traditionally federations of gamblers and street merchants, but while the yakuza like to tout their history as going back hundreds of years, the oldest continuous group is, author Kazuhiko Murakami estimates, probably the Aizukotetsu-kai in Kyoto, founded in the 1870s.

While many yakuza groups started as loosely run gambling associations, they really came into their own in the chaos after World War II, first running the black markets, providing gambling, and entertainment -- even managing some of Japan's top post-war stars and singers -- before moving into construction, real estate, and engaging in extortion, blackmail, and fraud. And then of course, politics .....

[BigInJapan]

I see Jake A. has made it almost to the top of CNN's front page with his "Why is Japan bracing for mob war?" story about the yaks.

The yakuza: Inside Japan's murky criminal underworld
By Jake Adelstein, for CNN

Last month, Japan's largest crime group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two main factions, potentially creating a gang war that may ultimately involve all 21 designated crime groups in Japan.

The new group, which was formally created in early September, is calling themselves the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi and is already setting up alliances with other organized crime groups. The National Police Agency says they have had an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle the crisis, and police nationwide are on alert.

The rest of the article on CNN

150915003948-japan-yakuza-finger-01-exlarge-169[1].jpg

[Samurai_Jerk]

I see Jake A. has made it almost to the top of CNN's front page with his "Why is Japan bracing for mob war?" story about the yaks.

The yakuza: Inside Japan's murky criminal underworld
By Jake Adelstein, for CNN

Last month, Japan's largest crime group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two main factions, potentially creating a gang war that may ultimately involve all 21 designated crime groups in Japan.

The new group, which was formally created in early September, is calling themselves the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi and is already setting up alliances with other organized crime groups. The National Police Agency says they have had an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle the crisis, and police nationwide are on alert.

The rest of the article on CNN

150915003948-japan-yakuza-finger-01-exlarge-169[1].jpg

That article looks familiar.

[BigInJapan]

That article looks familiar.

D'oh! I've been pulling a few all-nighters this week, so my grey cells are not quite all functioning...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Are Japan's crime clans going out of business?

Like many Japanese business leaders, Masatoshi Kumagai worries about the future. Industry conditions are changing and he must globalize. Finding capable people is difficult. Regulations are proliferating. The younger generation lacks that hungry spirit that rebuilt postwar Japan.

Yet as Mr. Kumagai eyes a security camera screen with an occasional intense, steely look, it becomes clear his is no typical corporate office.

Kumagai is in fact a yakuza crime boss, part of Japan's gang underworld. For decades, the yakuza have been seen in romantic terms for their strict codes and secret ties to business and finance, while occupying a semi-legal grey zone, mostly out of the reach of Japanese police and courts.

But today, Kumagai says, the yakuza face “the biggest change in the postwar period" as public sentiment turns against them and anti-gang laws challenge their existence.

[JAVGOD]

Haven't heard of any running gun battles in Ikebukuro or Kabukicho. Have there been?

[wuchan]

public sentiment turns against them and anti-gang laws challenge their existence.

is this the early 1980's? Should I invest in DMC?

[Russell]

Yakuza cancel Halloween trick-or-treat event for kids

Japan’s largest yakuza crime syndicate has cancelled its annual Halloween trick-or-treat event with a grovelling apology to children hoping to score a fistful of candies.

A recent high-profile split of the powerful Yamaguchi-gumi is behind the cancellation, with mobsters fearing that a gang conflict could put their pint-sized guests at risk, yakuza experts said on Thursday.

The group from the western city of Kobe traditionally holds a variety of community events, including a rice cake-making festival, and have previously invited neighborhood children to Halloween parties, where they hand out bags of sweets.

However, a notice posted on their office gate explained that the heavily tattooed gangsters would pull the plug on this year’s trick-or-treating, the Sankei newspaper reported, without clarifying why.

“The Halloween event that has taken place annually on October 31 will be canceled this year due to various reasons,” the notice read. “We regret disappointing parents and children looking forward to the event, but we promise to resume it next year.”

The Yamaguchi-gumi was rocked by internal strife last month following the defection of several top leaders who formed their own splinter group.

The split prompted police warnings of a possible repeat of a 1980s gangland bloodbath, with a series of raids and arrests made since.

A photo apparently taken last year was posted on Twitter, showing yakuza members setting tables in the group’s garage, where they had colorfully decorated bags of sweets ready for children in fancy dress.

“The Yamaguchi-gumi has split and is in tense relations with the (splinter) group,” Atsushi Mizoguchi, a freelance writer and expert on the clandestine world, told AFP.

“If they gather the neighborhood children and an incident occurs, the boss would be pursued for responsibility.”

Japan’s yakuza used to host a variety of community events, such as summer festivals, but has been forced to scale down such activities because of decreasing social tolerance for mobsters, added Mizoguchi.

Tomohiko Suzuki, another freelance writer who covers organised crime, said he was at last year’s trick-or-treat event organised by the Yamaguchi-gumi.

“There was almost no media attention last year,” he said. “But it would create havoc this year.”

More

[matsuki]

Yakuza cancel halloween for kiddies....there is soo much wrong with that.

[Samurai_Jerk]

:keyboardcoffee:

Yakuza cancel halloween for kiddies....there is soo much wrong with that.

Yeah, everyone knows Halloween is an excuse for stupid millennial broads to dress like whores.

[matsuki]

:keyboardcoffee:

Yakuza cancel halloween for kiddies....there is soo much wrong with that.

Yeah, everyone knows Halloween is an excuse for stupid millennial broads to dress like whores.

Maybe that's where to focus is at? All the hostesses and whores doing Halluiiiiiin teema this year?