Al Jazeera feature – Battling the Yakuza

The Yakuza are criminal groups and organizations based in Japan. Their origin can be traced back hundreds of years and there has been a massive crackdown on Yakuza in Japan recently. As a foreigner I know very little about Yakuza but as a Japan enthusiast I have read about and watched a lot material related to the Yakuza. Some of the material paint the Yakuza in a  negative light while others praise and revere them. This duplicity and varying opinion has fascinated me over the years.

Al Jazeera has done an excellent feature on the Yakuza that explains a everything from the origin of their name to investigating the recent crackdown on such groups in Japan. It makes for a fascinating watch. Watch the video (embedded) below and share your feedback via comments or on twitter @Jamaipanese

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