Japanese gangsters: the secrets of the Yakuza

For writer Richard Flanagan, the political belief that white Australians do not belong in this land is wrong and it's damaging any progress we might hope to make as a collective people.Richard has spent the last 30 years writing award-winning pieces of fiction and non-fiction, ta ...  Show more

Award-winning Australian author, poet and essayist David Malouf died last week at the age of 92, he spoke with Richard in 2014.The first son of a Lebanese family, David spent his early years in South Brisbane, his vivid memories of life as it was then are captured in his classics ...  Show more

Once a street orphan, Kazuo Taoka rose to become Japan’s most feared yakuza boss—transforming the Yamaguchi-gumi into a criminal empire that blended blood, business, and showbiz. Here's how. Sponsor:shopify.com/casual - start your $1 per month trial today Learn more about your ad ...  Show more

In part two of our Yakuza deep dive, we plot their post-war rise from hustlers to corporate raiders - and a smack back down to earth. There are wars, kamikaze assassinations, CIA stings and the growth of the Yamaguchi-gumi, a mob so powerful it has its logo on the door. Learn mor ...  Show more

The Yakuza trace their lineage back to the 18th century samurai, left masterless following political upheaval, who turned to lives of crime. After centuries, the Yakuza is still going strong, following both tradition and new avenues of illicit revenue.

You may have seen the news last week, about a Yakuza boss caught in Bangkok trying to sell nuclear material to a fake Iranian general. Takeshi Ebisawa and a group of co-conspirators are behind bars, awaiting extradition to the US, the dopes in a sting operation that could’ve been ...  Show more