FUKUOKA (TR) – In spite of a recent fall in organized crime membership, Fukuoka Prefectural Police on Monday released a manga comic to discourage participation in yakuza gangs, reports the Nishi Nippon Shimbun (Oct. 27).
As a sequel to a similar title issued in January of last year, “I Did Not Expect This To Happen 2” chronicles a down-and-out gang member who faces a public that is increasingly turning against him and concern from his family at home.
The yakuza protagonist drinks at hostess clubs and plays pachinko while his wife and child wait at home.
He is able to obtain some money through loan sharking, but he finds the work unsatisfying. Other lower-rung gangsters make money through blackmail and illegal drugs — all of which goes to the upper bosses.
Seemingly trapped, the gangster decides to quit for the sake of his family but his gang’s oyabun (boss) demands a large sum of money as a means of compensation. He then begins looking for another way out.
Such a scenario appears to be getting more common in the real world.
In January, Fukuoka police cited intensified anti-organized crime laws as a reason for a substantial drop in membership for the Kudo-kai, the largest gang in Kyushu, whose ranks have fallen by 30 percent over the last five years.
At the end of 2013, the Kudo-kai, whose headquarters is located in Kitakyushu, had 950 members and associate members, a decrease of 400 from that of 2008.
However, Kudo-kai members have been involved in a series of high-profile arrests over the past two months.
In September, police apprehended the gang’s top-two bosses, Satoru Nomura and Fumio Tanoue, for participation in the murder of a fishery cooperative president in the city of Kitakyushu in 1998.
Earlier this month, officers arrested the gang’s top-three bosses for involvement in the stabbing of a nurse last year.
Included at the end of “I Did Not Expect This To Happen 2” are statements from former gang members who are pleased to have made a break from a life of crime.
One 26-year-old ex-yakuza was tired of living with no money and freedom. His boss told him he would track him down if he quit but he felt he had to move on considering that his wife was pregnant.
The yakuza member subsequently sought help at an anti-gangster consultation center, whereby he received advice on becoming a regular civilian. He now works in the construction industry laying tile flooring.
“I was relieved to be able to leave the yakuza world safely,” said the former mobster. “Sometimes the work is tough, but I have a constant income, and now, with a baby, I can enjoy my time.”
