TOKYO (TR) – The National Police Agency (NPA) said last week that the number of gang members nationwide has fallen below 20,000 for the first time, reports Fuji News Network (Apr. 3).
On April 3, the NPA said that the number of gang members nationwide decreased to 18,800 as of the end of 2024. The figure is the lowest since records started being kept in 1958.
Meanwhile, the number of arrests of yakuza members was 8,249, a decrease of about 1,300 from the previous year.
The number of gang members connected to syndicates totaled 9,900, down 500 from the previous year. The number of non-syndicated gangsters was 8,900, down 1,100. Both figures were under 10,000 for the first time.
Japan’s largest gang, the Yamaguchi-gumi, saw a decrease in membership of 500 to 6,900. Meanwhile, the Sumiyoshi-kai experienced a drop by 300 members to 3,200 and membership in the Inagawa-kai fell to 2,800, a decrease of 100.
The number of gang members has continued to decline since peaking at 184,100 in 1963. The decline accelerated after the Anti-Organized Crime Law was enacted in 1992. The National Police Agency attributes this decline to intensified crackdowns and efforts to eliminate gangs from society.
Meanwhile, the number of arrests of members of anonymous, mobile crime groups exceeded that for gang members, the NPA said. Members of such groups post offers of “high-paying” jobs on social media and other sites. These offers often lead to robberies of elderly persons in residential areas.
