Yakuza

Yakuza (Japanese: ヤクザ, IPA: [jaꜜkɯza]), known also as gokudō (極道, "the extreme path", IPA: [gokɯꜜdoː]), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates in Japan.

Yakuza
Yakuza members displaying their status at Sanja Matsuri
Founded	17th century (presumed to have originated from the Kabukimono)
Membership	more than 200,000 members[1]
Criminal activities	Varied, including illegitimate businesses

Yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai (chivalrous organizations) which the Japanese media and police call them bōryokudan (violence group). They are the world's largest criminal organization and have about 103,000 members.^[2][3] The three biggest Yakuza families are Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai, and Inagawa-kai. During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, they opened their offices to help refugees and sent dozens of trucks with supplies to affected areas.^[4]