Yakuza in Recession?

So a Twitter friend of mine Misspentlife asked me to post some information on the Japanese Mafia, in response to a question I asked twitter friends. I asked my twitter friends what they though would be interesting topics for a blog post and Misspentlife wanted to know what the Yakuza were up to these days. Well, I can tell they have been hit hard by economic crisis, and management has been thinning out the ranks in an attempt to save themselves.



I didn't realise that even the Japanese Mafia would have to downsize.
In an article found on News.com, former yakuza member, Taro Hiramatsu(who was unceremoniously kicked out last year.) stated

The yakuza have been hit by the financial crisis because they've invested in the stock market among other things. For yakuza today, money buys everything, including senior positions.

It seems the yakuza are leaving their old ways behind for new corporate ones, which doesn't bode well for the organization with this economy. Taro Hiramatsu stated that,

In the past, your rank was decided on courage and the sacrifices you made to the group, including being ready to give up your life,

Now it seems it's all about the money, but when the money starts to run out.. You end up like Taro and get the boot!It may be time for gangsters to dust off their ancient code of ethics.When asked about this topic in the article, Hiramatsu responds,
I think that a majority of yakuza are reflecting on whether throwing away traditional for capitalist-style values was the best thing to do,"
"Bushido, the yakuza's samurai spirit, is disappearing. The disappearance of those values is not only bad for yakuza but for Japan as a whole."

Will be interesting to see if the Yakuza can pull themselves back together.. or will the yakuza become an endangered species? :-o