TOKYO, Mar 24 (NNN-NHK) – The number of members and associate members of yakuza crime syndicates, investigated by police in 2022, fell below 10,000 for the first time, since Japan enacted the anti-organiSed crime law in 1991, police data showed yesterday.
The figure dropped to 9,903 in 2022, down 1,832 from the previous year, reflecting a drop in crime syndicate membership itself, according to the National Police Agency.
Of the investigations, 21.6 percent were related to a suspected violation of the Stimulants Control Act, followed by 14.4 percent to fraud, 11.5 percent to physical assault and 8.6 percent to theft.
Data also showed that, the total number of individuals linked to yakuza groups came to a record low of around 22,400, as of the end of last year, down for the 18th consecutive year.
The average age of all gang members stood at 54.2 years, up 6.8 years from a decade earlier. Those in their 20s or younger accounted for less than six percent, the data showed.– NNN-NHK
