The crime syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi promises to stop fighting against different breakaway groups. They will not "cause more problems", they state in a written promise to the authorities.
After several former members broke away from the Kobe-based syndicate in 2015, a bloody gang war has claimed several lives.
The Japanese yakuza has existed in the public eye for over 100 years and is often described as having a silent agreement with the surrounding society. Unlike the Italian mafia and the Chinese triads, they are not illegal in themselves, but are monitored by the authorities since they traditionally support themselves through various types of criminality.
Yamaguchi-gumi's activities include everything from arms smuggling and extortion to drug trafficking and murder.
