Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Upstart gangsters shake Japan's yakuza
AFP, Published on 19/12/2025
» TOKYO - When Takanori Kuzuoka began climbing the criminal career ladder, he didn't fancy joining Japan's old-school yakuza, with their tattoos, rigid hierarchy and codes of honour.
Rare woman yakuza on path to redemption in Japan
AFP, Published on 16/10/2025
» GIFU — A missing fingertip offers a clue to Mako Nishimura's criminal past as one of Japan's few women yakuza. But after clawing her way out of the underworld, she now spends her days helping other retired gangsters reintegrate into society.
Japan’s Sega eyes return to 1990s gaming glory
AFP, Published on 17/07/2025
» TOKYO - The big-screen success of the 1990s video game speedster “Sonic the Hedgehog” has brought new fans to Sega, which says it is poised for a comeback after two tough decades.
'Love for humanity': Low-crime Japan's unpaid parole officers
AFP, Published on 22/01/2025
» TOKYO - Teruko Nakazawa once intervened in a knife fight between an ex-offender and their mother -- all in a day's unpaid work for Japan's army of volunteer probation officers.
'Not proud at all': Japan's army struggles to recruit
AFP, Published on 11/10/2023
» TOKYO - A recent open day at a Japanese military base near Tokyo was a fun family outing but, despite the games and snacks, the army recruitment stand was bereft of visitors.
Tattoos still give Japan the needle as Olympics loom
AFP, Published on 17/12/2018
» TOKYO - When Mana Izumi got her first tattoo at 18, she wasn't trying to rebel or shatter any taboos -- just copy Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro's beach-bronze "surfer chick" look.