need to add title here

Yakuza

November 1, 2009 5:00 PM

How does a foreigner jump the line in America for a life-saving transplant? It might be because he is a high-ranking member of Japan's Mafia, whose influence is worldwide. Lara Logan reports.

Yakuza: Japan's Not-So-Secret Mafia
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by mandini76 September 10, 2010 6:43 PM EDT
The families of the guys who were No. 2 and No. 5 on the list should sue UCLA.
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by rickisjourney November 29, 2009 8:45 PM EST
UCLA Denied me a transplant evaluation because of my Medi-cal...I am a 28 year old mother of a 3 year old, wife, daughter (and freakin' tax payer) and UCLA repeatedly asked on how I would afford my "medical share of cost" Asked if I still wanted a transplant! I am a 15 on the MELD and UCLA basically said to me and my family....You don't have enough money to live (according to OUR board) Luckily USC thinks differently!! THANKS USC FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE! I have been fighting sickness since childhood, but still want to live... THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT USC AND THE GENEROSITY OF DONORS! DON'T LET THIS DISCOURAGE YOU... THERE ARE PLENTY OF US THAT DO DESERVE YOUR ORGANS WHEN GOD TAKES YOU TO HEAVEN! PLEASE DON'T TAKE 'EM WITH YOU!! BE A HERO. BE A DONOR. Get the facts on organ donation~~UCLA SUCKS~~ Ricki
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by doubtingthomas28 November 23, 2009 1:17 PM EST
Here's a more realistic yakuza "confession." It gets a little bit more about what the yakuza are really like.
http://metropolis.co.jp/features/feature/vice-guy/
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by Aonghas_Crowe November 16, 2009 4:54 PM EST
There are a number of inaccuracies in the report about yakuza which have already been mentioned above. Anyone interested in learning more about the life of a gangster might want to read a cracking good book called "Confessions of a Yakuza" by Junichi Saga (translated by John Bester).

You can read excerpts of it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Life-Japans-Underworld/dp/4770019483

My own zany experiences with yakuza are detailed in brief here:
http://aonghascrowe.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/bubbles/
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by Aonghas_Crowe November 16, 2009 4:53 PM EST
There are a number of inaccuracies in the report about yakuza which have already been mentioned above. Anyone interested in learning more about the life of a gangster might want to read a cracking good book called "Confessions of a Yakuza" by Junichi Saga (translated by John Bester).

You can read excerpts of it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Life-Japans-Underworld/dp/4770019483

My own zany experiences with yakuza are detailed in brief here:
http://aonghascrowe.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/bubbles/
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by kimiwabaka November 15, 2009 3:14 AM EST
While the portion of the story that relates to Organ transplants and corruption maybe true, but many of the claims Adelstein makes about the Yakuza and even tattoos is off base (read BS). He tells you about the typical Yakuza BS they put in the movies that isn't quite the way it really is in real life. Even the "tracing their roots to the Samurai" thing is crap. It's hard for me to judge how much truth the rest of the story holds when it starts off with lies. The story also fails to tell you that Tadamasa Goto is now studying to be a buddhist priest, and there likely is no "hit out" on Adelstein anymore if there ever was one. Do you really think the "John Goti" of the Yakuza couldn't kill a single American reporter in Japan if he really wanted to?

I'm amazed 60 minutes didn't do any fact checking first.
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by FriteCH November 10, 2009 3:23 AM EST
Why didn't the FBI get the information BEFORE this man received his transplant? 10% of the info expected is pretty pathetic. What influence did it have on his jump in line?
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by RAGGEE November 7, 2009 10:56 AM EST
What a story.thank you 60mns. TO JAKE:PLEASE LEAVE THE COUNTRY.look,it's not worthy.think about it.your life vs this thugs who can infiltrate the us justice system and the ucla donar program,how long will it take for them to get inside the japanese police?there are not even prosecuting this thug and his partners who are day & night criminals for life. I JUST HOPE YOUR SAFE.
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by hgarner2000 November 4, 2009 12:22 PM EST
This story is quite an eye opener. I'm a pretty big fan of Japan, but I didn't realize the Yakuza were still that pervasive. My understanding was that crime gangs are on the wane. The Japanese police force is very competent and mobsters aren't able to generate the extortion revenues they used to (there's still plenty of revenue coming from the drug trade I'll bet). Also, they having're recruiting problems. Japan has a strong youth culture and the so called traditionalism of the Yakuza gangs no longer have the same appeal. Also,and check this, a missing finger is a sign of having left a gang, not being punished while in one. I do believe this is something that not all bosses do, although the ones in this story certainly would.
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by bookishwithglasses November 4, 2009 11:51 AM EST
So I just finished reading this guy's book -- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan -- and it's pretty... well, for lack of a better word, it was crazy. Like, 'holy-oh-my-god, i can't believe that this is even real~!'

He talks a lot about the yakuza, and the Goto liver debacle, and I am amazed that he's still alive, after all this, because the liver thing is just the tip of the iceberg!!!

I'm happy he's doing the reporting (and writing!), because there's no way any sane person would!
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