Kort Explores conundrums of the human condition

Japan is often used as an example of the "benefits" of firearm prohibitions. But I think there is a factor in the Japanese situation that is underappreciated in the west. The Japanese have in effect franchised both the commission and control of crime to their own version of the mafia, the Yakuza. Organized crime is such an accepted part of Japanese life that both business and government routinely pay the extortion demanded for protection for nearly any undertaking. Extortion payments are even recognized as a legitimate business expense.

One of the critical factors in the post war expansion of the Yakuza was the disarming of the citizens by the government so they are unable to individually resist the activities of the mob. Even though firearms are entirely illegal for lawful citizens to possess, the Yakuza have never wanted for all the guns needed for their criminal activities.

The Yakuza have operated for over 300 years in Japan, frustrating the efforts of even the American Occupation forces after WWII. The Japanese government has only recently initiated modest efforts to rein in the Yakuza.

The semiofficial recognition of the "right" of only the mafia to commit crimes has a significant effect on the sort of free-lance criminals that commit most violent crimes against individuals. Unlike the official police who are legally restrained in what they can do, the mob thugs routinely employ intimidation, beatings, and even murder in their efforts to discourage competitors intruding on their turf. If you want to commit crime in Japan, you'd better belong to the gang that holds the franchise. The mob thugs protecting their exclusive right to commit crimes could care less about civil liberties and due process - all they're interested in are effective results. Do what they say or really nasty things will happen to you, your relatives, your pets, what ever it takes.

Just as in the US, the Japanese mafia avoids stirring up public outrage by concentrating its criminal activities in the highly profitable areas of drugs, extortion, gambling, prostitution, etc. The net result is that crime is concentrated in less visible aspects of everyday life, and provides an illusion of a safe and "crime free" nation. The disarming of the Japanese citizenry has nothing to do with the apparent crime rate, and everything to do with surrendering the very concept of rights and justice to the criminals.