Neighbours oust Japanese gang in court action

HAVING one Japanese gang headquartered in their neighbourhood was bad enough. When a rival mob tried to move in, neighbours did something that was once almost unthinkable.

They organised, called the cops, went to court to evict the newcomers and won.

Japanese gangsters, known as yakuza, once operated from well-marked offices, often with signs out front and symbols of their trade such as lanterns and samurai swords visible through the windows. Yakuza – the word means good-for-nothing – were even romanticised as noble outlaws with a code of honour. That is evaporating, however.