Nicholas Erin
Police are planning to stop handing the sweets of kids out this Halloween, but only because the gifts come from the yakuza, the biggest underworld organization in Japan.
Yamaguchi-gumi gang members, based in the western port city of Kobe, have been distributing Halloween candy to local children most years since 2013.
But local police, concerned about a possible turf war between the yakuza factions in Kobe, are preparing to submit a bill to the prefecture’s legislature that would ban yakuza members from giving money and gifts to children under 18 years if passed.
In previous years, children dressed in Halloween costumes have descended on the Yamaguchi-gumi HQ, where gang members would hand out colorfully decorated bags of candy and snacks.
The event is thought to be an attempt by 105-year-old organisation to soften its image in response to stricter anti-gang laws and concern about public safety following a bitter split within its ranks.
The tactic seems to have had the opposite effect, since last September the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly had already approved a directive on the undesirability of such contacts, and now the assembly will have to consider a special bill.
If this bill is passed, the new law will prohibit gang members from admitting children into their premises or coming into contact with them. Professional criminals will face up to six months in prison or a maximum fine of ¥ 500,000 (about $ 4,700) for breaking this law.
Sergey Stankevich
Lucy Dickerson
