Yamaguchi-gumi

Also known as Yamaguchigumi, Rokudaime Yamaguchi-gumi, 六代目山口組

is Japan's largest yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.

Key facts

Criminal organization.activities: Arms trafficking, assassinations, bid rigging, blackmail, bookmaking, contract killing, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, human trafficking, illegal gambling, Internet pornography, loansharking, match fixing, money laundering, murder, prostitution, racketeering, securities fraud, sōkaiya, and infiltration of legitimate businesses
Criminal organization.allies: Inagawa-kaiSoai-kaiMatsuba-kaiKyōsei-kaiAizukotetsu-kaiToa-kaiFukuhaku-kaiGōda-ikkaShinwa-kai
Criminal organization.rivals: Kobe Yamaguchi-gumiKizuna-kaiIkeda-gumi
Criminal organization.name: Yamaguchi-gumi
Criminal organization.image: Yamabishi.svg
Criminal organization.caption: , the daimon of the Yamaguchi-gumi
Criminal organization.founder: Harukichi Yamaguchi
Criminal organization.founding_location: Kobe, Japan
Criminal organization.years_active: 1915–present
Criminal organization.territory: Primarily based in Kobe but has territory all over Japan, including in Nagoya, Tokyo and Hawaii, United States

Article

11 sections

Contents

History
Relief support after disasters
Newsletter
Assassination of Iccho Itoh
Decline in membership
Split in 2015
Activities
Leadership
Sanctions
In popular culture
References

is Japan's largest yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.

Once one of the largest criminal organizations in the world, the group's membership has declined considerably since its heyday in the 1960s. According to the National Police Agency, it had 3,300 active members at the end of 2024.