Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld Paperback – October 22, 2012

Bought for husband since he's been playing video game series featuring this group. He's really enjoying the book. Seems to be pretty fascinating.

While an outstanding piece of work, it is not a new book. Updated information from the original 1980s was added. If you want to learn about these distinct criminals it is hard to find a better source. Well researched (with the endnotes and bibliography to confirm) and with enough stories to prevent it from becoming boring, it keeps the reader engaged. I am only a civilian and was enlightened by this work. I do not have any degrees in history or literature, so can only review based on being a simple reader. I found it a very good read.

I love this book. It's crime reporting at its finest, mixing history with sociology and bringing the reader up to speed. To a point, at least - the updated version of this book is almost ten years old. Nonetheless, if you want to know a good hundred plus years of history, explaining the integration of Yakuza into virtually every aspect of political, business, and personal life in Japan. Not many books on organized crime are this thorough and this interesting at the same time. This is definitely required reading for students of organized crime, criminology, and Japanese culture.Now how about another update, guys?

Excellent book. I read a selection preview online and decided to purchase. I have not been dissatisfied the least. It is well written and engaging, drawing the reader forward. These are rare qualities for a history book. It reads as a series of interesting facts and details that flow cohesively to draw the reader forward through time. It goes beyond a history of the organization as well. Anyone with an interest in Japanese culture in general should read this book, as it portrays information in a way that makes somewhat advanced cultural concepts understandable to a novice level reader with only a general knowledge of Japanese history. Worth the buy. Worth the read. Worth the shelf space as a future conversation piece.

This is a very good book. The first 3/4 of the book is really well done. The last 1/4 isn't as well written. If your interested in the big picture of organized crime in Japan this is the book for you.

Was expecting more from this book. If you are new to the Yakuza this book may be for you, but if you are already well informed you will find this book more on the entry level of the organizations. There should have been more and more in-depth information of how wide spread things are among the greatest companies in Japan.

I was looking for a book that could teach me about the Yakuza, and this is the best one I have found. This book contains the history and origins of the Yakuza, until the modern Yakuza.I have been impressed, and probably you too, about how the Yakuza operate, and how they are perceived by the japanese population. And this is exactly the best part of this book, at least for me. It talks not only about the Yakuza, but HOW they are related with the society, politics, police, media, among other things. It is just incredible, and if you want to know this hidden side of Japan, then buy it right away. Also, it has a very cool cover :) (Paperback version)The reason I did not give 5 starts to this book its because it gets boring sometimes. Too much political history with a lot of names a few times. But, thats just me. If you like that kind of read, then you will like it even more than me. Great book.

I have read about half-way through the book so far, and I must say that it is absolutely packed with facts and interesting information about Japan's criminal underworld. I can't even begin to imagine how much work must have been done to put together a book this big about the Yakuza. Great purchase for anyone who is interested in learning everything known about Yakuza.