Yakuza group membership falls for 15th straight year

The total membership of yakuza crime syndicates in Japan decreased for the 15th straight year to hit a record low in 2019, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The total membership is on the steady decline after marking 87,000 in 2004.
As of the end of 2019, Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest yakuza group, had 8,900 members, followed by Sumiyoshi-kai with 4,500 members and Inagawa-kai with 3,400.
Members of Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, a splinter group established by those who broke away from Yamaguchi-gumi, totaled 3,000.
Yamaguchi-gumi and Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi were designated as crime syndicates subject to tough restrictions after they caused a series of incidents related to the split.