2003 JAPAN LAW: CRIMINAL “BUSINESS”
Keywords: Criminal Law, Yakuza
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved Attorney Roderick H. Seeman
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In what can hardly be called the typical case of an employer being held liable for the actions of its employees, in October 2003 the Osaka High Court held the leader of one of Japan’s leading criminal gangs - yakuza - specifically the Yamaguchi Gumi liable for the death of a Kyoto policeman. The High Court awarded damages of 80 million yen against the leader of the gang and the three members who carried out the act. The Court noted that disputes, or making trouble, was the essential business of these gangs, thus this was not a private act.