A set of revised organized crime ordinances went into effect on Oct. 1 in Roppongi, Kabukicho, Shibuya and 26 other designated special districts in Tokyo.
Under the law, any individual or group in these districts who pays protection money to anti-social forces ¡ª crime syndicates, among others ¡ª faces up to a year in jail and/or a fine of ?50,000. It¡¯s now officially a crime to pay off crime syndicates and police are promising that punishment will be swift.
¡°The primary objective of the new rules isn¡¯t to punish people who give money to the yakuza, it¡¯s to make it easier for merchants to refuse to make those payments,¡± a detective who has dealt with organized crime for 20 years told me on condition of anonymity. ¡°They now have a very good excuse.¡±
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