Shadows and Lights Pioneered by Violent Exclusion Early 2010s

Shadows and Lights Pioneered by Violent Exclusion Early 2010s


In the 2010s, the trend toward eliminating gangs permeated every corner of Japanese society. The combination of economic stagnation, public insecurity, and changing public awareness made the severing of ties with gangs an unavoidable challenge for both local communities and business activities. Symbolic of this trend were the Gang Exclusion Ordinance and the five-year rule for ex-boryokudan.

The five-year rule made it virtually impossible for ex-gang members to open bank accounts and other contracts during the first five years after leaving the gang. By blocking the ability to support the foundations of daily life, such as employment, housing, and telecommunications contracts, the gang members and their families were forced into a state of isolation, as if they were cut off from the local community. The document states that financial institutions, in cooperation with the National Police Agency's database, intensified their operations to exclude eligible persons, and there were a number of cases of people being stuck in job training and job search activities. The document also describes how the five-year rule made it difficult to open bank accounts and sign various contracts, making it impossible to maintain a basic livelihood.

The atmosphere in society at the time was tense, and individuals and businesses that had contacts with gangsters were subjected to harsh scrutiny. While the ordinance played a major role in realizing a "society of disengagement," it also had the contradictory effect of making it difficult for those who had left gangs to find their way back into society. It has been pointed out that there is little room for individual circumstances, and comprehensive rejection based solely on past history runs the risk of causing recidivism and undergrounding.

The lack of social rehabilitation support was viewed as a problem by criminologists, support groups, and lawyers, and became the basis for later discussions. While thorough enforcement of the anti-riot law contributes to maintaining public safety, closing the road to recovery for those who have lost the foundation of their lives creates a different form of anxiety in society as a whole.

Against this backdrop, new attempts to support displaced persons gradually sprouted, and local governments and private organizations began to provide employment support and counseling, but institutional guarantees were weak and successes were still limited. The Riot Ordinance and the five-year rule for ex-gangsters brought not only progress in eliminating gangs, but also another major reality: barriers to social rehabilitation and institutional fatigue.

Recent media reports have pointed out that after the implementation of the riot ordinance, the number of gangs has been on a significant downward trend since around 2010, while the expansion of semi-gangster groups has become a social problem. The impact of the ordinance on the social structure was not limited to mere security measures, but also provided an opportunity to question the very nature of ethics and safety in Japanese society.