July 16, 2018

“What Is Anti-Social Force?” The term ‘anti-social forces’ (反社会的勢力) is officially used by the Japanese government. It refers to the organized crime groups (Japanese Mafia = Boryokudan/yakuza) and their members, corporate racketeers, and groups that have the potential for violence or social unrest. It sometimes includes serial fraudsters, as well. ‘Anti-social forces’ is the euphemistic term for ‘organized crime syndicates.’ However, it is not clear why officials use this euphemistic