ABOUT
Martina Baradel
I have been researching Japanese organised crime for the past five years. My interest started when I was an undergraduate and I met a group of yakuza on a beach in Japan: we played with fireworks and then they talked to me about their lifestyle (at least that's what I thought they were talking about... my Japanese was not so good at the time). When I got back from Japan I wanted to know more, but I soon noticed there was (is) a lack of books on the topic. A few years later, after having hanged out at the most decrepit bars of the Japanese countryside and met a few more interesting people, I started a PhD on this neglected aspect of Japanese society. I did fieldwork in Japan with ex and current yakuza members, bosses, researchers, journalists and academics to understand the current situation of the syndicates. This website aims to bring news about the yakuza and other aspects of Japanese underground to a wider audience.
ACADEMIC ARTICLES
If you're not only into facts but also into theory, here you can find my most recent academic articles.
CONFERENCES AND TALKS
Find past and future academic presentations, or the upcoming public talk on the yakuza.
MEDIA LINKS
Links to other pages in which I write and to yakuza videos with an English description.