Japan megabanks under scrutiny for alleged ties with Yakuza

Tokyo

FROM time to time those denizens of the Japanese underworld, the Yakuza, emerge into the limelight of publicity, but nowadays this rarely has to do with anything as sordid as gangland fights or vice rings and is more likely to be concerned with what might be termed "white-collar" crime.

This is the case now with Japan's three megabanks, (Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group), all coming under investigation by Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) for their alleged lending to Yakuza gangs or syndicates.