Editor's Note: This piece is part of an ongoing series on organized crime worldwide. The Yakuza Criminal activity in Japan has been controlled by the Yakuza clans for more than 400 years. First operating as gamblers and vendors on the black market, the Yakuza have since branched out domestically and internationally. Their scope now expands into nearly every possible industry — from arms dealing and prostitution to the financial and Internet sectors. For the most part, the Yakuza have managed to elude police, and their civilian casualty rates are low when compared to other organized crime groups. But the primary threat they pose lies in their ability to corrupt economic institutions and their reliance on physical intimidation to negotiate deals.