The YAKUZA in HAWAII - Crime & Shady Business in the ALOHA STATE

Hawaii, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, owes a good chunk of its thriving tourism industry to none other than the Japanese, who have been obsessed with the pacific island state of Hawaii for a long, long time.

In 2019, just before the pandemic hit, Hawaii welcomed a staggering one and a half million Japanese visitors who spent a total of $2.2 billion on its islands… more money per capita than any other nationality spent while on vacation in Hawaii!

And who could blame ‘em? After all, we are talking about the Aloha State here, home to some of the world’s most famous beaches, the Diamond Head, Hula dancing and just flat-out good vibes all around… or, for the most part.

More than half a century ago, during the hopeful years following the second world war, criminals of all different kinds of ethnic backgrounds rapidly started to flood Hawaii: The Italian-American Mafia, the Chinese Triads, and… you know where this is going… the Yakuza.

So, get you a cold drink and put on some sunglasses & your Aloha shirts as we take a trip to the pacific island state to explore not only how crime first found its way there and how the Yakuza, among fierce competition, basically ran the whole show for a while, but also how Japan’s developed a close relationship with Hawaii, starting more than 150 years ago!

This is the history of Hawaii, Japan & the Yakuza!


PATREON:   / anikihistory  


#yakuza #hawaii #crime


SOURCES:

Book: "Sunny Skies, Shady Characters: Cops, Killers, and Corruption in the Aloha State" by James Dooley

Book: "Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld" by Alec Dubro and David E. Kaplan

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro
02:45 - Hawaii & Japan
08:38 - Local Crime in Hawaii
12:22 - The Yakuza
20:56 - Shady Investments
29:47 - Outro