Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.

Its current kumichō (Boss), Shinobu Tsukasa, has declared an expansionist policy—even making inroads into Tokyo, traditionally not Yamaguchi turf.

[8][9] The Yamaguchi-gumi also provided relief in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami by opening its offices to the public and by sending supplies to affected areas.

The publication bridges communication gaps and includes articles on the group's opinion and traditions, as well as columns on angling, with an editorial section written by Kenichi Shinoda.

On January 14, 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Hiroki Sakata, a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, in connection with a scam in 2018 where the damage was worth 60 million yen ($475,059 US dollars in 2022).

[citation needed] After the death of Taoka, the heir apparent, wakagashira Kenichi Yamamoto (kumichō of the Yamaken-gumi), was serving a prison sentence.

One of the other contenders, Hiroshi Yamamoto (kumichō of the Yamahiro-gumi), broke away from Yamaguchi-gumi with many of its powerful members and more than 3,000 of its soldiers to form the Ichiwa-kai.

The Yama-Ichi War ended with the retirement of Hiroshi Yamamoto, which was arbitrated by one of the most respected bosses, Seijo Inagawa.

Tsukasa was imprisoned in December 2005 for illegal gun possession, and was released in April 2011 after serving nearly six years in jail.

[22][23] In February 2012 the U.S. Treasury Department announced a freeze on American-owned assets controlled by the organization and its top two leaders.

[24] The Obama administration imposed sanctions on the Yamaguchi-gumi as one of four key transnational organized crime groups, along with the Brothers' Circle from Russia, the Camorra from Italy, and Los Zetas from Mexico.