In Tokyo bay, police divers haul heavily tattooed body parts out of the water - "heads, lower body parts and two left ankles have been found". This is what happens to those who cross the Yakuza. Yet it's not illegal to be a member and police have no powers to wiretap, plea bargain or offer witness protection. "In the old days they protected the weak from the strong. Today Yakuza live as pimps. They use cocaine, threaten people, and extort money", says Gijin Kobayashi.

After a lifetime with the Yakuza, years of cocaine-fuelled violence and a lengthy stretch in jail, Gijin has sought absolution as a Buddhist monk. He was lucky to escape the Yakuza's notorious vengeance. Celebrities, journalists and politicians have all felt the Yakuza's wrath. And they go to any lengths to maintain their power in Japan's society. "There are no rules when it comes to the Yakuza doing business", says former Yakuza gangster and convicted killer, Shinji Ishihara, "they'll do anything to make money". Japan's organised crime chief has acknowledged the Yakuza's stake in child pornography. Yet this sordid mob is still going strong, tainting Japan's national image.