Yakuza ( Japanese: ヤクザ, IPA: English: / j ə ˈ k uː z ə, ˈ j æ k uː z ə/), also known as gokudō ( 極道, 'the extreme path', IPA: ), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. Varied, including illegitimate businesses, an array of criminal and non-criminal activities. Primarily Japanese occasionally Koreans and Japanese Americans Primarily Japan, particularly, Kantō/ Tokyo, Kansai, and Chūbu also internationally in, South Korea, Australia, and the Western United States ( Hawaii and California) (presumed to have originated from the Kabukimono)
