BuddhaJones
HOME | ABOUT | MOBILE | RSS | WHAT IS NICHIREN BUDDHISM? | HOW TO USE THIS SITE

Soka Gakkai connected to Yakuza organized crime?

by: mroaks

Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 20:24:51 PM MST


Investigative reporter Jake Adelstein is on the hit list of Japanese mafia. Anyone who has encountered the dark side of Soka will see some similarities between his experience and the experience of those who dare criticize SGI:

Indirect threats, vulnerable sources and family members, and inadequate support from law enforcement in the form of programs like witness protection, are all factors that make the yakuza danger intangible and hard to combat. Adelstein identifies the yakuza's preferred form of retaliation, which, he says, is usually a disappearance or apparent suicide. He tells me of his survival strategy: "You make it clear you won't kill yourself."

In Tokyo Vice, Adelstein's source tells him the story of Japanese director Juzo Itami, whose 1992 film Minbo no onna satirized organized crime. Itami was apparently planning a new movie about Goto's yakuza faction and its relationship with the religious group Soka Gakkai.

"Goto wasn't happy about that," Adelstein's source told him. "A gang of five of his people grabbed Itami and made him jump off a rooftop at gunpoint. That's how he committed suicide."

Anyone surprised to see Soka Gakkai linked to organized crime and forced "suicide"?

mroaks :: Soka Gakkai connected to Yakuza organized crime?
Tags: (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
Schadenfraude
 
Anyone surprised to see Soka Gakkai linked to organized crime and forced "suicide"?

The nature of many organizations, once it is deemed more valuable than than the people who compose it by the people who control it, seems to be one of self preservation at the cost of those who support it. Democratic Senator Evan Bayh

http://www.channel4.com/news/a...

and Republican Senator Jim Campell

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

both recently expressed frustration over the systems' failure to address issues other than partisanship. And it's not a new thing to view congress as broken;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.futurecasts.com/boo...

That being said, without any knowledge of specific deeds, I've read the article. Your statement not up to your usual quality. It is a supposition, invoking a presumed response from a faction of readers, and hyperbole. The article does connect one organization to another. You yourself, however, made the leap and connected the Soka Gakkai with Japanese mafia style murder, which the article does not. I have a continuing relationship with the SGI-USA, which is in turn run by the Soka Gakkai in Japan. I have not had any relationship with the Japanese mafia. I hope I never do. But from what I've read, they seem the more straightforward of the two.


Yakuza
As far as I can tell, that passage you indicated in bold pertains to Adelstein's book Tokyo Vice, which is a novel if I am not mistaken. (??) It's fictional.

I have heard conspiracy theories linking SGI and yakuza -- just google it -- but as we know, that doesn't make it factual.

Speaking of conspiracy theories, there were some in SGI who claimed that Nichiren Shoshu functionaries had hired yakuza to kill Ikeda for millions of yen. I found a reference to this accusation here, but the link is very slow:
www.sokaspirit.com/content/darkness-before-dawn/part_02.html

The SGI-yakuza thing is one of those conspiracy theories that I'm inclined to believe based absolutely no proof. Why? Because I do honestly think that SGI is ruthless in pursuing "enemies" -- witness their endless war on Nichiren Shoshu.

Every now and then I get a "friendly" phone call or e-mail from someone I used to practice with in SGI. I have made it known to all that I am no longer interested in any kind of involvement with SGI, but members still call me "just to check in." No, this is not violent or anything close to it, but it is incredibly creepy to me. It's like they never stop keeping tabs on members and ex-members. It's like they're saying, "We know where you live."

Shudder.


Yakuza
incredibly creepy

Big Love

[ Parent ]
JUST LIKE THE MAFIA
HORSEFEATHERS!

Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forgot your username or password?


Message Boards

Search




Advanced Search

Wiki Links
Fuju-fuse

Nichiren Shoshu

Nichiren Shu

Nipponzan Myohoji

Rissho Kosei Kai

Shoshinkai

Bookshelf Classics

Buddha by Karen Armstrong

Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa

Modern Buddhist Healing by Charles Atkins

Opening the Heart of the Cosmos: Insights on the Lotus Sutra by Thich Nhat Hanh

Riding The Wheel To Wellness: A Buddhist Perspective On Life's Healing Gifts, Meditation, Prayer & Visualization by Charles Atkins

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa

Threefold Lotus Sutra by Bunno Kato

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

Daily Feeds

Fraught Feeds

Sites to See

Angry Asian Buddhist

A Buddhist Catholic

Alltop Buddhism

Barbara's Buddhism Blog

Buddhism Examiner

Buddhist Channel

Daily Scoldings

The Endless Further

Former SGI Member Forum

Gohonzon Galleries

Gongyo on Line

How Cults Work

Jacqueline I. Stone

Lotus Sutra in English

Martin Bradley's Gosho Translations

The Nichiren Sangha

Nichiren's Coffeehouse

One City

Precious Metal

Rougebuddha

Ryuei's Books and Essays

SGI Obituaries

Shodaigyo Streaming

Smilin' Buddha Cabaret

Soka Gakkai Unofficial

Soka Member

Whiskey River

Worst Horse



HOME
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License.
Read and participate at your own risk.

Powered by: SoapBlox