Japan’s traditional mafia organisation, the yakuza, has become almost respectable, leaving space for more violent Chinese gangs to muscle in on their turf.
Organised crime groups are profiting from the fruits of globalisation such as free-trade agreements as well as the massive upgrade of the region’s infrastructure and connectivity now underway.
Should we bother to ask whether some gifts and donations could be interpreted as thinly veiled bribes, or is the distinction always clear? A recent example of the potential ambiguity of gift-giving was…