Leaders of the Japanese Organized crime group Yamaguchi-gumi are reportedly studying up aspects of a new law in Japan to protect themselves from arrest.

From the Guardian:

Japan’s most powerful gangsters are mugging up on legal terminology to skirt strict new laws that make them liable for crimes committed by their henchmen.

The top three syndicates are thought to have hired former prosecutors to teach them the finer points of the law, which was introduced after the yakuza killing of the Nagasaki mayor Iccho Ito in April.

Reports said the legal change has unsettled senior members of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the biggest group, who could now be sued or jailed for crimes committed by underlings. Two other major gangs, the Inagawa-kai and Sumiyoshi-kai, have also called in experts, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

The Yamaguchi-gumi has allegedly told its 40,000 members “not to cause problems for members of the main clan”. The Asahi said police had obtained documents from the study meetings which were drafted by lawyers.