Japan is one of the world’s largest markets for methamphetamines with approximately 80 percent of all drug arrests in Japan involved methamphetamines. Source: 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy, “Southeast Asia: Japan,”, United States Department of State, March 2007.

Law enforcement officials estimates that there are 600,000 meth addicts and between 1 to 3 million casual users in Japan. Source: 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy, “Southeast Asia: Japan,”, United States Department of State, March 2007.

According to Dr. Nancy Scheper-Hughes of Organs Watch,the biggest consumers of illegally traded organs are the Americans and the Japanese. Source: Leslie Ferenc, “‘Living Cadavers” forced by poverty to sell organs,” Toronto Star, February 4, 2008, (accessed: February 5, 2008).

The counterfeit cigarettes are sold in China, Japan, and the United States. Source: Richard Lloyd Parry, “An economy built on drug dealers, ivory poachers and counterfeiters”, The Times (United Kingdom), October 11,2006.

Illegal downloaders in Japan will be cut off from the Internet from their ISP providers according to a new plan being developed. From AFP: Japanese companies plan to cut off the Internet connection of anyone who illegally downloads files in one of the world’s toughest measures against online piracy, a report said Saturday.Faced with mounting complaints from [...]

According to Havocscope’s calculations, on the conservative side the illicit market in Burma generates around $470 million dollars a year. The breakdown is as follows: $350 Million in Illegal Logging. Timber from the Burma’s famed teak forests are cut down and smuggled and sold in China. $120 Million in Opium Production. The Opium industry is [...]

For the time period of January to June 2007, the National Police Agency in Japan seized 331,136 counterfeit items, a record for a six month period.  The total figure seized is already higher then the total number of seizures in all of 2006. A large portion of the counterfeit goods originated from China. Of fake brand goods, including [...]

The Guardian reports on how Japanese Organized Crime syndicates are expanding their business opportunities. According to senior police officials, the yakuza is targeting the stock market and the construction industry to add to the earnings it already receives from illegal businesses such as prostitution, drug smuggling, extortion and gambling. The article states that the yakuza is being [...]