Reuters
East Asia & Pacific > Japan > Tokyo
9/27/2012
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Japan's second largest yakuza crime syndicate and its leaders, freezing their U.S. assets and blocking their transactions with American entities. The financial penalties against the Sumiyoshi-Kai clan and its two leaders are the second time the Obama administration has tried to disrupt the yakuza's activities since it identified the Japanese group as a significant criminal organization.