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The story
Reports that a 40-year-old former organized-crime member had graduated from Keio University set off a huge reaction in Yahoo News’ comment section and on the 5ch “Nanademo Jikkyo G” board. The man reportedly kept studying while running several businesses, including flowers and real estate, and is now said to be aiming to become a lawyer. The thread split between voices saying “people who work honestly every day deserve more respect” and others arguing “if he turned his life from a negative into a positive, that should be recognized,” with the debate spreading to cover the value of the academic achievement itself, whether he’d ever made amends to past victims, and whether he shows traits associated with developmental disorders.
What people said
Studying 17 hours a day while running multiple businesses at once (flowers, real estate, etc.) is clearly some kind of developmental-disorder trait — not something normal people can use as a role model
People with developmental disorders can't multitask like that though
I guess it's fine as long as the bar association accepts him
Re: #15
Basically the guy's a workaholic
Normal people can't live like that, and wouldn't want to anyway
That's true for grunt work
But planned, structured multitasking is actually something people with developmental disorders tend to be better at
Both deserve credit, but it feels off that society only goes wild over the one with a flashy story
"The power of self-control" is hard to see from the outside
so its importance gets underrated
the guys who end up committing crimes when push comes to shove are weak in that department
Fine if he's actually made amends for everything he did to ordinary people back in his yakuza days, but most victims probably just had to swallow it
there might be people who'll never forgive him, even on their deathbed
Exactly this
he just graduated, so why does it need to be broadcast like this?
Those at the top can get away without being honest and still keep the working class's support
Depends which angle you look at it from
if second chances have social value
then isn't praising this only natural?
That's exactly what gave him the stability to focus on studying.
Though there's a chance he made his money through shady means like extortion or fraud, so he can't be praised outright.
His business dealings are probably shady
flower shops and real estate are classic yakuza side hustles ("shinogi")
getting in at around 18 is impressive; some guy in his 30s+ with life experience getting in isn't a big deal
Being in an environment where you can study at that age
and still having money coming in while you do it
that's pretty impressive, no?
Could you take a high school entrance exam alongside junior high kids?
I couldn't do it
everyone around you would be young enough to be your own kid
at the end of the day, everyone's drawn to and admires antisocial types
That's right
guys think delinquent guys are cool and look up to them, and everyone used to love yakuza movies too
and women, needless to say, love bad boys and antisocial types
people have always been like that
Kind of sounds like a yakuza protection-money ("mikajime") racket.
Same deal with potted plants and hand towels (oshibori)
what's unforgivable is some dumb TV personality getting into grad school through a sketchy entrance exam with unclear admission standards
Just finishing a master's thesis already sets you apart from the average person, so who cares
there's no way his business is going to succeed
Reminder: it's already succeeding
staying in the negative is bad, sure, but if he reformed and turned a negative into a positive, that's plenty admirable
If they're at the same point now, then they're the same, aren't they
both sides claiming "I'm the better one" just sounds dumb
Isn't it the opposite though
I've got a record myself and did time in juvenile detention, but I absolutely don't want anyone to know — even my wife doesn't know
it's nothing but a liability
if he's out there in the media like this, he must be prepared for the criticism, and honestly, that's really something
I think you can open one again after 5 or 10 years since leaving the yakuza?
Oh really, that's pretty lax then
Background and key points of this discussion
For people who leave organized crime groups, it’s standard practice — based on an agreement between the National Police Agency and the Japanese Bankers Association — to restrict financial services like opening a bank account until a certain period (roughly five years) has passed since leaving. Post #103’s “pretty lax” reaction in the thread appears to reflect this system. As for the bar qualification, under the Practicing Attorney Act a person can be disqualified if they’ve been sentenced to imprisonment or worse, so having a criminal record doesn’t automatically mean he can’t register, but it isn’t guaranteed either. The thread split between those who valued the academic achievement itself and those frustrated that people who live honestly every day don’t get fair recognition — the latter view also came up in references to the “Ryotsu theory” from Kochikame. Posts flatly declaring that the flower and real-estate businesses were “mikajime-style rackets” and therefore proof he’s “still an active yakuza” amount to baseless speculation, so they were left out of this article.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “[Yahoo Comments in Chaos] 40-Year-Old Ex-Yakuza Member Graduates from Keio University“.
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