Sokaiya: extortion, protection, and the Japanese corporation

Sokaiya are extortionists who target Japanese corporations for payoffs.

They threaten to reveal corporate secrets and scandals, usually at shareholder meetings.

This book explores the curious but not unusual relationship that grows between executives and sokaiya, who also offer their services to protect the corporation from other sokaiya, thus becoming a necessary evil in the world of Japanese business.

The book documents the history and development of sokaiya over the past 100 years since Japan first enacted a commercial code.

It also examines the social relations that developed among sokaiya, the police, and corporate executives.