Japanese Mafia wants to conduct legitimate business in Southeast Asia.

A Japanese mob boss wants to establish a branch in Southeast Asia to provide legitimate bodyguard services to the global market.

Yoshinori Oda (center). Photo: TBS News.

Yoshinori Oda, the boss of the Ninkyo Dantai Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime syndicate, said he plans to establish a private military company – a model legal in some countries around the world – in an effort to earn a legitimate living, according to SCMP.

"Private military companies already exist in the US and Europe. Since we don't qualify to operate in the US, we will establish an office in Southeast Asia. When we have contracts to hire Japanese bodyguards or security personnel, we will send people," Oda said.

Following the deaths of seven members of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in an attack by Islamic militants on a restaurant in Bangladesh in June 2016, an increasing number of Japanese companies and organizations overseas have expressed concerns about the safety of their employees.

However, according to the Japanese magazine Flash, it remains unclear whether any Japanese company would be willing to sign a security contract with this notorious organized crime group.

Jake Adelstein, an American reporter specializing in investigating Japanese organized crime, stated:Ninkyo Dantai, a splinter group from Japan's largest Yakuza organization, Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, appears to be preparing for this new business venture.

"Last week, Japanese police arrested several members of the group along with a shipment of handguns, indicating that the gang is actively preparing to expand its market," Adelstein noted.

"It's clear that this group is looking for new business opportunities, something no other gang has done because gangs in Japan are being restricted by the police and new laws."

American reporters argue that "the yakuza (Japanese organized crime) have the advantage of often being willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their bosses, always obedient, not afraid to use violence, and most bosses really like this type of person."Yoshinori Oda, 50, is a frequent speaker of grand plans, and the project to open a private military company is just one of the tycoon's many ideas.

Furthermore, Adelstein argues that if the gang opens offices in countries like Thailand or the Philippines, the Japanese yakuza could easily hire retired soldiers to train their members in military skills, making the gang stronger.

According to VNE