How Ex-Yakuza (Mobster) Become Jesus Preacher - Tatsuyo Shindo

" ... There were always many posters on the walls, that are offering a reward for assasination. I mean, if you assassinate the wanted people, you'll get rewards."

How Ex-Yakuza (Mobster) Become Jesus Preacher. How Ex-Yakuza Turned Into Pastor | Tatsuyo Shindo. Shallom,

Yakuza

Members of tradisional organized crime syndicates in Japan, similar to the mafia. They are usually known to have large tattoos covering their backs, chests and arms.


Spesial interview to a former Yakuza
Kawaguchi, Saitama
Just North of Tokyo

Tatsuyo Shindo

Born: 23rd December 1970.
1988 Joined one of the largest Yakuza organization in Japan.
2000 Became the acting boss.
Arrested: 15 times.
Convicted: 7 times.
Got imprisoned: 3 times.
2003 Release from prison and having undergone the christian ritual of baptism.
2004 enrolled at an evangelical theological in Tokyo.
2005 set up a christian organization "The Independent Friends of Sinners Jesus Christ Church" and started preaching the gospel.

Host: Thank you so much for taking my interview.

No problem.

Host: I appreciate you taking the time like this. You must be tired, right?

Yeah, i'am so exhausted now.

Host: i'd like you to talk about your past. i want you to look back to those days. First of all, what made you decide to be Yakuza?

Actually, I was scouted by Yakuza.

Host: Scouted ?

Yeah. After dropping out of high scholl. Actually, i got expelled from the high school for bad behavior. And when i was just hanging around the city, i got scouted by a Tokyo-base Yakuza organization. I was living in Saitama at that time, but they found me. The thing is, the overlings of Yakuza usually live in the suburbs of Tokyo. But the underlings have to live near the territory. Because they need to go fighting before their bosses.


But if you are experienced and overling, you live in a spacious apartment a bit far away from the territory. And the Yakuza organization that found me was doing business based in Ikebukuro around. And i just joined it and became a Yakuza.

Looking back on those days, I was just immature. I admired Yakuza for what was visible only on the surface. Seeing them at that time, i just thought like, "Wow, they have lots of money ! I wanna get a fancy car like them! I want spend money lavisly like them!" Yakuza just looked so cool in my eyes. I just saw them on the surface and didn't know what they actually like.

Looking back on my childhood, i couldn't spend much time with my parents. It was very little. Honestly, i didn't feel like i was loved. And i can not find the worth of myself.

Without being loved, i think it's hard for children to find values in themselves. If you are not loved by anyone, it's hard to love yourself and find your values.

Growing up in that environtment, i had a lot of irresponsible, reckless and abandoned behavior, you know. So it makes senses to me now why i ended up becoming a Yakuza member.

Host: Maybe you were feeling like giving up your future and life ?

Yeah, and you know, we call Yakuza Gokudo ("the extreme path") And i thought like wanna become extremely bad. I thought i needed to be extreme. As a guy, i was very competitive in that sense. If i go to Yakuza, i thought i like i wanna be the no.1 bad man in Japan.

Like, a man who fears nothing and just does many bad things, you know. Because Gokudo means the extreme path, right?

Host: I see. I was wondering what was the Yakuza organization actually like ? Inside there actually, how did you feel at that time ? I imagine like it is a super hierarchical world and doing many vicious activities. Like, selling illegal drugs, blackmailling, murders, etc. This is just my image in head. Being actually Yakuza, was there something you hadn't known ? Is there something that people and media don't know about Yakuza yet ?

No.

Host: So, it was actually like what you had imagined?

I would say it was actually more vicious than i expected. When i got into Yakuza, it was 1990 around. So it was almost 30 years ago. At that time, then i went to the office, there were always many posters on the walls, that are offering a reward for assasination. I mean, if you assassinate the wanted people, you'll get rewards.

When seeing that for the first time, i was like, "is that for real, wow ... " I was terrified. But i got to used it a month later.


Host: Really ?

Men who get into Yakuza usually grew up wathing many Yakuza movies. So i guess they admire viallins for the cruel acts. And i think you will just get used to any environtment sooner or later. This is just human nature. It can be good, but can be bad sometimes, right?

Host: But, at that time. Doing vicious things, maybe you were feeling gulty deep inside?

If you feel quilty, you would never be Yakuza in the first place. Any human being has a conscience. Here is the thing, the Bible is "God-breathed." God breathed "The breath of life" into Adam. In Christianity. Any human being in this world, they definitely have conscience. Because they got "the breath of life" from God when they were still fetus. But being Yakuza, you just need to keep ignoring the conscience, otherwise you can't be Yakuza.

But sometime, i thought the job wasn't for me. I mean, i couldn't act like Yakuza sometimes. For example, when collecting money and if there were some kids, I gave them money, even though my purpose was collecting money.

I was supposed to be violent as a Yakuza, however be kind to kids. I think what differences Yakuza from other normal organization is that the boss "Oyabun" and the subordinates "Kobun" have a very strong bond like a real family. It's a strict hierarchical world, but a bonding is so strong just like family. And Yakuza is a very male society. The wives of bosses are not called Ofukuro or Okaasa (mother). They are called ane-san (older sisters). I mean, they are not men, so even though they're the wives of bosses, they don't have much authority. That's the society of Yakuza.

Host: It was quite different from normal world?

It's better you do not get involved in that. But i think Yakuza will be completely removed in 20-30 years from Japan.

Host: You think so ?

Yes, because nowadays you can't make a living by being Yakuza, right ?

Host: Is that so?

You can't open an account. You can't take out a loan to buy a car. You can't rent an apartment. Yeah, nowadays in Japan you aren't allowed to rent an apartment if you're Yakuza, right? If you pretend to be non-Yakuza and rent an an apartment, you will get arrested.

Being a Yakuza today, you can't do anything freely in Japan.

Host: Our society is getting stricter to Yakuza?

Yeah, so what i really want to tell people is that if we want to intensify crackdown on Yakuza and remove it from our society, we need to care about how we can help the ex-Yakuza rehabilitated. We need to make the system to help them bounce back to the normal world. I've been saying this for many years. After Yakuza left the organization, do you really think they can instantly return back to society ? No, they can't. They just continue to do bad things.


Most former Yakuza in Japan don't get back into society and properly work. The statistics clearly say that. This is true especially in Japan. I'm not sure this is because of the lack of Christianity, but i think that our society doesn't you give a second chance.

After you got released from prison, i think you deserve a second chance. Because while you were in prison, you did a lot of service to assoil your fault. So i think people shouldn't have prejudice against you. But in Japan, once people find out you were a prisoner, they instantly consider you as a worthless person.

You know, in Japan no second chance for ex-prisoners. I know many other countries are not like that. They give you a second chance after you failed and were released from prison. I've commited many crimes and got into prison. As a former prisoner, as a former Yakuza, As someone who got large tattoos covering my body. I know how hard it is to be accepted in our society after going off the rails.

You had no idea how much effort i had to put in to get where i am now. But the reason i could hang in there is that i knew that i would inspire many people and become a good example. If i could successfully bounce back as an ex-Yakuza. If i can picture in mind, you will be able to achieve it. This applies to anything in life.

Host: I would like to hear how you encountered Christianity ? And how you get where you are now ?

Well, you now, i got into Yakuza organization at 18 and was there for 15 years. And at my third time in jail, i also 30. Looking back now, i know i was still young and had a future. But when you just got 30, you wouldn't feel like that. Considering what i had done, i was feeling like giving up my life. I had been Yakuza too long and didn't think i could return to society.

Actually, i was kinda excommunicated by the Yakuza, because i was addicted to crystal meth. I was worn put and had no money. I thought about going back to Yakuza again, but soon realized i can't. I didn't feel like making a comeback as a Yakuza.

That was the time i came accross Christianity in jail. Reading the Bible. I was saved by God's words. You know, we all fail in life more or less. And we all hope to bounce back, but i think many people give up that there are not many opportunities for them.

Not many people in Japan accept those who have failed. Hopefully, this church will help those people successfully return to society.

Host: Oke, let's talk about what you're doing here. I heard that you said "This church exist to make looser socially rehabilitated."

Exactly.

Host: What does that mean ?

Ok, think about the Twelve Apostles, the first apostles of Jesus. One of them was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. And look at the other 11 apostles. They were way far away from elites. In Christianity, losers changed the world. The people in the Gospel are all loosers who failed a lot in life. Just like that, the people who come here often had something in the past. And we have wine together and talk about love for God.

Women who are so exhausted of living the life and feel very sinfull come here. They pray for God with lot of tears running down the cheeks. Yeah, a lot of tears. In Christianity, those kinds of sinfull people bounced back and found God and eventually change the world.

Those people were the apostles of Jesus. The same thing is happening here in this modern society.


Host: Throughout your activities, what kind of impact do you want to make on our society ?

I hope what i am doing now leads to decreasing the crime rate in Japan. Specifically, i want to decrease the recidivism rate in Japan, half of the prisoners end up back in prison again. That is the reality in Japan. I want to prevent ex-prisoners in Japan from commiting crime again. I do not want them to go back to prison again.

Host: Do you think your work is beginning to pay off?

Yes, i am seeing progress. Currently, i have to say the majority of ex-prisoners i've met end up in prison again. Especially people who stopped coming here tend to commit crimes again. But those who became true Christian here i'am confident they will never commit crimes again. Our government spends 2.5 millions yen ($22,500) on one prisoner a year. If you stop even just one ex-prisoner from committing a crime again, you can constribute a lot to our nation's cost-reduction. As a Japanese, i do care about Japan and want to contribute to the country. I want to make Japan a better place as a Christian. You know, we have very few Christians but i do believe that Christianity has potential to make Japan better.

Source:

--- Thus testimony from Tatsuyo Shindo ...

• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.”- (Philippians 4:13).
• Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - (John 14:6).

Thanks You, Jesus Bless You.