[Anchorman]

The handicapped, sadly, tend to be among the weakest members of society, and are often intimidated, mistreated or neglected by the rest of us. But the monthly Jitsuwa Mad Max (May) seems to have found at least three exceptions to this general rule.

The trio --- Koichi Kuroda, Shinichi Kamikaze and Seiji Okawa --- have learned to give as well as they get. These three gentlemen, attired in garish zoot suits and tinted glasses, are sub-leaders of the Yoshimura-gumi, an affiliate of the 4th-generation Oseikai, which itself is part of the Shinjuku-based Kyokuto-kai --- one of the major syndicates in East Japan. All three share the same handicap: they are aurally impaired and verbally challenged, i.e., what used to be called "deaf mutes" in English, and is still called that (or "ro-a") in Japanese.

No disrespect intended, but one could go so far as to say they are indeed a "strong, silent type" of yakuza.

Mr. Yoshimura, the gang's boss, appears to be a fan of Jitsuwa Mad Max, and gave his blessing to this interview with his three soldiers.

Their work involves patrolling the mean streets of the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku.

The three, being unable to speak, fielded questions and gave their responses to the interviewer in writing. They were joined by Soichi Kazama, a regular gang member who is not handicapped.

JMM: Are you three accorded any different treatment from regular yakuza due to their handicaps? Do you have any particular difficulties in getting your jobs done?

Kazama: Speaking for my colleagues, there's nothing that comes to mind. These guys can't answer the phone so they're not suitable for office tasks; but aside from that they're pretty much the same as regular gang members. We communicate with them via cell phone messaging.

JMM: Have your experiences as a gang member met your initial expectations?

Kuroda: Up to now, life has been difficult and I've suffered all kinds of discrimination due to my handicap. But here in Shinjuku Boss Yoshimura treats me just like anyone else, and I'm grateful to him. I can confide with him on anything, and he's very open and understanding. He's been like a father to me.

Kamikaze: In my case, I came all the way from Kagoshima just on the basis of the oyabun's (boss') reputation.

Okawa: Among the deaf-mutes, my colleague Kamikaze already had a reputation as a notorious troublemaker even before I met him. (Chuckles)

Kamikaze: Yeah, well, I served a total of six years at Shiga and Fukuoka prisons.

Okawa: Kamikaze's got a real talent for swindling and extortion ...

JMM: Well, those would certainly be useful qualifications for someone in your line of work! But given your handicap, how do you, er, intimidate people?

Kamikaze: Using hand signs, of course.

Okawa: In Kamikaze's case, his face alone is enough to strike fear. (They both laugh).

JMM: How are you able to communicate with your colleagues in the gang?

Okawa: Mostly by cell phone messages. Getting a response is a little slow sometimes, though.

Kuroda: The main thing is that they treat us as full equals.

Okawa: Yeah, it's more of a problem when we have to fight it out with normal people.

JMM: Why is that?

Okawa: If the cops show up, normal people will tell them something verbally while we're forced to write everything down. In such cases we're probably going to lose any argument.

So where do they go from here? Handicap aside, Kamikaze expresses his ambition to someday become one of Japan's top gang leaders. His mate Kuroda says he wants to excel at the business side of the operation. And Okawa voices his desire to demonstrate that deaf-mutes can do "just a good a job as normal yakuza."

The three then pose for the camera, making hand signs that Jitsuwa Mad Max explains convey the meanings, respectively, of "I'm gonna pop you one," "Now you're on my ****list, you bastard!" and "Hey, are you dissing me?"

Well, Jitsuwa Mad Max, concludes these three have managed to overcome their handicaps from birth and through practice and painstaking efforts have become upstanding members of an underworld syndicate. Isn't it great, to see that the yakuza are setting such a upstanding example by hiring the handicapped? (By Masuo Kamiyama, contributing writer)