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I didn't know that even Reuters resorts to such juicy headlines now. 
Japan's Shadow Economy Booms on Cheap Sex and Drugs
While the legitimate economy grew a slender 0.6 percent between 1996 and 2000, total revenue for yakuza -- much of it from narcotics trafficking -- increased 13.2 percent, says Takashi Kadokura, an economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.
Illegal income generated by sex businesses alone rose 6.1 percent, he says.
In all, the shadow economy was worth 19.3 trillion yen ($160 billion) in the business year to March 31, 2001, or 3.8 percent of the legitimate economy. That's almost double the size of Ireland's economy.
=> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030109/od_nm/japan_economy_crime_dc_1
Japan's Shadow Economy Booms on Cheap Sex and Drugs
While the legitimate economy grew a slender 0.6 percent between 1996 and 2000, total revenue for yakuza -- much of it from narcotics trafficking -- increased 13.2 percent, says Takashi Kadokura, an economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.
Illegal income generated by sex businesses alone rose 6.1 percent, he says.
In all, the shadow economy was worth 19.3 trillion yen ($160 billion) in the business year to March 31, 2001, or 3.8 percent of the legitimate economy. That's almost double the size of Ireland's economy.
=> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030109/od_nm/japan_economy_crime_dc_1
