ABC TV's irregularly broadcast news documentary program, "Tracking Special" (Kansai region), will air "Tracking Special: 'Female Yakuza' - A Mother's Confession III" on May 16th at 3:30 PM.
This documentary follows a woman who, after being a female yakuza member of a designated organized crime group, later transitioned into a second life working in rehabilitation support. Part 2, which aired in March 2025, recorded an individual viewership rating of 3.4%, and the combined views of parts I and II on YouTube have exceeded 6.5 million.
At the end of the year before last, former female yakuza member Mako Nishimura (59) was reunited with her eldest son, Daiki (29), for the first time in about 10 years. In exchange for supporting Daiki's world debut in mixed martial arts, she achieved her long-awaited reunion, but a series of hardships awaited her once again.
Using Mako's extensive network to gather sponsors and introducing Daiki to renowned martial artists for training, the mother-son partnership seemed to get off to a smooth start, albeit a somewhat strained one. However, it was discovered that Daiki was heavily in debt. Mako used her connections with famous martial artists to find him a job that he could balance with his martial arts training, but Daiki secretly refused, citing the low pay. Six months after their reunion, Mako finally had her first one-on-one conversation with Daiki, but it ended in a heated argument.
Mako said, "It's my fault. I want to apologize for causing trouble by having a yakuza mother," and decided to continue supporting Daiki until he became a champion. She sold her precious ring, interviewed at an interior design company, and got a part-time job. She continued to wake up at 4 a.m., and sometimes her health deteriorated, but she was able to receive her long-awaited first paycheck. "Now I can repay Daiki for everything he's done for me."
With her first paycheck in hand, Mako headed to Tokyo where Daiki was, accompanied by her younger brother, Takeyasu, who had mediated the reunion with Daiki. After Daiki's practice, while they were all discussing their future, Daiki vented his old resentment towards Mako. Hearing this, Takeyasu became enraged, saying, "I've been doing all this with the hope that you and your mother would make up, and I would die for it!" He pleaded tearfully, but the argument escalated into a heated dispute, and everything began to fall apart.
Seeing her distress, the reporting team blurted out that Mako had come to Tokyo with her paycheck. At the words that Daiki spoke for the first time, Mako was moved to tears.
Director Kazuyuki Hiraiwa commented, "This series is not simply a 'record of a former yakuza's rehabilitation.' It is a story that questions how difficult it is to rebuild family bonds once they have been broken, and what kind of 'strength' is necessary for people to regain their humanity. Through the intense conflict between parent and child, we hope to ask everyone to reconsider the meaning of family bonds."
