DR. ALBERT BANDURA DISCUSSES MORAL DISENGAGEMENT1

In this episode, inspired by the acclaimed TV series Tokyo Vice, our Forensic Psychology podcast examines the complex psyche of Tadamasa Goto, the ruthless founder of the Goto-gumi and a once-dominant figure in Japan’s largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, who died at age 83 on February 8. We explore the psychological profile of a criminal mastermind who rose from poverty to lead over 1,000 members while operating approximately 150 front companies, seamlessly blending extreme violence with sophisticated white-collar enterprises. Central to his story is the 2001 scandal involving an FBI-facilitated liver transplant at UCLA—exposed by investigative journalist Jake Adelstein—that allowed him to bypass a critical waiting list.