The annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association), in Tokyo, in February, "is important because usually we hide our tattoos from society", its head, Hiroyuki Nemoto ...

Part of the issue is a loss of customer base. After the Second World War, Japanese tattoos (known as "irezumi") were strongly tied to Japan's yakuza crime gangs. For decades, mobsters got tattoos ...