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A Survey of the Rise of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in East Asia

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Abstract

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCG) have been growing in almost every nation in the world. Men across the world are forming new clubs using the Hells Angels’ model of outlaw clubs. East Asia is seeing exponential growth of clubs and the arrival of foreign clubs. But these events are not uniform across the region. Nonetheless, it is strange that a very American model of social deviance could become popular in the communitarian cultures of East Asia. The expansion of the culture presents the possibility of local adoption of the criminogenic culture of Western OMCG. This paper tracked the rise of locally formed clubs in each nation of East Asia as well as the arrival of international clubs with chapters in the region. It compared club growth to GDP per capita, the gender inequality index and authoritarianism of governments, to determine if there were correlations. The study found 310 locally formed clubs in East Asia, most of which have formed in the last two decades. No substantial correlations were found to club growth by local clubs or arrival of international clubs.

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Notes

  1. There is much more to this story in the detail of when and where international clubs found individual chapters aand created support clubs, but that is beyond the scope of this article.

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Acknowledgement

The author wishes to thank Dr. Zoe Staines from the University of Queensland for her suggestions to improve this paper.

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    Mark Lauchs

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Lauchs, M. A Survey of the Rise of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in East Asia. Asian J Criminol 17, 19–35 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-021-09351-6

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