Fight to save tattoo art

A tattoo enthusiast posing at the International London Tattoo Convention last year. Tattoo artists from Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada and Britain had gathered at the convention.PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

TOKYO: Tattoos have long been linked with the underworld, or yakuza, in Japan, as a mark of gang membership.

But now, a small but growing group of lawyers, academics and other fans of tattoo art are lobbying to save the traditional - if somewhat subversive - industry from being extinguished by a robust interpretation of a medical law by the investigating authorities in Osaka.