Hope vs Finger of Fate

… Yukako Fukushima, a prosthetics technician, has been given the affectionate title of ane – older sister – in yakuza circles.

In the past decade she has equipped more than 100 ex-gangsters with individually-created false fingers of such quality that they are almost impossible to tell from the real things.

As a result, more than half her “patients” have been able to find legitimate employment and have gone on to maintain crime-free lives. “Japanese society shuts out former gangsters because of their appearance,” she says. “For those who really want to quit, I am here as back up.

“When they come to me they have often been turned away everywhere and are really down. They are asking why they have been rejected. But when they are fitted with a new finger their whole outlook changes. Sometimes they cry with happiness.”

NOTEWORTHY WEBSITE: https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/blog/modern-worthies/yukako-fukushima