Loading ...A split within the largest Yakuza syndicate in Japan has been confirmed by the offshoot. Thousands of excommunicated members of the Yamaguchi-gumi formed a new crime syndicate over the weekend. Police expect a wave of violence.
The Yamaguchi-gumi reigns supreme over all other conglomerates, with about half Japan’s gangsters directly or indirectly employed by it. The Yakuza grouping has had a tumultuous history, and splits in its ranks have always deserved the attention of authorities, owing to the wave of bloody retributive violence that inevitably follows such events. The last such rift occurred in the mid-80s, leading to 293 violent clashes and a series of killings.
Now, the newly-formed group which according to Kyodo News would call itself Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has officially declared its split, issuing a document, according to investigative sources speaking to Japanese media. The document contains quite brazen descriptions of Shinobu Tsukasa (aka Kenichi Shinoda), the sixth-generation leader of the syndicate.
Many in his ranks accused Tsukasa of extreme egotism, sources said Monday as cited by the Japan Times. Reportedly, another reason is his desire to expand the gang’s turf from its native Kobe into Tokyo and other areas.