Latest news with #Sumiyoshi-kai
Tokyo Reported
a day ago
- Tokyo Reported
Yazuka members concealed gang affiliations for hotel party in Yamanashi
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five men, including a senior member of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate, for staying at a hotel while concealing their gang affiliations. In March 2023, Sumiyoshi-kai executive Kazuyuki Tajima, 53, Utaro Shirai, a 53-year-old member of the quasi-criminal ring Chinese Dragon, and three others are suspected of conspiring with their comrades to make reservations to stay at the hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture. In Yamanashi, gang members are prohibited from staying at hotels. Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to allegations of fraud. Kazuyuki Tajima of the Sumiyoshi-kai (X) According to police, Tajima and his accomplices also rented out a hotel restaurant for a 'sake ceremony' to form an alliance with individuals believed to be members of the Chinese mafia group 14K. About 30 persons attended. Video footage of the party showed Shirai and other members of Chinese Dragon acting as intermediaries between the gangsters from the two countries. Police are currently investigating the relationship between the two Japanese criminal organizations and the Chinese mafia.
Euronews
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Japanese Yakuza mobsters arrested for office too close to library
Members of Japan's second-largest family within its organised crime syndicate have fallen foul of the law — but not in a way most people outside of Japan would expect. Four members of the Sumiyoshi-kai union, part of Japan's notorious Yakuza, were arrested in Tokyo on suspicion that they "conspired" to operate an office 90 metres from a public library. According to Japanese zoning laws, Yakuza offices must be placed outside a 200-metre radius of schools, libraries and other educational institutions. It might seem unusual that the offices of organised crime syndicates are subject to city planning regulations, but in Japan it's not illegal to operate or be a member of a registered syndicate. However, syndicates that profit from the gang's influence are monitored by the authorities, including prefecture safety commissions and the National Police Agency. There are currently 25 Shitei Boryokudan ("particularly harmful groups") in Japan, but unlike recognised terrorist groups, Shitei Boryokudan are permitted to operate more or less in the open — provided they don't engage in any criminal activity such as, ironically, violence. In a country known for its orderliness and strict adherence to the rules, it may seem odd that criminal groups are tolerated in this way. However, this practice dates back to 1991 and the Boryokudan Countermeasures Law, known in Japan as Botaiho. Before the law was passed, violent infighting among the country's many crime groups tended to spill out into the general public. Furthermore, the growing involvement of crime groups in legitimate businesses such as real estate was also of increasing concern. Botaiho was set up as a way to keep a tighter leash on these groups' activities, partly by turning them into semi-legitimate organisations. Banning Yakuza groups outright wasn't an option as it was seen as a violation of their right to freedom of assembly as enshrined in the constitution, so instead authorities legitimised them so that police could keep tabs on them at all times. Known for their strict hierarchies and honour codes, the Yakuza engage in everything from extortion and money laundering to drug dealing and sex trafficking. The National Police Agency (NPA) even lists the business addresses of some Yakuza organisations on their official website. For example, the Sumiyoshi-kai's main office is located in Tokyo's Akasaka district, not far from the parliament building. During the Yakuza's 1960s heyday, the group operated internationally and boasted more than 184,000 members, according to the NPA. But their numbers have steadily declined over the years after a series of police crackdowns on their activities. Though they are legally still allowed to exist, regulations have made it harder for gangsters to survive after it was made illegal to recruit Yakuza members or share any profits with them. In 2024, the number of members of criminal organisations fell below 20,000 for the first time to a low of around 18,000, according to police data. And in the capital Tokyo, Yakuza offices are also forbidden from operating within 200 metres of schools, child welfare centres, community halls, museums, probation offices and courts.
Japan Today
18-05-2025
- Japan Today
Four yakuza members arrested for having office too close to library
By SoraNews24 Movies and video games may make the life of a yakuza member glamorous, what with all the harm they do to themselves and others. But the reality is that when they're not throwing their jackets off in cool ways, they're having to put up with all kinds of legal red tape, whether it's getting a smartphone or finding a suitable location for offices to run their criminal enterprises from. This is because, much like with pachinko parlors or gas stations, yakuza offices are subject to zoning laws. In fact, on May 15, four members of the Sumiyoshi-kai were arrested in Tokyo's Kiyose City district on suspicion of operating an office in an apartment that was 90 meters from a library, when yakuza offices are only permitted outside of a 200-meter radius of libraries. ▼ A news report on the arrests with extra points awarded to the one guy doing his perp walk in an Anti Social Social Club shirt This might seem at odds with many people's images of organized crime groups working out of secret hideouts and on their own terms to evade police, but things are done differently in Japan. For starters, it's not illegal to operate or be a member of a registered organized crime group in Japan, as strange as that may sound. There are currently 25 Shitei Boryokudan or 'Designated Violence Groups' in Japan, but this is nothing like a designated terrorist group label in Japan or other countries that essentially defines the group and everyone in it as criminal. Designated Violence Groups are permitted to operate more or less out in the open, provided they don't commit any crimes, such as… well… violence. All these contradictory terms came to be in 1991, with the Boryokudan Countermeasures Law or Botaiho for short. Prior to this, violent infighting among groups was spilling out into the general public, and their growing involvement in regular businesses like real estate during the bubble era was an increasing matter of concern. Botaiho was set up as a way to keep a tighter leash on their activities, in part by turning them into quasi-legitimate organizations. Banning yakuza groups outright was a violation of their constitutional right to freedom of assembly, so instead they were legitimatized in a way that would allow police to ostensibly know where they were at all times. The term 'Designated Violence Group' was also a not-so-subtle way of sticking it to them in the process, by denying them their preferred label of Ninkyo Dantai or 'Chivalry Group.' In addition to improved surveillance, making yakuza groups legitimate through Botaiho meant that the leaders could be held responsible for the actions of their subordinates. In other words, if a registered member of a certain designated group was caught stealing sea cucumbers from the ocean, police can now search the entire group's offices, something that wasn't possible prior to 1991. And as we've seen several times before, things got even more severe for yakuza members with the introduction of the Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinances in 2011, which prevent businesses from dealing with members of Designated Violence Groups. This means that even getting a Netflix account would be illegal for either Netflix or the yakuza member if said member lies about not being in such a group and, thanks to Botaiho, would set up their whole group for investigation. This also means that the four who were recently arrested for violating the zoning law in their area won't be able to buy or rent a new office without putting themselves on the line for fraud. It's just another way that organized crime groups' power is getting chipped away a little at a time by Japan's most notoriously powerful weapon: mind-numbing bureaucracy. Source: FNN Online Prime, Chiba Prefectural Center for the Elimination of Boryokudan, Asia Pacific Journal Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Yakuza bosses struggling to upgrade phones from 3G -- Yakuza member arrested for renting a car once in 2022 -- Member of yakuza arrested for having honest job, dishonest application External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
17-05-2025
- Politics
- SoraNews24
Four yakuza members arrested for having office too close to library
This time, the yakuza have gone too far… in the direction of a library. Sure, movies and video games may make the life of a yakuza member glamorous, what with all the harm they do to themselves and others. But the reality is that when they're not throwing their jackets off in cool ways, they're having to put up with all kinds of legal red tape, whether it's getting a smartphone or finding a suitable location for offices to run their criminal enterprises from. This is because, much like with pachinko parlors or gas stations, yakuza offices are subject to zoning laws. In fact, on 15 May, four members of the Sumiyoshi-kai were arrested in Tokyo's Kiyose City district on suspicion of operating an office in an apartment that was 90 meters (295 feet) from a library, when yakuza offices are only permitted outside of a 200-meter (656-foot) radius of libraries. ▼ A news report on the arrests with extra points awarded to the one guy doing his perp walk in an Anti Social Social Club shirt This might seem at odds with many people's images of organized crime groups working out of secret hideouts and on their own terms to evade police, but things are done differently in Japan. For starters, it's not illegal to operate or be a member of a registered organized crime group in Japan, as strange as that may sound. There are currently 25 'Shitei Boryokudan' or 'Designated Violence Groups' in Japan, but this is nothing like a designated terrorist group label in Japan or other countries that essentially defines the group and everyone in it as criminal. Designated Violence Groups are permitted to operate more or less out in the open, provided they don't commit any crimes, such as… well… violence. All these contradictory terms came to be in 1991, with the Boryokudan Countermeasures Law or 'Botaiho' for short. Prior to this, violent infighting among groups was spilling out into the general public, and their growing involvement in regular businesses like real estate during the bubble era was an increasing matter of concern. Botaiho was set up as a way to keep a tighter leash on their activities, in part by turning them into quasi-legitimate organizations. Banning yakuza groups outright was a violation of their constitutional right to freedom of assembly, so instead they were legitimatized in a way that would allow police to ostensibly know where they were at all times. The term 'Designated Violence Group' was also a not-so-subtle way of sticking it to them in the process, by denying them their preferred label of 'Ninkyo Dantai' or 'Chivalry Group.' In addition to improved surveillance, making yakuza groups legitimate through Botaiho meant that the leaders could be held responsible for the actions of their subordinates. In other words, if a registered member of a certain designated group was caught stealing sea cucumbers from the ocean, police can now search the entire group's offices, something that wasn't possible prior to 1991. And as we've seen several times before, things got even more severe for yakuza members with the introduction of the Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinances in 2011, which prevent businesses from dealing with members of Designated Violence Groups. This means that even getting a Netflix account would be illegal for either Netflix or the yakuza member if said member lies about not being in such a group and, thanks to Botaiho, would set up their whole group for investigation. This also means that the four who were recently arrested for violating the zoning law in their area won't be able to buy or rent a new office without putting themselves on the line for fraud. It's just another way that organized crime groups' power is getting chipped away a little at a time by Japan's most notoriously powerful weapon: mind-numbing bureaucracy. Source: FNN Online Prime, Chiba Prefectural Center for the Elimination of Boryokudan, Asia Pacific Journal Featured image: Pakutaso Insert image: ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
