Yamaguchi-gumi

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Daimon of the Yamaguchi-gumi
Daimon of the Yamaguchi-gumi
Yamaguchi-gumi
In Kobe, Japan
Founded by Harukichi Yamaguchi
Years active 1915-present
Territory Primarily based in Kobe but has territory all over Japan, including in Tokyo
Ethnicity Japanese, Korean Japanese
Membership 39,000
Criminal activities Gambling, extortion, drug trafficking, loansharking, sōkaiya, prostitution, gunrunning, legitimate businesses
Allies Affiliated gangs such as the Yamaken-gumi, Kodo-kai, Takumi-gumi, Goto-gumi , Kokusui-kai and more
Rivals Has had conflicts with other Yakuza groups such as Sumiyoshi-kai and the Ichiwa-kai

The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi (六代目山口組 Rokudaime Yamaguchi-gumi?) is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization, and is named after founder Harukichi Yamaguchi.

It is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Estimates put the number of active members at just over 39,000, with thousands more having strong associations. It is, by far, the largest of the boryokudan groups, and its membership encompasses roughly 45% of the 87,000 yakuza in the Japanese underworld. Formal members of the Yamaguchi-gumi are 102 total people; 1 kumicho, 15 shatei (younger brother) and 86 wakachu (child) as of November 2005.

The Yamaguchi-gumi are among the world's wealthiest gangsters, bringing in billions of dollars a year from extortion, gambling, the sex industry, guns, drugs, and real estate and construction kickback schemes. They are also involved in stock market manipulation and Internet pornography.

The Yamaguchi-gumi has its headquarters in Kobe, Japan, but it operates all across Japan and has overseas operations in Asia and the United States.[citation needed] Despite more than a decade of police crackdowns, their numbers have been growing. Its current kumicho (Don), Shinobu Tsukasa, has declared an expansionist policy -- even making inroads into Tokyo, traditionally not Yamaguchi turf.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] Leadership

When Taoka inherited the title of kumicho, it was merely a local family with only dozens of members. It was Taoka who made Yamaguchi-gumi the world's largest criminal organization. He urged his underlings to have legitimate businesses and allowed them to have their own family, which became a kind of subsidiary family of Yamaguchi-gumi. He also created a structural system in the family. Wakagashira were elected as underbosses to the kumicho and some of powerful members were elected as wakagashira-hosa (deputy underbosses).[citation needed]

After the death of Taoka, the heir apparent wakagashira Kenichi Yamamoto (kumicho of the Yamaken-gumi) was serving a prison sentence. He died of liver failure shortly afterward. Fumiko Taoka, Kazuo Taoka's wife, stepped forward to fill the leadership void until a new kumicho could be selected by a council of eight top-level bosses.

In 1984, the elders chose Masahisa Takenaka (kumicho of the Takenaka-gumi) to be the fourth kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi. One of the other contenders, Hiroshi Yamamoto (kumicho of the Yamahiro-gumi), broke away from Yamaguchi-gumi with many of its powerful members and more than 3,000 of its soldiers to form the Ichiwa-kai. A bitter rivalry existed between the two groups, which led to an all-out war (the Yama-Ichi War) after the Ichiwa-kai's 1985 assassination of Takenaka and wakahashira Katsumasa Nakayama. During the war, acting-kumicho Kazuo Nakanishi (kumicho of the Nakanishi-gumi) and wakagashira Yoshinori Watanabe (kumicho of the Yamaken-gumi) briefly took the leadership role until 1989.

The Yama-Ichi War ended with retirement of Hiroshi Yamamoto which was arbitrated by one of the most respected bosses Seijo Inagawa. After that, the clan elected wakagashira Yoshinori Watanabe as 5th kumicho of the organization. Masaru Takumi (kumicho of Takumi-gumi) was elected as wakagashira. He was so powerful and respected within the organization that his influence overshadowed that of kumicho to some extent.

In 1997, then powerful wakagashira Masaru Takumi was assassinated by underlings of then wakagashira-hosa (deputy underboss) Taro Nakano. After this assassination, they were unable to choose a new wakagashira for more than eight years. As a result, leadership of organization became weaker. Finally, in 2005, wakagashira-hosa Shinobu Tsukasa (then kumicho of Hirota-gumi) was chosen as new wakagashira and shortly afterward, in August 2005, Tsukasa inherited the position of the 6th kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Watanabe has retired to private life — rather uncommon in their world, as bosses usually do not retire until their death.[3] Under Tsukasa's leadership, the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi has resumed expansion. Seiji Takayama, kumicho of Kodo-kai, was elected as wakagashira. They absorbed the Tokyo-based gang Kokusui-kai, thus acquiring lucrative turf in the capital. Tsukasa was imprisoned in December 2005, and is serving a six-year sentence.[4]

[edit] Members

[edit] Saiko kanbu (executive members)

  • kumicho (Boss/Leader of the kumi/gang) - Shinobu Tsukasa
  • wakagashira (Underboss/Young-boss) - Kiyoshi Takayama (kaicho of the Second Kodo-kai) - Nagoya
  • saiko komon (supreme advisor) - Tetsuo Nogami (kumicho of the Second Yoshikawa-gumi) - Osaka
  • komon (advisor) - Shoroku Ishida (kaicho of the Shoyu-kai) - Osaka
  • komon - Takao Oishi (kumicho of the Oishi-gumi) - Okayama
  • komon - Kazumi Nishiwaki (kumicho of the Nishiwaki-gumi) - Kobe
  • komon - Akiharu Ozaki (kaicho of the Shinpuku-kai) - Tokushima
  • so-honbucho (chief of headquarters) - Tadashi Irie (kumicho of the Second Takumi-gumi) - Osaka
  • wakagashira-hosa (assistant of wakagashira) - Takashi Takizawa (socho of the Horyokai) - Hamamatsu
  • wakagashira-hosa - Hirofumi Hashimoto (kaicho of the Kyokushin-rengokai) - Osaka
  • wakagashira-hosa - Osamu Teraoka (kaicho of the Kyoyu-kai) - Sumoto
  • wakagashira-hosa - Chihiro Aoyama (kumicho of the Second Izu-gumi) - Fukuoka
  • wakagashira-hosa - Kazuhiko Suzuki (kaicho of the Kyokudo-kai) - Asahikawa
  • wakagashira-hosa - Kunio Inoue (kumicho of the Fourth Yamaken-gumi) - Kobe
  • wakagashira-hosa - Toshio Masaki (kumicho of the Masaki-gumi) - Tsuruga
  • wakagashira-hosa - Takashi Ikeda (kumicho of the Ikeda-gumi) - Okayama

[edit] Hittoman (Hitman / Assassins)

  • hittoman (hitman) - Yashikaru Izuwa (hittoman of Yamaguchi-Gumi) - Tokyo / Kobe
  • hittoman (hitman) - Honjo Yokoma (hittoman of an Unknown Organization with ties to the Yamaguchi-Gumi) - Tokyo / Kobe


[edit] Shatei (younger brothers)

  • Goro Hanabusa (kumicho of the Hanabusa-gumi) - Osaka
  • Tadamasa Goto (kumicho of the Goto-gumi) - Fujinomiya
  • Kenji Tamaji (kumicho of the Tamaji-gumi) - Sakai
  • Yasunobu Kawai? (kumicho of the Kawai-gumi) - Ogaki
  • Yatashitemoto Kira (kumicho of the Sihai-gumi) - Tokyo

[edit] Kanbu (semi-executive members)

  • Hironobu Ohara (kumicho of the Ohara-gumi) - Osaka
  • kumicho-zuki (bodyguard) - Tsuyoshi Kishigami (sosai of the Tenth Hirai-ikka) - Toyohashi
  • so-honbucho-hosa (chief of headquarters assistant) - Yoshinaga Mori (kumicho of the Mori-gumi) - Suita
  • kumicho-zuki - Katsuaki Mitsuyasu (kaicho of the Kosei-kai) - Fukuoka
  • keicho-iincho - Hisao Okamoto (kumicho of the Second Matsushita-gumi) - Kobe
  • so-honbucho-hosa - Masakazu Ken (kaicho of the Kokusei-kai) - Osaka

[edit] Hyogo wakanaka (sons in Hyogo)

  • Toyohiko Nakamura (kumicho of the Second Ohira-gumi) - Amagasaki
  • Mikio Hosokawa (kumicho of the Hosokawa-gumi) - Amagasaki
  • Kengo Shibata (kaicho of the Shibata-kai) - Kakogawa
  • Fumio Ioku (kaicho of the Ioku-kai) - Kobe
  • Yasuo-Onishi (kumicho of the Onishi-gumi) - Himeji
  • Takao Hosomi (kumicho of the Second Sato-gumi) - Kobe
  • Keiichi Furukawa (kumicho of the Second Furukawa-gumi) - Amagasaki
  • Kazumi Kan? (kumicho of the Third Manabe-gumi) - Amagasaki
  • Takeshi Shimizu (kumicho of the Second Kishimoto-gumi) - Kobe

[edit] Osaka wakanaka (sons in Osaka)

  • Osamu Kobayashi (kumicho of the Second Nanbayasu-gumi) - Sakai
  • Masaki Nakano? (kumicho of the Nakano-gumi) - Sakai
  • Kenji Seiriki (kaicho of the Seiriki-kai) - Osaka
  • Kiyoshi Okuura (kumicho of the Okuura-gumi) - Higashiosaka
  • Keiji Asakawa (kaicho of the Asakawa-kai) - Suita
  • Keiji Hirayama (kaicho of the Third Minami-ikka) - Osaka
  • Masahiro Asai (kumicho of the Asai-gumi) - Suita
  • Tadashige Kamei? (kumicho of the Second Matsuyama-gumi) - Higashiosaka
  • Masahiko Kawasaki (kaicho of the Second Isshin-kai) - Osaka
  • Kazuyoshi Kawaguchi? (kaicho of the Third Ogurumamakoto-kai) - Osaka
  • Shizuo Kojo? (kaicho of the Soshin-kai) - Osaka
  • Takashi Nomura? (kaicho of the Third Hajime-kai) - Osaka
  • Hiromi Takagi (kaicho of the Fifth Hayano-kai) - Osaka
  • Koji Fukawa? (kumicho of the Second Nakanishi-gumi) - Osaka
  • Hidetada Sadachi? (socho of the Third Ono-ikka) - Osaka
  • Morimasa Ota (kaicho of the Ota-kai) - Osaka
  • Kenji Eguchi (kaicho of the Second Kenshin-kai) - Osaka
  • Teruhito Sato? (kumicho of the Second Nakajima-gumi) - Osaka
  • Eiji Takano (kumicho of the Third Oda-gumi) - Osaka
  • Osamu Okumura (kumicho of the Second Katsuno-gumi) - Osaka
  • Ryuji Takemori? (kaicho of the Fourth Sumida-kai) - Osaka
  • Shogo Sunouchi (kaicho of the Second Tosei-kai) - Osaka

[edit] Ta-todofuken wakanaka (sons in other prefectures)

  • Tetsuya Aono (socho of the Seventh Ichiriki-ikka) - Hamamatsu
  • Katsuhiko Ozaki (kumicho of the Ozaki-gumi) - Tokushima
  • Masashi Hamao (kumicho of the Hamao-gumi) - Yokohama
  • Tadatoshi Yamada (kumicho of the Second Yajima-gumi) - Imabari
  • Tatsuo Nemoto (kumicho of the Second Kawauchi-gumi) - Awara
  • Toru Eguchi (socho of the Third Ishii-ikka) - Beppu
  • Moritoshi Ono? (socho of the Sixth Oshuaizukakusada-ikka) - Aizuwakamatsu
  • Haruo Nishibata? (kumicho of the Sixth Sasaki-gumi) - Wakayama
  • Tora Kitajima? (kumicho of the Second Sugi-gumi) - Nagoya
  • Tetsuo Kinko (kaicho of the Kinko-kai) - Fukuoka
  • Yukinori Nasu? (kaicho of the Third Daimon-kai?) - Yatsushiro
  • Satoru Shoda (kaicho of the Second Matsuyama-kai) - Matsuyama
  • Toshimasa Shimada (kumicho of the Second Masuda-gumi) - Yokohama
  • Mutsuo Asakawa (socho of the Second Asakawa-ikka) - Fukuoka
  • Koichi Tsuda (kumicho of the Second Kuramoto-gumi) - Nara
  • Ken Kaimoto (kaicho of the Kaimoto-kai) - Nagoya
  • Kazuharu Funaki (kaicho of the Third Seiyu-kai) - Sapporo
  • Shigenori Shinohara (kumicho of the Second Wakabayashi-gumi) - Takamatsu
  • Yasuo Takagi (socho of the Sixth Shimizu-ikka) - Shizuoka
  • Tatsuyuki Hishida (kaicho of the Second Aio-kai) - Yokkaichi
  • Katsuhiro Yamamoto (kaicho of the Fifth Goyu-kai) - Kochi
  • Shinichi Tayasu? (kaicho of the Second Shosei-kai) - Kanazawa
  • Kazuhiko Kakeno (kumicho of the Second Kondo-gumi) - Gifu
  • Masao Chaya (socho of the Chayamasa-ikka) - Sapporo
  • Yuji Ochiai (socho of the Second Konishi-ikka) - Shizuoka
  • Sakaki Kimura (kaicho of the Kimura-kai) - Matsuyama
  • Utaro Morio (kaicho of the Daido-kai) - Yonago
  • Hideharu Fujii? (kaicho of the Fifth Kokusui-kai) - Tokyo
  • Hisao Takahashi (kumicho of the Second Jizo-gumi) - Kyoto
  • Sanji Tanaka? (socho of the Inaba-ikka) - Kumamoto
  • Koji Miyamoto (kaicho of the Fourth Kitaoka-kai) - Kamoto District
  • Hatsuji Nakajima? (kumicho of the Fourth Koyama-gumi) - Wakayama
  • Kenji Fujiwara (kumicho of the Third Kumamoto-gumi) - Tamano
  • Kenji Kiyota (sosai of the Tenth Seto-ikka) - Seto
  • Hiroshi Tahori? (kaicho of the Second Meishin-kai) - Nagoya

[edit] Relief support after the Kobe Earthquake

Immediately after the Kobe Earthquake of 1995, the Yamaguchi-gumi started a large-scale relief effort for the earthquake victims, helping with the distribution of food and supplies. This help was essential to the Kobe population, because official support was inconsistent and chaotic for several days.[5] [6]

[edit] Assassination of Iccho Itoh

On April 17, 2007, Tetsuya Shiroo, a senior ranking member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, assassinated Iccho Itoh, the mayor of Nagasaki, over an apparent dispute over damage done to Shiroo's car at a public works construction site.[7] On May 26, 2008 Tetsuya Shiroo was sentenced to death.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Tokyo death sparks gang war fear
  2. ^ http://www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au/region.php?id=136356&region=2
  3. ^ Mainichi Daily News ends its partnership with MSN, takes on new Web address
  4. ^ Police wary as Yamaguchi-gumi prepares to fete sixth don | The Japan Times Online
  5. ^ QUAKE IN JAPAN: GANGSTERS; Gang in Kobe Organizes Aid for People In Quake
  6. ^ YASUYUKI SAWADA, SATOSHI SHIMIZUTANI. (2008) How Do People Cope with Natural Disasters? Evidence from the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake in 1995. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking 40:2-3, 463-488
  7. ^ BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | I killed mayor - Japan 'gangster'
  8. ^ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23762086-2703,00.html

[edit] External links