As many who are up on their Japan news probably saw, there was an explosion Monday morning at an office owned by the Yamaguchi-gumi affiliated Yamaken-gumi. Thus far, the Mainichi is the only place to have an English-language story up about the incident:
Police rushed to the office of the Yamaken-gumi gang, which is affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate, in Kobe’s Chuo Ward after a resident nearby reported the sound of a blast and that their house windows had been shattered at around 2:40 a.m. on Nov. 1.
Officers from Ikuta Police Station found several dents on a stainless-steel column near the office’s front door and a gunpowder-like smell wafting in the area. A metal cylinder, measuring about 1 centimeter in diameter and three centimeters in length and apparently part of the explosive material, was found inside the resident’s home across from the gang office. Police suspect that someone had placed an explosive near the gang’s office and have begun investigating the case on suspicion of destruction of property.
According to the article, a gang member had checked CCTV footage, but did not see anyone on camera.
Here is a TBS report about the incident (Japanese) showing the glass debris that covered the area:
Residents may be scared, but the yakuza are probably furious and out hunting for the mysterious figure that supposedly didn’t appear on their security cameras.
I bet its a message from a rival.It will be interesting to see who finds the 犯人first. The Yamaken-gumi or the police. Maybe they will help each other out to find him.
the yakuza are in serious decline!.. and becoming less of a factor, day by day. the chinese triads (whom are much more ruthless and cunning) are taking over many of their old traditional territory….. the ordinary citizen isnt afraid of them anymore!.. they are in record numbers taking gangsters to court and winning lawsuits against them!.. there bosses are being imprisoned and on the run. thanks to newer and much tougher organized crime laws. (yakuza are like the american italian mafia very buisness oriented and long term players. and both are in decline and losing territory to new immigrant syndicates from abroad!.) this was a regular citizen who doesnt fear them! fireboming there headquarters… they are losing alot of influence… ordinary people attack them now!.
Thanks for writing in. I don’t think that the foreign mafia is moving in a signficant way but the ordinary citizens are less afraid of them and the police are really cracking down on them. The firebombing of the Yamaguchi Yamaken-gumi offices was probably the first round of a gang war.