TOKYO (TR) – Arrests of bosses of Japan’s largest organized crime group declined nationwide over the first half of this year, the National Police Agency announced on Thursday, reports Nikkan Sports (Sep. 17).
Between January and June, police arrested 25 upper-level members of the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi and its number-two affiliate, the Kodo-kai. The figure represents a drop of eight over the same period in 2014.
“We will strive to continue to collect information and maintain vigilance,” said a representative of the NPA.
For all organized crime groups, the number of arrests of members and affiliate members fell by 789 to 10,198. The most common crime was related to stimulant drug violations (2,649) incidents, followed by assault (1,233) and fraud (1,049).
There was only one recorded attack by an organized crime group against a business person, the lowest total since such statistics started being kept in 2007. In January, shots were fired outside the home of Sega Sammy Holdings chairman Hajime Satomi, located in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward.
The seizure of firearms dropped from 42 to 28.
The NPA also noted that the arrests of the top bosses of the Kitakyushu City-based Kudo-kai in May are a part of the ongoing crackdown on gang violence in Kyushu.
