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Yakuza accused of gunning down rival in Nagano

A member of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi died after being shot outside a hot springs resort in Iida
A member of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi died after being shot outside a hot springs resort in Iida

NAGANO (TR) – Law enforcement believes a shooting incident in Iida City is directly related to the recent dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group, reports TBS News (Oct. 9).

Nagano Prefectural Police on Thursday night arrested Kenichiro Aruga, a 48-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, for the shooting death of a rival gangster two days before.

At approximately 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aruga  is alleged to have used a pistol to shoot Yoichi Hasegawa, 43, in the head inside a parking lot of the Yu-Min onsen resort.

The victim, who had just checked out from the resort, was transported to a nearby hospital where he died at 7:00 a.m. the following day.

Hasegawa is a member of a gang affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, a criminal organization that formed last month in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi, which is Japan’s largest organized crime group.

With the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi being a rival to the Yamaguchi-gumi, police suspect that the shooting incident is connected to trouble that may have developed as a result of the split.