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Yakuza syndicate a no-show at safety commission meeting

The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, headed by Kunio Inoue (above), is expected to splinter into two gangs
The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, headed by Kunio Inoue (above), is expected to splinter into two gangs

HYOGO (TR) – “Never let anyone know what you are thinking” — Michael Corleone, “The Godfather.”

Members of a recently formed organized crime group last week bypassed an opportunity to comment on its possible designation as “violent,” reports the Kobe Shimbun (Mar. 22).

The Hyogo Prefectural Public Safety Commission invited Kunio Inoue, the boss of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, and fellow gang members to present commentary on its possible boryokudan, or “violent organization,” designation at a meeting held on March 22.

However, no members of the gang attended the session. Gangs are afforded the chance to offer commentary on the matter as a part of a procedure outlined in the Anti-Orgranized Crime Law of 1991.

In recent weeks, law enforcement has been carefully watching the activities of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, which formed following the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi in September. Its headquarters is located in Awaji City.

Since the middle of February, a turf war between the two gangs has escalated with an outbreak of multiple shootings, fire bombings and car-ramming incidents. Earlier this month, the National Police Agency officially acknowledged that the groups are in a “state of confrontation.”

On March 1, the public safety commission indicated that the boryokudan designation was possible due to the fact that many members of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi have criminal records.