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Fukuoka cops arrest yakuza in 2012 stabbing

The anti-gang emblem posted in businesses in Fukuoka Prefecture
The anti-gang emblem posted in businesses in Fukuoka Prefecture

FUKUOKA (TR) –  Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested upper-level organized crime member in a stabbing incident in Kitakyushu City four years ago, reports NHK (June 3).

Police took Yoshitaka Tanaka, a 50-year-old executive in the Kudo-kai, and six other persons into custody in the stabbing of a male bar manager, 54, in Kokurakita Ward.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on September 26, 2012 two assailants stabbed the man in the buttocks and leg on a road in front of his apartment before fleeing the scene.

The attack was the fourth that month that targeted employees at restaurants and bars. In another incident, a woman who operates a restaurant was slashed in the face by a knife-wielding man as she exited a taxi. The driver of the cab also suffered injuries to his head after he attempted to thwart the attacker.

In both cases, the victims worked for businesses that had recently posted an emblem on their premises that stipulates the exclusion of members of organized crime.

Tanaka and five of the suspects have been charged with attempted murder. The seventh suspect has been charged with lending a vehicle used in the crime.