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Hyogo cops raid HQ of ex-Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate

About 50 officers raided the offices of the Kyoyu-kai in Awaji City
About 50 officers raided the offices of the Kyoyu-kai in Awaji City

HYOGO (TR) – Following a shakeup in Japan’s criminal underworld, Hyogo Prefectural Police on Tuesday searched the offices of a former affiliate gang of the Yamaguchi-gumi on suspicion of bank fraud, reports the Nippon News Network (Sep. 15).

At around 10:00 a.m., approximately 50 officers wearing bulletproof vests entered the headquarters of the Kyoyu-kai, located in Awaji City, in search of evidence related to the fraudulent establishment of bank accounts.

The raid comes on the heels of recent turmoil directly involving the gang.

On September 1, the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest organized crime group, chose to finalize the excommunication of 13 affiliate gangs, including the Yamaken-gumi and the Kyoyu-kai.

Four days later, law enforcement sources confirmed the formation of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, a rival gang to the Yamaguchi-gumi that will be headed by Kunio Inoue, the 67-year-old boss of the Yamaken-gumi. Osamu Teraoka, the 66-year-old head of the Kyoyu-kai, will serve as another upper-level boss.

The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi is expected to be based at the headquarters of the Kyoyu-kai in Awaji.

Today’s raid follows similar crackdowns that have taken place on the Yamaken-gumi. On two days last week, law enforcement officials from Osaka and Saitama prefectures raided the gang’s offices in Kobe’s Chuo Ward on suspicion of fraud and firearms violations.