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Tokyo cops raid Yamaguchi-gumi org over extortion

Police raided the Tsukasa Kogyo headquarters in search of evidence related to the alleged extortion of 900,000 yen
Police raided the Tsukasa Kogyo headquarters in connection with the extortion of a man in Tokyo

NAGOYA (TR) – Following a recent uprising in Japan’s world of organized crime, Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday raided the headquarters of an enterprise affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi on suspicion of extortion, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 17).

Investigators entered the offices of Tsukasa Kogyo, located in Naka Ward, in search of evidence related to the alleged extortion of 900,000 yen from a 46-year-old man inside a restaurant in Tokyo’s Minato Ward in June of last year.

In connection with the case, police have arrested Seiji Kawasaki, a 49-year-old manager of Tsukasa Kogyo, and two other suspects. In demanding payment from the man, Kawasaki is said to have described the money as a “lawyer’s fee.”

All three suspects have denied the allegations.

The search comes after recent turmoil involving the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which is Japan’s largest organized crime group.

On September 1, the Yamaguchi-gumi chose to finalize the excommunication of 13 affiliate gangs, including the Yamaken-gumi and the Kyoyu-kai.

The rogue gangs are now forming 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.

The boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi is Kenichi Shinoda, who also goes by Tsukasa Shinobu. He is the founder of the Tsukasa Kogyo.

Since the dissolution, police have previously raided the headquarters of Yamaken-gumi and Kyoyu-kai. This is the first raid of an organization that remained within the Yamaguchi-gumi.