TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four organized crime members from two Tokyo-based gangs for participation in a large brawl in Shinjuku Ward last month, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 8).
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on November 20, approximately 50 gang members struck and kicked one another on a road in the Kabukicho red-light district.
Officers from the Shinjuku Police Station subsequently arrested Takahisa Hasegawa, a 41-year-old boss in the Matsuba-kai, Chikahiro Ito, a 48-year-old Sumiyoshi-kai member, and two other gang members on charges of inflicting physical violence. All of the suspects have admitted to the charges.
The incident began after Ito became involved in a dispute with a taxi driver. Hasegawa, who happened to be passing through the area, then made a derogatory comment about Ito’s character. The fight between the gangs ensued.
To quell the violence, law enforcement mobilized approximately 100 riot police to the area, according to TV Asahi (Dec. 9).
The main office of the Matsuba-kai is located in Asakusa while the headquarters of the Sumiyoshi-kai is in Akasaka.
