TOKYO (TR) – Law enforcement remains on high alert as violent incidents involving the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group and its newly formed rival, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, have continued unabated over the past two weeks, reports NHK (Mar. 17).
Since the National Police Agency on March 7 established a special unit to cope with the “state of confrontation” between the two gangs, nine incidents have taken place in six prefectures.
The incidents include a shooting at a Yamaguchi-gumi office in Toyama Prefecture, cars ramming into offices of both gangs in Osaka and the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at a Yamaguchi-gumi office in Gyoda City, Saitama Prefecture.
The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi formed following the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi in September. Since then, law enforcement had been taking measures to alleviate violence between the two gangs.
However, a sudden increase in violence that began in February forced the NPA to launch the unit, which is tasked with upping intelligence gathering and implementing crackdowns.
At a news conference on Thursday, Masahito Kanetaka, the Commissioner General of the NPA, said that police nationwide are dedicating substantial resources to ending the violence and protecting citizens. “We are endeavoring to put an end to this conflict at an early stage by making arrests of senior members and cutting off funding sources,” he said.
