TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a upper-level member of a quasi-criminal syndicate over an assault resulting in injury incident in Toshima Ward earlier this year, reports Fuji News Network (June 29).
On February 1 at 3:00 a.m., Zhang Yun, a 44-year-old executive of Chinese Dragon, and one other person are alleged to have attacked three male Chinese nationals with the jagged edges of a broken bottle, resulting in injuries to the back and chest. One of the victims suffered serious injuries that required two months to heal.
Zhang denies the charges, telling police he recalls pushing the victims but does not remember attacking anyone, according to Fuji News Network (June 29). The other suspect, who is believed to be a subordinate member of the gang, also denies the allegations.
The incident started at a bar in the Ikebukuro entertainment district. The three victims exited the premises after they were accosted under false pretenses by the suspects. The suspects then gave chase and broke a bottle over the head of one of the victims before continuing with the assault.
The core membership of Chinese Dragon, based in Ikebukuro, is comprised of second- and third-generation returnees from China who came to Japan after the end of World War II.
Law enforcement had long viewed Chinese Dragon, along with Kento Rengo, as bosozoku biker gangs. However, starting in 2013 the National Police Agency began classifying bosozoku gangs as “pseudo-yakuza” groups to better reflect the true state of their activities.
Police are also investigating whether Chinese Dragon members were behind a similar assault incident in Ikebukuro involving a broken bottle that took place in January.
