TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a member of the Matsuba-kai yakuza syndicate for allegedly assaulting and threatening a former prison mate in an attempt to force him into the gang, reports Nippon News Network (June 4).
Last year, Yoshiyuki Yazawa allegedly confined the man in a room of a commercial building in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, where he punched him in the face.
“I’m not letting you go home for a while,” Yazawa threatened the victim, according to police.
The two men became acquainted while serving time in prison, where Yazawa initially attempted to recruit him. When the man firmly refused to join the syndicate following his release, Yazawa reportedly became enraged by the rejection.
“You’ve dragged my name through the mud,” Yazawa allegedly told the man. “Work for me until you can cough up 3 million yen.”
During police questioning, Yazawa denied the allegations.
