OSAKA (TR) – Police here have arrested a senior member of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate and three others for allegedly attempting to murder a hired driver with an ax on a street in Osaka City earlier this year, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (June 26).
Yasunori Okuma, 48, an executive of a group affiliated with the Kohei-ikka — a powerful faction under the Sumiyoshi-kai — was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder alongside three accomplices.
Police have not disclosed whether Okuma and the three other suspects have admitted to the charges.
According to police, the attack took place in May on a street in Fukushima Ward. The victim, a man in his 30s, was working as a driver and had just transported a male and female passenger. As the driver attempted to exit the vehicle, he was suddenly ambushed by a group of five men.
During the assault, the suspects allegedly attempted to kill the man by striking him in the face with an ax.
Despite the brutal nature of the attack, the victim managed to escape with only minor injuries, suffering bruising to his face.
Authorities are currently hunting for the fifth attacker, who fled the scene and remains at large.
