On June 19, director Tadayoshi Bando, 67, played nine holes at a golf course in Kumamoto Prefecture with Tetsuharu Kobayashi, the top boss of the Dojin-kai organized crime organization.
“I think I received a lesson fee in the form of a tip (from Kobayashi), but I do not remember well,” Bando was quoted as saying.
Kobayashi, who reportedly became acquainted with the director about two years ago, is currently facing fraud charges for concealing his organized crime ties in order to play golf in Okinawa in December and January.
In 2006, the PGA of Japan established a policy that prohibits association with gangsters.
