HYOGO (TR) – Fukuoka Prefectural Police raid the headquarters of the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi on Monday on suspicion of making threats, the first such search since the group was deemed “violent” by the government, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Mar. 26).
At around 11:30 a.m., officers entered the headquarters in Amagasaki City in search of evidence related to alleged threats made to the manager of a restaurant in Fukuoka over repayment of a loan of 2 million yen.
Earlier this month, Fukuoka police arrested Toru Ueki, 64 the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi’s number-three boss, and his brother, 69-year-old Takashi, who is an upper-lever member of the same gang. They both deny the allegations.
In April of last year, the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi formed after key affiliate gangs broke off ties with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, which itself formed following the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi in 2015.
Since the formation of the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi, police have been on alert over possible violence between the three Yamaguchi-gumi factions.
On March 22, the Hyogo Prefectural Public Safety Commission labeled the gang as a boryokudan, or “violent organization. The search of the headquarters on Monday was the first since the group received the label.