HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police have arrested the number-two boss of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi for traffic violations last month, an apprehension that appears to be related to the ignoring of a court order, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 7).
On January 23 at around 3:10 p.m., Osamua Teraoka and two other persons of using a vehicle that had not undergone an inspection and without insurance as dictated under the Road Transport Vehicle Law.
All three suspects deny the allegations, police said.
According to police, the incident took place in the Shizuki area of Awaji City, near the headquarters of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.
In October, the Kobe District Court ordered the gang to suspend using the office for meetings and other activities. However, Teraoka and other gang members are believed to have entered and exited the premises.
The number-two boss also appears to have used the office as a residence, which was searched by police for evidence in the traffic case on Wednesday.
In 2016, the U.S. government blacklisted some key members of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, including Teraoka. The move froze any of his stateside assets and generally prohibits persons in the U.S. from doing business with him.
