IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police suspect that a shooting and car-ramming incident at an office of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group are related to an ongoing gang dispute, reports Nippon News Network (Mar. 6).
On Sunday morning, police found three bullet holes in exterior walls and two others in a window of the first floor of the office, located in the Yanakawacho area of Mito City.
Based on testimony from individuals in the area, the shooting took place around 2:00 a.m. The building was unoccupied at the time, and there were no injuries.
The day before, Ibaraki police arrested a 40-year-old member of a gang affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi for allegedly ramming a truck into another vehicle parked at the same office. He was charged with causing property damage.
Police are viewing incidents as part of a surge in violence in recent weeks between the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.
The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi formed following the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi last summer. Law enforcement has been on high alert over fears of escalating violence between the two gangs as they battle over turf across the nation.