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Officers re-arrest yakuza hit man in 1999 murder in Wakayama

Hideaki Ueda
Hideaki Ueda
WAKAYAMA (TR) – Wakayama Prefectural Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of a hit man and two gang members in the shooting death of another yakuza more than a decade ago in Shingu City, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sept. 25).

Officers arrested two members of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Shigeaki Nyuta, 66, and Kohei Hayashi, 50, for assisting in the evasion from capture of Hideaki Ueda, a 53-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi already in custody on murder charges, during his flight from law enforcement.

Ueda and two others gang members, both of whom are currently serving prison sentences, came up from behind Yoshifumi Nakabayashi, a former gang boss (then 56 years old), on a road in Tazuharacho and shot him five times in the head on September 29, 1999.

Ueda had been on a nationwide wanted list until his arrest on July 23, when Wakayama police arrested him inside a pachinko parlor in Takahama, Aichi Prefecture, according to the Sankei Shimbun (July 23).

Nyuta and Hayashi are alleged to have given 1.2 million yen in cash to Ueda in a restaurant parking lot in Anjo, Aichi in late April.

Nyuta denies the allegations while Hayashi admits handing over the money. Ueda, who was re-arrested and charged with requesting the assistance, also admits to the crime.

Officers are seeking another former gang member who is also believed to have assisted Ueda.