OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have launched an investigation after a truck rammed a savoury pancake shop affiliated with an organized crime group in Kishiwada City, an incident that might be related to an ongoing conflict, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Mar. 25).
At around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, a male passerby to the restaurant, an okonomiyaki shop located in the Fujiicho area, alerted police after seeing the truck plowed into the front shutter.
Police arriving at the scene found the vehicle with its rear against the shutter. With the shop closed at the time, there were no injuries in the incident.
According to police, the shop is managed by persons connected to the Yamaken-gumi, an affiliate gang of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.
In 2015, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi formed as a rival gang to the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest criminal syndicate. Following the formation, the gangs have engaged in an ongoing dispute, which has included a number of truck-ramming incidents.
Police are now investigating whether the incident from Saturday is related to the dispute.