TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a member of the newly formed organized crime group for attempted blackmail, reports TBS News (Oct. 15)
At the end of last month, Toshiaki Nakai, a 65-year-old member of the Osaka-based Kokusei-kai, an affiliate of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, is alleged to have threatened a 67-year-old man inside a restaurant in Minato Ward over a payment of 300,000 yen.
Nakai reportedly said that he would harm the victim and his company unless the money was paid.
The suspect denies the allegations.
On Wednesday, Tokyo police raided the headquarters of the Kokusei-kai, located in Osaka’s Kita Ward, for evidence connected to the case.
The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi formed last month as a rival to the Yamaguchi-gumi, which had broken up just before.
Since the dissolution of the Yamaguchi-gumi, law enforcement has been conducting raids of offices affiliated with both gangs in preparation for possible conflicts.