TOKYO — Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a boss affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate for allegedly assaulting a “snack” bar manager and an employee in Nerima Ward, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 16).
Masatoshi Yonamine, the boss of a tertiary group under the Sumiyoshi-kai’s Kohei-ikka, is accused of physically throwing the two men to the ground on a street last year.
During police questioning, Yonamine completely denied the allegations. “I just stepped in to mediate a fight,” he told investigators.
According to police, the violent altercation was triggered when an acquaintance of Yonamine became embroiled in a billing dispute at the snack bar. Hearing of the trouble, Yonamine, who was drinking at a nearby establishment, rushed to the scene and committed the assault.
The arrest comes amid an intensifying crackdown on the syndicate. Police recently raided the headquarters of the Kohei-ikka, as the group is strongly suspected of being deeply involved in tokushu sagi fraud operations.
