HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police suspect that a ransacking of a yakuza office in Amagasaki City was due to a ongoing feud with a rival gang, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Nov. 20).
At around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, police were tipped off about a broken window at the office of an affiliate gang of the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi , located in the Oshokita area. Officers arriving at the scene found the broken window on the first floor. As well, the contents of a fire extinguisher had been sprayed inside.
According to the Amagasaki-Minami Police Station, the office was unoccupied between 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00 a.m. on Sunday. It is believed the damage took place during that period.
Earlier this year, the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi formed following the splintering of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. Police believe the ransacking of the office could be tied to the dispute that subsequently developed between the two gangs.
In the most notable incident since the splintering, a 44-year-old member of the Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi was gunned down in Kobe on September 12. Police are seeking a Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi member in the case.