HYOGO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday raided the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group as a part of an investigation into the extortion of entertainment establishments in the capital, reports TV Asahi (July 18).
About 60 investigations entered the compound of the gang, located in Kobe’s Nada Ward, in search of evidence connected to the alleged extortion of bars and clubs in the ritzy Ginza area of Tokyo’s Chuo Ward.
Police have arrested eight gang members, including Hisachi Umeki, the 54-year-old boss of the Kokusui-kai, a third-tier gang of the Yamaguchi-gumi, in the case.
Beginning in 2013, Umeki and the other suspects are alleged to have demanded payment of around 50,000 yen per month for mikajimeryo — or “protection money” — from a few dozen high-end clubs and bars in Ginza.
There are approximately 2,000 bars, restaurants and clubs in Ginza. Since 2009, the suspects are believed to have collected at least 50 million yen in the extortion racket.
