Dozens of black luxury cars drive in… Why the top leaders of the Yamaguchigumi VI and Inagawa-kai have all “entered Yokohama

On August 17, a corner of a quiet residential area in Yokohama City was in an uproar. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., as many as ten black luxury cars pulled in one after another. A little after 2:00 p.m., several black Alphard and other cars arrived. Shomei Takeuchi, 63, an assistant to the head of the Yamaguchigumi VI, a designated gang in the specified war against the Yakuza, showed up.

What was the purpose of the “arrival in Yokohama” by a succession of big-name yakuza?

On that day, a funeral service was being held at a funeral home in the city for Masanori Shiojima, former chairman of the Soai-kai, a designated crime syndicate with close ties to the Yamaguchigumi VI. Mr. Shiojima was a person with whom Mr. Uchibori and Mr. Takeuchi had a close relationship, as he served as an intermediary in the ceremony of the five-minute sibling sake cup. After the burning of incense, Mr. Uchibori remained for a while and exchanged words with the members of the Soai-kai.
Other attendees that day included Shuji Ogawa, chairman of the Sumiyoshikai. Seiji Takayama, 75, a young leader of the Yamaguchigumi VI, was also scheduled to attend, but was unable to come to Tokyo because the Shinkansen bullet train was suspended due to Typhoon No. 7″ (source from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department).

On August 27, Yamaguchigumi VI will mark the ninth year of its split with Kobe Yamaguchigumi. The executive’s surprise visit may have had the purpose of maintaining relations with friendly organizations before the milestone. Mr. Masahiro Ojima, a nonfiction writer who has written books such as “The True Story of the Yamaguchigumi Split,” says.

The gap in power between the two camps is only widening. At the time of the split in 2003, the Rokudai had 6,000 members, while the Kobe side had 2,800 members. However, while the Rokudai now has 3,800 members, the Kobe side has shrunk to only about 330 due to a string of defections. The majority has already been settled.
However, it is not as if the situation will be settled quickly. Kunio Inoue, 75, head of Kobe, has no intention of surrendering and is holed up in his home. The situation is becoming increasingly chaotic.

Meanwhile, attacks from the Yamaguchigumi VI have intensified over the past year. Last October, the Ikeda clan leader, who once formed the core of the Kobe Yamaguchigumi, was attacked in a barbershop. In June of this year, gasoline was sprayed on the home of the leader of the Inoue clan, and in July, a truck plowed into the headquarters of the Nishiwaki 2nd Yamaguchigumi, a secondary organization. All of these crimes were committed by members of the Yamaguchigumi VI. Still, there has been no overt move by the Inoue clan leader.

To end the conflict, it is necessary for the Inoue boss to raise the white flag, but the police are on 24-hour watch at his home to prevent an attack, and the VI clan cannot easily do anything about it. There is a possibility that it will take more time to settle the dispute,” said Ojima.

The divisional war continues to be at a stalemate. We must not allow any incidents involving unrelated citizens to occur.

From the September 8, 2023 issue of FRIDAY