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<h3><b>Inagawa-kai President Kazuya Uchibori (left)</b></h3>
<h3><b>Kyokuto-kai President Hitoshi Takahashi (right)</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_383690" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-383690"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6dce78b5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/07/59b8438be018fcf1af80121814212848.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-383690" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bosses shaking hands as they leave the facility. On the left is Inagawa-kai President Kazuya Uchibori, and on the right is Kyokuto-kai President Hitoshi Takahashi. The meeting, which began around 11:30, ended shortly after 12:00.</span></figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bosses&#8217; expressions as they exchanged a firm handshake conveyed a sense of fulfillment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In mid-July, an affiliated facility of the designated organized crime group Inagawa-kai in Yokohama was shrouded in an unusual tension in broad daylight. And for good reason: inside, a meeting that could be called a &#8220;Yakuza Summit&#8221; was taking place, with the top leaders of prestigious Kanto yakuza groups gathered together.</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;This day was a gathering of the &#8216;Kanto Friendship Association,&#8217; which consists of eight yakuza groups from the Kanto region. In addition to Kazuya Uchibori (71), president of the Inagawa-kai who provided the venue, other attendees included Sumiyoshi-kai president Shuji Ogawa and Eiji Fujii (78), president of the fifth-generation Kokusui-kai and advisor to the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi. They had their subordinates wait separately and talked for about 30 minutes with only the bosses present. The current organizational structure of the association has been in place since 2014, but this was the first time all the top leaders had gathered together,&#8221; said a journalist familiar with yakuza affairs.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the meeting, President Uchibori saw off the other bosses with handshakes, as mentioned at the beginning. It seemed to be a harmonious meeting, with some even showing smiles.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why was this summit, which hadn&#8217;t occurred in ten years, held this summer?</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;It&#8217;s likely not unrelated to the fact that August marks the 10th anniversary of the split conflict within the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi. In fact, it seems that Takayama Seiji (76), the wakagashira of the sixth generation, made a special trip to Tokyo to help facilitate the meeting. This probably also played a role in building relationships with the major groups in Kanto,&#8221; said the same journalist.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the milestone summer approaches, an eerie unrest is permeating the world of ninkyo (chivalrous) organizations.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<h3><b>Sumiyoshi-kai President Shuji Ogawa</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_383692" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 632px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-383692"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e038f2dd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/07/b4c8f8204857679cfe38167f9a304b09.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-383692" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sumiyoshi-kai President Ogawa was also present. Perhaps due to the positive outcome of the meeting, he was seen smiling before heading home.</span></figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_383693" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-383693"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="db75d202"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/07/8d44ab46a1dfce2ff2c815349b000139.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-383693" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the Inagawa-kai Hall, where the event took place, the members had been standing rigidly at attention since morning, waiting to welcome the bosses.</span></figcaption></figure>
<p>From the August 9, 2024 issue of FRIDAY</p>


 Ogawa Hikaru

 In mid-July, the facilities of the Inagawa-kai, a designated crime syndicate in Yokohama, were enveloped in a strange tension. The top leaders of the Inagawa-kai, Sumiyoshi-kai, Yamaguchigumi VI, and other prestigious yakuza groups in the Kanto region gathered in one place for a meeting that could be called a "Gokudo summit.

Inagawa-kai, Sumiyoshi-kai, and Sixth-Generation Yamaguchi-gumi Leaders Gather in Broad Daylight in Yokohama

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