Exploring the Yamaguchi-gumi Split Conflict from Police and Yakuza Perspectives as it Enters Its 10th Year

“Those who joined Kobe were supposed to continue fighting until a resolution was reached, having made the commitment to oppose the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi. However, there was almost no retaliation from Kobe’s side. This does not set a precedent. In the world of yakuza, if you’re attacked, you retaliate. This is common sense in the yakuza industry, and without it, you cannot make an impression on society.”

Regarding the lack of retaliation from the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, a previously mentioned police official revealed, “It seems that Inoue (the leader of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi) did not permit it.”

In May 2018, Inoue had handed over the position of leader of the Yamakenzoku to Koji Nakata. Less than a year into the new leadership of the Yamakenzoku, an incident occurred in April 2019 where Yoshinori Yosuke, the young head of the Yamakenzoku, was severely injured after being stabbed by a member of the Kōdō-kai, a faction of the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi. Despite this, Inoue did not allow for retaliation, and Nakata, as the leader, took it upon himself to act as a hitman and shot and seriously injured a Kōdō-kai member. The police official explained:

“When Nakata reported the attack to Inoue, rather than being praised, he was reprimanded. Given the ongoing conflict, it is natural for Nakata to want to retaliate, especially since it was the young head Yosuke who was attacked. However, Inoue had strictly commanded not to retaliate. The reason for this is unclear, which is quite mysterious.”

Due to dissatisfaction with these measures, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi began to shrink. The Ikeda-gumi declared its departure in July 2020, followed by the Yamakenzoku in August of the same year. The Kyōyūkai left in August 2022, and the Takami-gumi followed in September. The Masaki-gumi had already disbanded, meaning that all five core organizations supporting the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi had left. The large Yamakenzoku organization, which was a significant loss, was revealed to have returned to the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi in September 2021.

The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi fractured and its influence dwindled. However, violence continued unabated. Incidents of sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi executives being shot occurred frequently. In January 2022, an executive was shot and killed by a visitor at an office of a sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi organization in Mito City. In April 2023, a sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi Kōdō-kai leader who was also the manager of a ramen shop in Kobe City was similarly shot and killed. In both cases, the shooter arrested was  Shigeki Kanazawa, a young head of the Kizuna-kai (formerly the Ninkyo Dantai Yamaguchi-gumi).

Despite this, there remains a significant disparity in the scale of the organizations, as mentioned at the beginning. The Ikeda-gumi and Kizuna-kai each currently have about 60 members. The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has approximately 140 members, while the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi has around 3,500 members, representing a considerable difference. As a result, some view the conflict as essentially over. However, Inoue of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi shows no intention of surrender, and killings continue to occur.

The Yamaguchi-gumi split conflict has become an unusually long-term struggle. As it enters its 10th year, it is not surprising if further developments occur—tension lingers between the two camps.