Yamaguchi-gumi Split 2025: The Final Chapter

His determination to end the divisional war is evident

“The boss is coming in!”

In mid-December last year, under the watchful eyes of a large gathering of Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi members, leader Shinobu Tsukasa (82) made his appearance. The occasion was the organization’s annual year-end meeting, held at the headquarters of a secondary group in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. With all direct affiliates in attendance, the 2025 organizational policy once again upheld the principle of “Harmony and Unity” for the ninth consecutive year. This reflects Tsukasa’s firm determination to bring an end to the prolonged split conflict. Indeed, the serious expression he bore at the event signaled his unwavering resolve.

The Yamaguchi-gumi Split Conflict, ongoing since August 2015, saw further bloodshed last year. The number of violent incidents has now exceeded 100, with over 50 casualties between the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi factions.

Take a look at the timeline below, summarizing seven major incidents that occurred in 2024. As the conflict drags on, the battleground has become increasingly chaotic. The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi is currently designated under a special conflict order alongside not only the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi but also two groups that split from it—Kizuna-kai and Ikeda-gumi. Journalist Atsushi Mizoguchi, an expert on organized crime, reflects on the most notable events of last year.

“The arrest of Kizuna-kai’s Wakagashira, Seiki Kanazawa, in February last year marked a turning point.  Shigeki Kanazawa was a hitman suspected of murdering a leader of a Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi core affiliate, the Kodo-kai, in April 2023. He was considered one of the major threats to the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi.

With this destabilizing factor removed, another significant development occurred on October 31, when Nakata Koji, the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate Yamaken-gumi, was acquitted. Nakata had been on trial for allegedly launching a gun attack on a rival faction member in 2019. Now that Nakata is back on the streets, it is likely that the morale of Yamaken-gumi members has been boosted to some extent.”

The Yamaken-gumi is a prestigious yakuza faction known by all in the underworld. As rival organizations decline, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi is gaining momentum with influential figures returning to its ranks.

Last year saw two fatal shooting incidents. In January, at a Starbucks in Ehime Prefecture, the Wakagashira of the Ikeda-gumi shot and killed a man in his 40s who had previously been affiliated with a Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi sub-group. The brutal daylight execution sent shockwaves across Japan.

Furthermore, in September, a meticulously planned shooting took place in Miyazaki Prefecture.

“A 60-year-old member of the Kodokai—the faction from which both Kumicho Tsukasa and Wakagashira Takayama Seiji (77) hail—opened fire at an Ikeda-gumi-affiliated office, killing a senior member. The shooter had disguised himself as a delivery worker to approach the office, demonstrating a high level of planning.

This attack is believed to be retaliation for the 2023 murder of a Kodokai-affiliated leader by Kizuna-kai’s Wakagashira, Kanazawa. Reports suggest that the Ikeda-gumi paid Kizuna-kai to carry out the assassination, leading to this counterattack,” said a journalist well-versed in Yamaguchi-gumi affairs.

After a bloody 2024, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi is entering a crucial year. August will mark a full decade since the factional conflict began, as well as the 20th anniversary of Tsukasa’s leadership.