August Executive Shake-Up Highlights a Decade of Yamaguchi-gumi Conflict and the Road to the Seventh Boss

August is a special month for Japan’s largest gang, the Yamaguchigumi VI.’ On August 27, 2003, the Yamaguchigumi split war broke out. The bloodshed became an unusually long battle, and ten years passed. Nonfiction writer Masahiro Ojima, author of such books as The True Story of the Yamaguchigumi Split, unravels the bloody history before the turning point.

Japan’s largest yakuza group, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, split on August 27, 2015, and this summer marks ten years since that event.

The feud with the breakaway group, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, has been unusually prolonged. Including direct violent incidents as well as disputes over member poaching and transfers between the two groups, dozens of people have died. At the time of the split, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi had about 6,000 members, while the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi had around 2,800, a roughly 2-to-1 power difference. Initially, however, more people joined the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, giving it significant momentum.

However, after a series of brutal incidents—including the shooting of Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi executives by Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi members—the balance of power was essentially decided. As of the end of 2024, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi has about 3,000 members, while the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has been reduced to around 120. Police authorities continue to maintain vigilance, fearing a resurgence of the conflict.

On the 10th anniversary of the split that shook the underworld, it is worth revisiting this blood-stained history.

An Unusually Eventful Launch for the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi

The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi was established in 2005 with Shinobu Tsukasa (83) as kumicho (boss) and Seiji Takayama (77) as wakagashira (number two). Both came from the Kodokai, a core affiliate based in Nagoya. Historically, the Yamaguchi-gumi had maintained a balance of power by appointing the kumicho and wakagashira from different affiliate groups to prevent excessive centralization. Under the Fifth Yamaguchi-gumi, for example, kumicho Yoshinori Watanabe came from the Yamagami-gumi, while wakagashira Katsu Takumi led the Takumi-gumi he had established. By contrast, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi concentrated both top positions within the same group, making it an unusual arrangement compared to past practice.

The formation of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, led by breakaway groups from the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, involved 13 organizations, including the Yamagami-gumi (which had produced the Fifth Yamaguchi-gumi’s top leader), the Takumi-gumi (which had produced its number two), the Ikeda-gumi, Kyoyu-kai, and Masaki-gumi. Since many of these groups had previously held executive roles within the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, the split surprised not only the yakuza community but also senior police officials in charge of organized crime investigations. One police official pointed to the key factors behind the split:

“The main causes of the split were authoritarian management and financial issues. Directly affiliated group leaders were required to pay about 1 million yen per month in dues. On top of that, during the New Year, Obon, and in January (Tsukasa’s birth month), the direct affiliates were collectively forced to pay irregular sums ranging from 50 to 100 million yen. Additionally, daily necessities like mineral water and rice were purchased from Kodokai-related organizations. Furthermore, Kodokai groups were given priority in profit-making activities (shinogi). These grievances were very real.”

The official also emphasized, “Takayama’s absence from society likely accelerated the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi’s decision.” Wakagashira Takayama was a charismatic figure with influence across the entire yakuza world, but he was serving time in prison at the time of the split. The official’s point was that the breakaway took advantage of this gap. Later on, Takayama’s release would significantly affect the course of the conflict.

Riddled with bullets from an automatic rifle

At the beginning of the split, there were no flashy conflict incidents, and both sides remained in a tense standoff. However, in February 2016, a shooting occurred at the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi Masaki-gumi office in Fukui Prefecture, triggering a cascade of violence. From then on, incidents such as shootings at offices, Molotov cocktail attacks, ramming with large dump trucks, and brawls in entertainment districts occurred nationwide almost daily, creating a situation that was out of control. Although the police tried to suppress it, the violence did not stop.

Amid these spontaneous, unplanned incidents spreading nationwide, a highly premeditated and organized attack took place. In May of the same year, Takagi Noboru, the wakagashira (second-in-command) of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi Ikeda-gumi at the time, was shot and killed. The arrested perpetrators were members of the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi Kodo-kai faction. Takagi had been shot while waiting for a car, and the attack was carried out after careful study of his daily routines. Unlike the previous series of skirmishes, this incident stood out for its distinct and planned nature.

Even as attacks by the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi continued, many senior police officials noted one event that dramatically changed the tide of the conflict. In October 2019, Takayama Seiji, who had been serving a prison term for extortion, was released. Upon his release, the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi intensified their actions in the conflict, as if competing for the first spear on a battlefield like samurai warlords.

Just before his release that month, two members of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi Yamagane-gumi were shot and killed simultaneously near their office in Kobe. Those arrested were executives of the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi Kodo-kai faction. Following this, in November of the same year in Amagasaki, a former member of the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi Takenaka-gumi fired an M16 automatic rifle—used officially by the U.S. military—at high velocity, killing top Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi executive Koichi Furukawa. Furukawa’s body was riddled with bullets to the point of resembling a beehive, a testament to the brutality. The sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi showed no sign of slowing down.

In contrast to the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi, which was escalating incidents to outdo one another, defections from the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi began to increase. By 2019, the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi had approximately 4,100 members, while the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi had about 1,500.

Known for its financial strength, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi Ikeda-gumi announced in July 2020 that it would leave the organization. Furthermore, the Yamagane-gumi, a core organization from which the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi leader Inoue Kunio (77) originated, also withdrew in August of the same year. Another prominent group, the Masaki-gumi, disbanded that same month. In August 2022, the Kyoyu-kai withdrew, followed by the Takumi-gumi in September, leaving the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi fragmented. At that time, the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi had approximately 3,800 members, while the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, having lost its major groups, had shrunk drastically to around 330 members. Since then, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi’s activities have remained in decline.

Regarding the reasons many subordinate groups left, another senior police official speculated, “Inoue of Kobe (Yamaguchi-gumi) did not allow retaliation. The reason is unclear. Not retaliating would have been questioned, and that likely prompted the subordinate groups to leave.”

To resolve the conflict between the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, representatives from organized crime groups across the country attempted to mediate. However, Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi leader Inoue did not respond to any of these efforts. Following this, in April of this year, several top executives of the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi visited the Hyogo Prefectural Police and unilaterally declared an end to the conflict.

In August of this year, a new personnel lineup for the top executives was announced

Around the same time, Takayama, who had been directing the conflict on the front lines, assumed the role of advisor. Teruaki Takeuchi (65), president of the Kodo-kai and former assistant to the wakagashira, was appointed as the new wakagashira. Effectively, Takayama stepped down from the executive board. In August, personnel changes concerning the head of headquarters, another top executive, were also announced. The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi has thus steadily laid the groundwork for the launch of the “Takeuchi Seventh Generation” system, unilaterally declaring the end of the conflict and implementing the new personnel structure. Meanwhile, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has remained eerily silent.

Reflecting on the long-standing conflict, a senior executive of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi commented:

“Once a split happens, it’s obvious it will lead to a fight. Yet there was almost no retaliation from Kobe, many groups left, and a significant number of people died. I don’t understand why they split in the first place.”

One wonders whether all the bloodshed over the past ten years truly had any meaning. Even those directly involved may still be struggling to find it.