Different organizations affiliated with Yamaguchigumi, Sumiyoshikai, and Kyokutokai… 7 arrested in Ueno 400 million yen heist, “multiple gang leaders” collusion behind the scenes

The arrests were made by different gang leaders.

On March 14, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Anti-Gang Division arrested seven suspects, including Hitoryu Kano, 21, Yuhi Ito, 27, and Takemitsu Fukuhara, 48, on suspicion of post-robbery and other crimes. The Kano suspects are affiliated with the Yamaguchigumi, Ito with the Sumiyoshikai, and Fukuhara with the Kyokutokai, and are executives of their respective affiliated organizations. It is believed that they committed the crimes with a clear division of roles.

Of the seven arrested, Kano and two other suspects were in charge of giving orders, Ito and three others were the perpetrators, and Fukuhara and two others procured the getaway car. The license plates of the car were obtained under someone else’s name. The seven suspects are said to have gathered together, led by suspect Kano.

The incident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on January 29 this year. The instructor and the perpetrators gathered at a park in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, about two hours before the incident. They must have had information on how to carry out the crime in advance. On a street in Higashi Ueno, Taito-ku, they stole three suitcases containing about 420 million yen that had been loaded into a car and fled. A man in his 40s who was at the scene was assaulted, including being sprayed with tear gas,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

The three perpetrators, including Ito, fled the scene in a minicar. They then allegedly fled to Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, via Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, in the direction of Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, in a minivan in which the Kano suspects were riding.

The money can be used for individual income.”

The Metropolitan Police Department tracked down the suspects through a “relay investigation,” in which images from security cameras were linked and examined. The agency searched more than a dozen locations, including the suspects’ clan offices and homes. The agency seized approximately 27.5 million yen in cash, which was believed to be the victim’s money. The agency has not revealed the identities of the seven suspects.

The background of this case is the gold trade. The price of gold has skyrocketed due to instability in international affairs, including conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The business of transporting large amounts of cash to Hong Kong, where there is no tax on gold transactions, to procure large amounts of gold and sell it in Japan has become increasingly active. One of the victims in this case told the police that he was transporting cash to Hong Kong.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, what is unusual about this case is that gang leaders from different organizations are conspiring with each other. Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explains the underlying circumstances.

There are several reasons for this: first, the gangs’ centripetal force is declining due to police crackdowns, etc. Second, if members of different gangs fight together, they can use their individual income. If an organization earns a large amount of money, it is required to pay the union a large sum of money.

I do not think that the suspects in this case reported the crime to the gang to which they belonged in advance. They probably committed the crime as if it were a part-time job. In the future, it may become more orthodox to see crimes committed by members of different gangs across organizations.

The police are investigating the background and full details of the case, including who leaked the information about the victims and the cash transport.