“I Don’t Care About ‘Logic'”: Despite Prosecutors’ Efforts, Yakuza Boss May Secure Suspended Sentence Through “No Settlement Payment” Agreement

In the public gallery, gang members

The trial of defendant Masatoshi Yonamine (50 at the time of arrest), the boss of the “Yonamine-gumi”—a group under the Sumiyoshi-kai Kohei-ikka—who is charged with assault for throwing a man to the ground on a street in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, was held on June 8 at the Tokyo District Court.

When defendant Yonamine entered the courtroom wearing a white sweat suit, several men in the public gallery—presumed to be gang members—stood up and bowed deeply to him. Seen from behind as he stood at the witness stand, his sturdy build was so imposing that his well-defined back muscles were visible even through his sweat suit.When asked his occupation during the identity verification process, he replied curtly, “I’m unemployed.”

The incident occurred last year. According to the indictment, one of Defendant Yonamine’s underlings got into a dispute over the bill at a snack bar, and the male manager tore his T-shirt.Yonamine, who rushed to the scene, allegedly made a baseless accusation, saying, “How dare you do that to my underling’s T-shirt?” and assaulted the manager by throwing him to the ground with a “o-soto-gari” throw. Regarding the charges, Yonamine stated, “I admit it.”

“At the time of his arrest, Defendant Yonamine voiced his dissatisfaction, saying, ‘I can’t accept being arrested when I was just trying to mediate.’ The Kohei-ikka has now become the largest organized crime group in Tokyo and is believed to be involved with Tokuryu (an anonymous, fluid criminal group) and ‘Natural,’ the country’s largest illegal adult entertainment recruitment group.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department launched the “Sumiyoshi-kai Kohei-ikka Special Countermeasures Headquarters” in January of this year. At a press conference held at that time, Toshihiko Oba, a senior official with the Police Department’s Organized Crime Control Division, went so far as to declare, ‘We will crack down on any and all crimes involving the Kohei-ikka.’“Although this is not a major case, it has attracted attention precisely because the Kohei-ikka is involved,” said a social affairs reporter for a national newspaper.

During the defendant’s questioning held that day, he maintained the same stance he had taken at the time of his arrest. When asked again by his attorney about his motive for the crime,

“It was an act to separate the opposing parties in order to mediate a dispute between them,”

insisting that it was, above all, an act of mediation. He also stated that “the parties involved have already discussed the matter among themselves,” noting that he had submitted a settlement agreement indicating the victim did not wish to pursue criminal charges, and emphasized the “amicable resolution ” by saying, “I discussed the matter with the owner (the victim) through my lawyer.”

The prosecution, however, is casting a skeptical eye on the details of the settlement. Noting the absence of a settlement payment, they asked for an explanation. Defendant Yonamine replied,

“Since it was strictly mediation, the owner (the victim) also apologized. There were no injuries, and since it wasn’t a major incident, the topic of money never came up,”

. Although he had stated he was unemployed during identity verification, when asked by the prosecution if he was the leader of a yakuza group, he admitted, “Yes,” and also answered “Yes” when asked if he would continue his activities.

“Yakuza Always Stick to Their Principles” Is a Lie

When the presiding judge asked him once more about the crime in question, he asserted his justification by saying, “I was just stepping in to mediate,” but his true feelings slipped out when he added, “I do think I may have gone too far.” He also stated that if a similar situation were to arise again,

“I think I’d still try to stop it. I’ll be careful not to resort to actions that lead to violence. (Mid-sentence omitted) I do think I might have gone a bit too far. I’ve had time to reflect on it here (in the detention center),”

he expressed remorse, but no words of apology were heard until the very end.

The prosecution stated,

“Although a settlement was reached, no compensation was paid, and the victim cannot refuse an offer from the gang leader,”

and sought a one-year prison sentence. In accordance with the wishes of defendant Yonamine’s defense team, the sentencing took place on the same day, and he was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for three years. Yukio Ishihara, a journalist knowledgeable about the underworld, says:

“There is a term for yakuza called ‘sujimono,’ which comes from the saying, ‘Yakuza stick to their principles.’ I believe this is a lie.Organized crime groups will do anything—cheat, steal, or deceive—whenever they see an opening. As the prosecution pointed out in this trial, I believe it is highly likely that they did not mention a settlement payment because they knew they could get away with it by putting pressure on the victim.

Right now, organized crime groups are being cornered by the Act on the Prevention of Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Groups and the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on the Exclusion of Organized Crime Groups, and they simply don’t have any money. That’s why they’re desperately trying to plug the holes in their illegal income streams using schemes like ‘Tokuryu.’ Even so, they’ve weakened to the point where they can’t keep up.Moreover, the Kohei-ikka imposes extremely strict tribute payments. Rather than paying settlement money to the victim, they’d prefer to divert those funds to cover their tribute obligations. That’s how strapped for cash they are.”

There is no doubt that the pressure on the Kohei-ikka will only intensify from here on out—