Kobe Yamaguchigumi Remains Quiet Despite Intensifying War: “Unexpected Background”

The attack took place in broad daylight.

A little past 2:00 p.m. on June 5, a bullet was fired into the home (Kita Ward, Kobe City) of Kunio Inoue, 73, head of the Kobe Yamaguchi Gumi, a designated gang in a specified war. Later, Yuji Hayashi, 49, a member of the Yamaguchigumi VI Koudoukai, turned himself in at a police box and was arrested on suspicion of violating the Firearms Control Law (possession).

The gunman apparently climbed on top of a car, reloaded a revolver six-shooter, and fired 14 shots. Some reports said ‘more than 10 rounds,’ but that is precisely what happened. One undercover patrol car of the Hyogo Prefectural Police was on alert at the scene, but it was unable to respond at the scene while reloading, and some people are saying that it was a blunder.

As for the Kobe Yamaguchi Gumi, there was an incident in May of this year in which a car plowed into the home of Tadashi Irie, deputy head and leader of the second Takumi clan, and a man said to belong to a clan under the VI clan was arrested and indicted.

Going back a little further, last December, the home of an acquaintance of Osamu Teraoka, a young head of the Kobe Yamaguchigumi and chairman of the Chivalrous Friends Association, was hijacked. In other words, if we include related parties, all three top leaders of the Kobe side have been attacked in some form by the Rokudai side in the past six months. It can be said that this is a serious situation for the organization.

For the yakuza, their reputation is irreplaceable. It is only natural that they should think about retaliation for what they have been attacked. ……

The “wakagashira” and “sub-gumi leader” incidents were followed by no “payback” (retaliation), so it is believed that there will be none this time as well. It is said that there are no “soldiers” who can retaliate…. It is true that there is no way to win if we go head-on against the 6th generation side. However, it seems that the gang leader Inoue has no intention of retiring or dissolving the organization.

(According to an investigator) “It is a matter of honor to leave the situation of ‘being left in the lurch’ unresolved. Without choosing a word, what is the reason for Inoue to maintain the organization despite the fact that his qualifications as a top leader may be questioned?

One has suggested that it is because “there are more than a few people who have lost their way because they retired or lost their gangs. For example, in September 2017, a bodyguard was shot and killed in an attempt to attack Yoshinori Oda, the head of Ninkyo Yamaguchigumi (now Kizumikai). The suspect Hishikawa, a member of the Kobe Yamaguchigumi, is wanted for murder and his whereabouts are still unknown. Although it is not clear what kind of situation the suspect Hishikawa is in, we cannot deny the possibility that the gang is providing some kind of support in terms of not allowing him to turn himself in.

If the union were to disappear, there would be no one to take care of him. This is just one example, but in light of this, it is understandable that the Inoue clan leader has not made a ‘decision.

What is certain is that the VI clan’s offensive will not weaken in the future.