Asia After Hours

Just after 12:10 a.m. on January 1, five upper-level members of the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate, including top boss Shinobu Tsukasa, 69, arrived at Gokoku Shrine, located near the gang’s headquarters in Hyogo Prefecture, for their first visit of the year, a practice known as hatsumode.

One member of the group stood out from the rest, reports Flash Jan. 17-24. Chairman Hirofumi Hashimoto, 64, had been out of the spotlight since apparently being connected to Shinsuke Shimada, the popular entertainer who over the summer abruptly announced his retirement from the entertainment business, citing an exchange of e-mails with an upper member of the Yamaguchi-gumi as the reason.

“The chairman never had an intention to hide,” says a writer covering topics related to boryokudan, or organized crime syndicates. “He actually took part in the mochitsuki (rice-cake making) event last December. The media simply didn’t know where he was.”

A few minutes after the first group was gone, two more managers arrived, and they were followed by an additional 11 members. During a typical year, about 20 people will come to shrine on New Year’s Day to perform various ceremonial activities. This year is the first year for Tsukasa to pay a New Year’s visit since being released from jail in April.

“I was surprised at the fact that quite a lot of executive members visited (Gokoku Shrine),” explains the boryokudan writer, “though I had imagined that only one or two would come as a ‘personal’ visit this year.

The top boss, Tsukasa, and the other members arrived at the shrine and joined the line with general visitors, a consequence of anti-gang legislation passed in October. The group announced in November that it would not make an official visit this year.

According to Flash, Hyogo prefectural police concluded that the practice of prayers in small groups to be acceptable.

“Some people took Tsukasa’s photos with mobile phone or looked into his face when they noticed it was the boss of Yamaguchu-gumi,” continues the writer. “Tsukasa didn’t seem to find it annoying and even gave them a smile.”

In past years, the members would go into the hall of worship from another entrance and never have contact with general people.

“However, this year they offered prayers among the regular visitors without going into the hall,” the journalist continues. “That was an extraordinary scene.” (A.T.)

Source: “Tsukasa kumicho & wakagashira hosa Hashimoto kaicho bohaijore de ireizukushi kutsujoku hatsumode,” Flash (Jan. 17-24, page 15)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

Related articles:

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Just after 12:10 a.m. on January 1, five upper-level members of the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate, including top boss Shinobu Tsukasa, 69, arrived at Gokoku Shrine, located near the gang’s headquarters in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, for their first visit of the year, a practice known as hatsumode.

In addition to complications facing the gang regarding associating with the general public following the passage of legislation in October, Flash (Jan. 17-24) reports that the visit was also interesting due to the presence of one member in particular.

Chairman Hirofumi Hashimoto, 64, had been out of the spotlight since apparently being connected to Shinsuke Shimada, the popular entertainer who over the summer abruptly announced his retirement from the entertainment business. He cited an exchange of e-mails with an upper member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, presumably Hashimoto, as the reason.

“The chairman never had an intention to hide,” says a writer covering topics related to boryokudan, or organized crime syndicates. “He actually took part in the mochitsuki (rice-cake making) event last December. The media simply didn’t know where he was.”

A few minutes after the first group was gone, two more managers arrived, and they were followed by an additional 11 members. During a typical year, about 20 members will come to shrine on New Year’s Day to perform various ceremonial activities. This year is the first year for Tsukasa to pay a New Year’s visit since being released from jail in April.

“I was surprised at the fact that quite a lot of executive members visited (Gokoku Shrine),” explains the boryokudan writer, “though I had imagined that only one or two would come as a ‘personal’ visit this year.

The top boss, Tsukasa, and the other members arrived at the shrine and joined the line with general visitors, a consequence of anti-gang legislation that restricts the fostering of organized-crime activities. The group announced in November that it would not make an official visit this year.

According to Flash, Hyogo prefectural police concluded that the prayers carried out in small groups would be acceptable.

“Some people took Tsukasa’s photos with mobile phone or looked into his face when they noticed it was the boss of Yamaguchu-gumi,” continues the writer. “Tsukasa didn’t seem to find it annoying and even gave them a smile.”

In past years, the members would go into the hall of worship from another entrance and never have contact with general people.

“However, this year they offered prayers among the regular visitors without going into the hall,” the journalist continues. “That was an extraordinary scene.” (A.T.)

Source: “Tsukasa kumicho & wakagashira hosa Hashimoto kaicho bohaijore de ireizukushi kutsujoku hatsumode,” Flash (Jan. 17-24, page 15)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Not far from JR Sendai Station is a hotel that was used as an evacuation center after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March. Yet even now, seven months later, the mood inside its cafe is still rather dark.

Three groups of men in suits are seated, facing one another. One member casts a stern glance over at a reporter for weekly tabloid Shukan Post (Oct. 14). “Don’t make eye contact as they will likely start something,” says a local construction company employee. “This place is becoming a yakuza hangout.”

The commissioner general of the National Police Agency, Takaharu Ando, has stepped up measures to eliminate boryokudan activities, but he will have his work cut out for him in Tohoku, where gang groups are flocking to the area and the estimated 23-trillion yen in reconstruction work set to take place over the next decade.

“For many years, yakuza groups have been involved in reconstruction projects that follow disasters,” explains the same construction company employee. “They will have companies they back join the bids or rip off the contractors that get the work.”

But those groups seen staying at this hotel are not local, the source adds, rather they are from Nagoya.

Nagoya is the base for Kodo-kai, an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest criminal organization. The Aichi prefectural police are currently collecting information and monitoring Kodo-kai activities.

After the earthquake, there were cases of unidentified groups distributing envelopes containing cash totaling 30,000 yen to evacuees at centers in Minami Sanriku and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture. To prevent inequality, evacuation centers asked that donations be made to the center and distributed thereafter. That idea was refused, but the total amount reached around 50,000,000 yen.

“The police looked into the case and found that the Kodo-kai was involved,” says a local newspaper reporter. “By providing money, yakuza gangs are seeking to gain trust. While the enforcement has become more strict, the money for rebuilding is appealing. As a matter of fact, it is said that the company that won the bid to clean up the mess in the Sanriku area is said to be a front company of a yakuza group.”

The police appear to be taking the situation seriously. During a meeting in May with various chiefs of detectives from around the country, Ando said, “Yakuza involvement in the rebuilding process cannot be permitted.”

However, a crackdown has not begun. What they can do, according to a reporter from a local paper, is “disclose the names of companies that have relationships with yakuza.”

Yet it won’t be easy. Yakuza advances in business go beyond infrastructure work. It is said that they are also after the low-interest loans, which can reach a maximum of 200,000 yen, that the government has extended to victims who lost their homes. The sex shops shops that reopened right after the earthquake were allegedly due to such lending.

The article concludes on an ominous note, citing a reason for the lack of action to this point being due to the mixed relationship between the police and yakuza. “These are small communities, and they tend to hang out together,” says the previously quoted construction company employee. “Just because the police chief suddenly initiates an anti-yakuza crackdown it doesn’t necessarily mean that much.” (A.T.)

Source: “Shinsai fukko jigyo 23-cho yen ni muragaru boryokudan tachi,” Shukan Post (Oct. 14, page 54)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Children’s books and criminal organizations go together like water and oil. However, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Shincho (Sep. 9), the pair is apparently coexisting under the same roof at the Tokyo headquarters of the well-known publisher Poplar Publishing, which prints Japanese language editions of the “Thomas the Tank Engine” series of books.

Established in 1947, Poplar began its shift in tenants last autumn. “In September, a company joined as a tenant on the 6th floor of the publisher’s headquarters in Shinjuku Ward’s Yotsuya district,” says an individual associated with the publisher who does not name the company in question. “This tenant joined under the direct referral of Hiroyoshi Usuda, the chairperson. The company is said to sell devices that eradicates pollutants from water.”

The website of the company — for which a Google search reveals to be NIBM — features actor Hiroki Matsukata, known for his macho roles in mafia and samurai films, extolling: “I was shocked when I used it!” The site also provides details on the product’s efficacy in purifying water. The tabloid also reports that this firm is recognized by law enforcement as a front for a Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate.

“The company’s managing director serves an intermediator for a geino production company under a boss from within the entertainment industry and the head of a group affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi,” an individual associated with investigations says. “This managing director has coordinated geinojin (entertainers) to attend private gatherings for this gang boss as well as reconciling any issues various geinojin have had. Post-retirement of that boss, the managing director maintained his solid relationship with the gang-affiliated organization.”

So, wonders Shukan Shincho, how does this fit into the publishing of children’s books?

“Usuda is known as an entrepreneur,” says a person with knowledge of the situation. “He has a solid record of working with companies. He is also the owner of Special Week, the horse that won the Japan Derby in 1998.”

In 2003, Usuda was involved in the founding of an affiliate company to Poplar — a move that helped him to establish himself as a chairperson. He is also the majority shareholder of the company in question.

When the managing director of the company in question was asked about Usuda’s involvement, he said, “I am not involved at all with Poplar or the yakuza.” He added, “While searching for a sponsor, we consulted with Matsukata-san, with whom I’ve had a 40-year relationship. He then referred us to Usuda-san. Usuda-san said, ‘Move into here,’ and thus we moved into the current location.”

The tabloid has also found that documents have recently been circulating with a sender’s name indicated to be “A Group of Employees Wishing for the Return of a Clean Poplar.”

The same individual associated with Poplar says that about a year ago another company whose business has no association with publishing as well moved into the building. “People appearing to be not exactly professional began to surface and employees started to feel uncomfortable,” the source adds.

What does Usuda say about all this?

“I was introduced to the managing director of the company in question by Matsukata-san, whom I know well,” Usuda told the tabloid. “I am bearing 104 million yen in monthly rent. There is no way whatsoever that the company in question is a fronting firm. If that’s true, Poplar will go down.”

Whatever the case, Shukan Shincho concludes, this is not exactly child’s play.

Note: Poplar offers a response to Shukan Shincho’s assertions here. As well, NIBM has modified its front page to respond to the allegations. (A.T.)

Source: “Kikansha Tomasu ‘Popura sha’ ni boryokudan furonto ga kisei shita,” Shukan Shincho (Sep. 9, pages 45-46)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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With the Nagoya tournament now underway, Flash (July 27) reports that the ties between sumo and the criminal underworld run much deeper than simply the recent revelations that wrestlers frequently gamble on baseball games and provide seats to matches.

Sources tell the tabloid that relationships are nurtured from the university level. “A senior level member of Kudo-kai, which is a subsidiary of the Yamaguchi-gumi, happens to like and support one particular wrestler,” explains a person from within the sumo world. “That wrestler is a Nihon University alumnus and that has helped to foster the connection with the yakuza.”

Flash notes that Nihon University’s sumo division is known for bringing up wrestlers like (ex-yokozuna) Wajima and Mainoumi. There are five oyakata (stablemasters) and seven wrestlers currently active in sumo.

Wrestler Kiyoseumi, an understudy of stablemaster and ex-wrestler Kise, is also a graduate of Nihon University. In May, Kise was implicated in the scandal in which members of the Kudo-kai were given ring-side seats at last year’s Nagoya tournament. Furthering the mob connection, Flash provides a photo showing Kiyoseumi wearing the character 忍 (shinobi), which is to honor Shinobu Tsukasa (司忍), the sixth and current leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, on the front of his traditional hakama, or skirt-like pants.

“A yakuza member was a driver for Kise,” explains one sumo supporter. “He was bragging about how much he is connected to the Kudo-kai. He is actually completely under the thumb of that gang, and that’s not an exaggeration.”

Flash explains that the relationship between the yakuza and sumo used to be that of sponsor and benefactor. But the baseball-betting scandal makes it clear that the landscape has changed. It is now about targeting wrestlers and sucking money out of them.

A former wrestler explains why student-born wrestlers are an easy target. “Those from universities don’t need to go through the basics to reach sekitori status,” the former grappler says of wrestlers who reach one of the top two divisions. “Since they have easy access to cash, they tend to become addicted to gambling. They are also well connected horizontally to their peers. That makes it easy for them to share information.”

The article also links Hiroyoshi Murayama, who is the acting managing director of the Japan Sumo Association, to general contractor Suruga Corporation.

“Suruga paid the Yamaguchi-gumi tens of billions of yen through a front company to implement jiage on properties,” says a former senior level manager at Suruga of the practice where threatening actions are taken to evict tenants from properties prior to their sale. “When that issue rose to the surface, Murayama was a managing director of the firm. Further, Suruga became the first company to enter Mongolian property market, and it did so through a partnership with (ex-yokozuna) Asashoryu’s family business.”

Thus far, the association has dismissed wrestler Kotomitsuki and his stablemaster Otake for gambling on baseball. Other wrestlers and senior advisors received punishments. Former wrestler Mitsutomo Furuichi has been arrested for for extorting 3.5 million yen out of Kotomitsuki in an attempt to conceal the operation.

A writer assigned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police says that the police have searched 30 sumo stables and are working on indictments, with cell phone calls and emails being scrutinized in order to identify the route between former wrestlers and bookmakers. “They will indict all implicated stablemasters and participants after the Nagoya tournament,” the writer says. “The police are doing whatever it takes to eradicate the Kodo-kai.” (K.N.)

Source: “Boryokudan ga anyaku…kore ga kakukai osen “gottsuan sokanzu” da!” Flash (July 27, page 10)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Ever since weekly tabloid Shukan Shincho reported (in its May 27 issue) that sumo wrestlers frequently gamble on professional baseball games with organized crime members, the Japan Sumo Association has been on the defensive.

On Sunday, the association decided to dismiss 34-year-old wrestler Kotomitsuki and his stablemaster Otake. Other wrestlers and senior advisors received punishments.

Recent revelations that Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate members have been supplied with ringside seats for past matches — ostensibly so that fellow gangsters behind bars can catch a glimpse of their compatriots on television — have also soiled the image of the pastime.

Two days after the firings, NHK announced that it would not provide a live broadcast of the upcoming tournament in Nagoya as a result of viewer complaints and sponsorship cancellations over the ongoing scandals.

Yet very little has been explained regarding the intricate connections the grapplers have with mobsters and just how they were gambling on ball games. For that, The Tokyo Reporter turns to a back issue of Flash (June) for a little insight.

“It is not just the rikishi (wrestlers), it is also former grand champions (yokozuna) and sumo officials who are betting on baseball,” a senior member of a Kansai boryokudan, or a yakuza group, explains to the tabloid. “The gamblers stay at inns in the countryside with people affiliated with gang groups and bet on games. Some officials will have their wives there. Relatives of gangsters who are running the gambling ring will also be in attendance. This practice has a long history; it didn’t start just yesterday.”

Revenue collected from baseball betting has historically been one means of income for yakuza groups. “The practice started in the Kansai area in the ’60s,” says a journalist who covers criminal activities. “In the ’80s, it spread to extend nationwide.”

The source says that a single game can see between 10 million yen and 100 million yen change hands.

The betting system is much more complicated than simply picking a winner. In each game, a betting line, or hande, is determined by a bookmaker. This number is based on a variety of factors, including the strength of the teams and the scheduled starting pitchers.

“On the day of the game, the hande of each game is decided by noon and passed to a yakuza messenger who will then distribute them to the gamblers by email,” explains a person affiliated with gang groups. “All bets must then be placed by 2 p.m. that day.”

Two different types of hande are generally applied. Flash provides a photo of a mobile phone screen that displays hande data for the games of May 24. As an example, the favored Yomiuri Giants are given a hande of 1半5 (which is read ichi han go) over the Orix Buffaloes. This means that should the Giants win by a single run, wagers on the Giants are considered losing bets. If the Giants prevail by two, punters will receive a return of 50 percent. If the difference is three or more, then bettors will get even money returned.

In another case, a 1.5 hande is applied to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters over the Yakult Swallows. This translates as follows: should the Ham Fighters win by a single run, bettors receive a 50 percent return; and even money is reached for a two-run difference or better. The magazine notes that Nippon Ham Figher star right-hander Yu Darvish will often receive a 2.3 hande, meaning a whopping three-run margin would be required for even money.

It should be noted that a 10 percent commission gets taken off the top by the gang group on all wagers.

Interestingly, starters in the Central League are guessed at — a necessity given the league’s tendency of not naming starting hurlers in advance. On May 24, both Yudai Kawai and Kenta Asakura were listed as probables for the Chunichi Dragons against the Rakuten Eagles.

“At least three games must be wagered on,” says the same senior gang member from Kansai. “The money must be paid each Monday. Bets are commonly between 10,000 yen and 1 million yen.”

The same source says that the bets are usually placed by company presidents, members of the sumo world and entertainment figures. Betting on high school baseball also takes place, with gamblers often wagering on games involving their alma maters.

“Since the wrestlers train in the morning, they have time during the day to check the hande numbers,” says the senior boryokudan member quoted previously. “In the afternoon, they’ll have their bouts. So at night they’ll watch the baseball games.”

Sumo and the criminal underworld have a long history, says Flash. “Years ago, sumo wrestlers visited cities and towns in the countryside on special tours,” says the crime journalist. “The people sponsoring the events — which means providing the catering, security and lodging — were local leaders and gang groups.

“Nowadays, the tours don’t happen, but the intricate relationship still exists,” the same journalist continues. “At the sumo stables, for example, it is still up to the yakuza to provide security and transportation, and should there be trouble with a particular wrestler, it’ll be the yakuza who’ll keep it away from the media.”

Sumo watchers feel that the sumo world needs to change its culture if it wants to transcend from mere entertainment to actual sport. “The wrestlers are always receiving everything, always having everything done for them,” explains a person connected to sumo. “If this doesn’t change, they’ll never be able to sever the ties with gangsters and move forward.” (K.N.)

Source: “Kakukai to boryokudan ‘kuroi kankei,’” Flash (June 15, pages 9-11)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Recent incidents of violence in Fukuoka Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, have caused law enforcement authorities to take action against yakuza organized crime groups operating in the region, reports weekly Friday (May 14).

On April 13, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, Takaharu Ando, announced inside an eighth-floor meeting room of Fukuoka’s Kokura Kita Police Station that society must rid itself of gangster activities. “Success or failure will be vital to the Kita-Kyushu area,” said the 60-year-old. “The elimination will be a war of mountain-sized proportions.”

The target of Ando, a member of the cabinet of former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto between 1996 and 1998, is the Kudo-kai, Kyushu’s biggest gang, boasting a roster of 690 members and another 510 personnel in subsidiary groups.

Fukuoka Prefecture has five yakuza organizations, the most of any prefecture in Japan, and, perhaps not surprisingly, between 2004 and 2009, it had the most gun-related incidents.

It is believed that putting an end to yakuza collection rackets, whereby money is obtained in the name of protection, would result in the demise of the gangs. As a result, on April 1, a non-payment regulation was enacted in Fukuoka Prefecture, the first of its kind in Japan. Citizens and companies, according to the legislation, are now held liable for contributions made to gangster activities. Penalties include a fine of up to 500,000 yen or one year in jail.

Heated disputes arose prior to the enactment. In early March, the Kudo-kai moved its headquarters to an area near a kindergarten and elementary school in Ogura Minami Ward — a relocation that was met with resistance by a local civic group. On March 15, the head of the organization had a gun shot enter his house.

Two weeks later, a threatening letter was received by the mayor of Kita-Kyushu, Kenji Kitahashi, who is also a supporter of the elimination campaign. The message indicated that he and his family will be subject to violent activities.

On April 6, an executive employee at energy supplier Saibu Gas had three gun shots hit the house of his parents in Fukuoka City. The next day, reports Shukan Jitsuwa (Apr. 29), five rounds from a Makarov pistol were fired at the entrance of a firm affiliated with the gas company. The tabloid adds that the firm had recently not succumbed to gangster requests regarding a construction project in Kita-Kyushu.

Satoru Nomura, 63, the fourth generation Kudo-kai president, had his house searched four days later.

“Historically, Kyushu yakuza get angry easily,” a prefectural police member tells Friday. “The Kudo-kai is the best example. They strongly oppose the police. In the summer of 2002, the they placed a dynamite-looking contraption inside a police dormitory. This resulted in arrests.”

However, should the police begin to significantly hunt down the Kudo-kai the retaliation will be massive, says a person related to the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s biggest gang, with a headquarters in Hyogo Prefecture. “Kyushu yakuza fight with pride,” says the source. “A conflict would not be a small matter.”

The source goes on to say that the Yamaguchi-gumi is carefully monitoring the situation and maintaining a good relationship with the Kudo-kai. “The Kudo-kai receive most of their revenue through protection money” — termed as mikajime, or literally a payment to be made on the third day of each month. “In the past, they never had financial concerns. But with this new legislation to eliminate yakuza, their collection rackets will be reduced. It’ll be harder to make a living.”

The question about whether the elimination campaign can eliminate the Kudo-kai or not is complicated by the fact that they are not afraid of anyone, believes the source: “Now they are biting like dogs.”

In the future, the police will be targeting all groups, and the Yamaguchi-gumi is not seeing Fukuoka situation as a case of “a fire burning on the other side of the riverbank,” the source concludes.

Somewhat ominously, a person related to the investigations unit of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police notes that a major concern is that membership within the Kudo-kai has not dropped. “With the recession, the gang has found new recruits, young guys who cannot get jobs elsewhere,” explains the source.

Friday is not sure how the battle will play out; but the local citizens are keeping quiet and waiting for the future. (A.T.)

Source: “Kudo-kai keishicho hametsushirei hatsudo de bopatsu no kyoi,” Friday (May 14, pages 22-23)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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