THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 4, 2020 at 16:15 JST
AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Prefecture--Police here are searching for two men believed affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the nation’s largest organized crime syndicate, who are suspected of shooting two members of a rival yakuza gang.
Residents called the emergency police number around noon on Nov. 3 after hearing shots fired.
Police who arrived on the scene found the 64-year-old leader of a gang directly affiliated with Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi shot in both legs. Another 61-year-old gang member was shot in his hand.
The victims and eyewitnesses said two men who appeared to be in their 40s ran to a nearby parked van and fled the scene, police sources said.
The two gang members were shot when they were walking near a convenience store. Eyewitnesses said one of the men who fled wore dark clothing while the other was dressed in a white T-shirt and blue pants.
Hyogo prefectural police on Oct. 4 said they found the vehicle in Amagasaki and identified it through security footage.
In January, six prefectural police departments designated the two gangs as being involved in a turf war. The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi split from the Yamaguchi-gumi in August 2015.
The turf war designation gave police in certain areas greater authority to crack down on gangs.
Six Hyogo Prefecture cities, including Amagasaki, have been designated as under special precautions.
Police in those municipalities can haul in gang members who violate restrictions, such as meeting in one place with more than five gang members or loitering in the vicinity of the rival gang’s offices.
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Hyogo prefectural police officers investigate the shooting of two Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi gang members on Oct. 3 in a residential district of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. (Jin Nishioka)
