Photo/Illutration Police head inside to search the headquarters of Sumiyoshi-kai in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on March 23. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A former yakuza boss was found to have transferred assets that included two homes to a relative after a high court in a civil case ordered him to pay compensation to a swindling victim. 

The Metropolitan Police Department concluded that the transactions by Isao Seki, who died in May at the age of 76, were aimed at avoiding seizure of his assets by the plaintiff. Police sent the case to prosecutors in September on charges of obstructing compulsory seizure. 

Seki was a former leader of Sumiyoshi-kai, a group that police has designated as an organized crime syndicate.

A woman in her 70s sued high-ranking members of Sumiyoshi-kai, including Seki, in civil court.

The woman was a victim of a bank transfer fraud involving members of an umbrella group of Sumiyoshi-kai and was swindled out of 10 million yen ($66,700).

The woman demanded the high-ranking members, including Seki, pay her compensation because they represent the gang.

In the trial, the Tokyo High Court concluded that a leader of an organized crime syndicate who is not directly involved in collecting money through racketeering is still responsible for the act based on the Anti-Organized Crime Law.

The court ordered Seki and others to pay about 12.1 million yen, including the full amount of damages and 1 million yen in consolation money and legal fees, in January 2021.

The court also granted a provisional order to the woman so that she could forcibly seize the assets of Seki and others.

Seki and others appealed the judge’s ruling to the Supreme Court, but the ruling enabled the woman to conduct a compulsory seizure of their assets before the decision was finalized.

Six months after the ruling, Seki transferred ownership of two homes, which have a total floor space of about 330 square meters, that he owned in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, to a relative in July 2021 along with 2,100 square meters of land they are situated on. 

Police concluded the donation was aimed at illegally hiding his assets to avoid a compulsory seizure by the woman and sent the case to prosecutors. 

The civil case reached a settlement in March of this year, about a year after Seki’s appeal.

Sumiyoshi-kai, as an organization, paid the compensation money to the woman.

Seki was found at a home in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture, on May 31. He was later confirmed dead. The cause of death appeared to be an illness.

Sumiyoshi-kai is headquartered in Tokyo’s Minato Ward and has bases in Tokyo and 17 prefectures.

As of late 2021, it had about 2,500 regular members. It had about 4,000 members if associate members are included.

It is the second-largest syndicated crime organization behind the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi.

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