Mob Hit?

[Mulboyne]

Hmm. Aged 30 to 60. Well, that narrows it down right away!

Different side of the fence, but that reminds me of this profiling expert who appeared on TV last year in relation to another crime:



"Probably in his 20s or 30s or else 40s and 50s".

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo: Woman says she killed husband to 'put an end to argument'

A woman who was recently arrested for abandoning her husband's dismembered body around Tokyo has told the police she killed him to put an end to their argument, investigative sources told Kyodo News on Tuesday. The police are set to rearrest the suspect, Kaori Mihashi, 32, possibly on Wednesday on suspicion of murdering her husband Yusuke, a 30-year-old employee of a foreign-affiliated financial company, and investigate her motives and other backgrounds. Kaori told the police she killed Yusuke by clubbing his head with a wine bottle after he went to bed on Dec. 12 after coming home drunk early in the morning, according to investigations.

After Yusuke came home, he and Kaori "began to have an argument as usual" which lasted for about an hour, the police said. The couple had been married for three and a half years, but their relations began to sour six months after their wedding held in March 2003. Kaori told the police she had been abused at home and also said, "I could not be the person I am because our ways of living never matched. I was desperate."

There's something slightly odd about the way the news reports constantly report that the victim worked at a foreign investment bank - even referring to Morgan Stanley by name in the early accounts. While it's common to identify an accused's workplace, I don't think the same is generally true for a victim. I can see that reporters might see this as a shorthand way of describing an elite couple - Morgan Stanley pays well, they lived in Shibuya and she is supposed to have gone to a top school - but it almost seems to carry the implication that the husband was a bit strange. I wonder whether a Japanese company would have been identified so readily.

[Kuang_Grade]

There's something slightly odd about the way the news reports constantly report that the victim worked at a foreign investment bank

While I don't disagree with your observation (and that kyodo news piece certainly pushes a class aspect), some of might it be more a result of the nature of the crime (gruesome dismemberment) AND the location of first body part found that naturally leads to the victim's employment as a natural part of the story line....not unlike, if a union treasurer or trucking firm executive was found dismember in Hell's Kitchen in NYC....the odds are their job would be mentioned in the first paragraph due the potential mobster connection, while if the victim worked at a fast food joint, it would be less likely to be mentioned...And the opportunity to mention that its a foreign firm, well, that just extra sauce for the goose

Or it may be that this is all code for saying "it wasn't about money", which, based on my rickety memory of various Mainichi pieces, seems to be a underlying reason behind J women killing their husbands.

[Captain Japan]

Senior gang member shot dead in Roppongi
Gomiuri Shimbun

A senior member of an organized crime group was shot dead in a car parked on a road in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Monday morning, the police said.

The Metropolitan Police Department suspects the shooting in Nishi-Azabu could stem from a conflict brewing between organized crime groups in the Roppongi district in the same ward.

Officers who rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshots at about 10:10 a.m. found Ryoichi Sugiura dead in the backseat of the car.

Sugiura, 43, a senior member of an affiliated organized crime group of the Sumiyoshi-kai gang, lived in the neighborhood.

A man was sitting in the driver's seat and another man was in the passenger seat of the car, which belonged to a member of a Sumiyoshi-kai-affiliated group, according to the MPD...more...

[Captain Japan]

NHK's afternoon news is saying a retaliation hit on the Yamaguchi-gumi occurred on Dogenzaka in Shibuya. I was walking out the door so I didn't pick up details. Probably it'll hit the print news this afternoon.

[Greji]

NHK's afternoon news is saying a retaliation hit on the Yamaguchi-gumi occurred on Dogenzaka in Shibuya. I was walking out the door so I didn't pick up details. Probably it'll hit the print news this afternoon.

That is either very, very interesting for the meaning of the impact to the gang world or NHK is making up its news as it goes along (again)!

The Sumiyoshi Ika has done the sakasukigoto with the Yamaguchi gumi many years ago and is generally considered a full subsidary of Yamaguchi.

Unless this is a local hit based on personality conflict, it could mean some major entertainment in the weeks to come.

I prefer to think NHK is off course in keeping with their usual performance!

[Captain Japan]

That is either very, very interesting for the meaning of the impact to the gang world or NHK is making up its news as it goes along (again)!

The Sumiyoshi Ika has done the sakasukigoto with the Yamaguchi gumi many years ago and is generally considered a full subsidary of Yamaguchi.

Unless this is a local hit based on personality conflict, it could mean some major entertainment in the weeks to come.

I prefer to think NHK is off course in keeping with their usual performance!

And here you go...
3 shooting incidents in Tokyo believed related to killing of gang boss
Mainichi

Three shooting incidents, believed to be related to the shooting death of a gang boss, occurred in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday, police said.

Investigators are wary of the incidents, fearing that they could develop into a bloody fight between rival crime syndicates over their territory.

At about 10 a.m., Ryoichi Sugiura, 43, a high-ranking member of a gang affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate, was shot dead in a car by two men in the Nishiazabu district of Minato-ku, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said.

About an hour later, three bullets were shot into the office of an affiliate of the nation's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, about 1.5 kilometers away from the murder scene....more...

[dimwit]

And here you go...
3 shooting incidents in Tokyo believed related to killing of gang boss
Mainichi

BORING. Where are the body parts?;)

[Greji]

And here you go...
3 shooting incidents in Tokyo believed related to killing of gang boss
Mainichi

Let the games begin!

[Captain Japan]

[quote="dimwit"]BORING. Where are the body parts?]
For that we have the hardware thread. But feel free to use either as needed.

[Mulboyne]

Odd that the content of this thread has come to finally match the title.

I see from this thread that tensions in the gang world increased when the Yamaguchi gumi tied up with The Tokyo-based Kokusui-kai. Predictions of a big flare-up with the Inagawa-kai have been rife since late 2005. As recently as summer, the police uncovered a major arms shipment which was due to be used by an Inagawa affiliate against the Kokusui-kai.

However, as the Mainichi describes it, this latest incident looks like the Kokusui-kai has been butting heads with other parts of the Yamaguchi gumi.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Senior gang member shot dead in Roppongi

Interesting headline as it wasn't even Roppongi. Do you think those uyoku at the Yomiuri are trying to imply FG were somehow involved?

[Captain Japan]

Interesting headline as it wasn't even Roppongi. Do you think those uyoku at the Yomiuri are trying to imply FG were somehow involved?

The first story I read about this mentioned nothing about the yaks but instead focused on the FG embassies in the very immediate area. In other words the insinuation was: it had to be an FG issue. Let me see if I can find that story. But I don't remember where I saw it.

[Mulboyne]

The first story I read about this mentioned nothing about the yaks but instead focused on the FG embassies in the very immediate area. In other words the insinuation was: it had to be an FG issue. Let me see if I can find that story. But I don't remember where I saw it.

Here it is:
Mainichi: Man found shot dead in car parked near Venezuelan and Ecuador embassies in Tokyo

A man was found shot dead in a car parked near the Venezuelan and Ecuador embassies in Tokyo on Monday morning, police said. At about 10:10 a.m., police received an emergency call reporting that shots had been heard near a street in the Nishiazabu district of Minato-ku. Officers rushed to the scene and found a man shot dead in a car at a parking lot. Local police are treating the case as a murder and trying to identify the victim. The parking lot is situated in front of an office building that houses the Venezuelan and Ecuador embassies in Japan.

[nullpointer]

Stippy has good background info on the incident

[Greji]

The first story I read about this mentioned nothing about the yaks but instead focused on the FG embassies in the very immediate area. In other words the insinuation was: it had to be an FG issue. Let me see if I can find that story. But I don't remember where I saw it.

I saw the TV commentary on these when the first shootem ups happened and although I'm sure they would like to be able to show some FG involvement, it looked more like they were showing indignation that the fellas would pick a location(s) where it would get more foreign coverage bringing undue attention to "crime free" Japan. Gangs have traditionally been expected to shoot, stab, fold, spindle and/or mutilate one another, outside of the normal public view.

At any rate, the turf battle for the Roppongi area and hence, parts of the Ginza has been on going for about five years. It has just not been given much news coverage. As Asahi has found out on numerous occasions, you write something the fellas don't like and you tend to take incoming.

[Mulboyne]

Nothing to see here now. Move along.

Kyodo: Mobsters reconcile over turf war in Tokyo

Japan's two major crime syndicates reconciled with each other over a turf war in Tokyo on Thursday, days after the killing of a senior member in one gang provoked what are believed to have been retaliatory shootings against a rival group's offices, investigative sources said...more...

[Captain Japan]

A Buddhist monk faces off with a police official playing the role of a yakuza extortionist during an antigang drill in December at Chionin Temple in Kyoto. KYODO PHOTO
From rackets to real estate, yakuza multifaceted
Japan Times
The yakuza have long played a powerful, if often unseen, role in society. Romanticized in literature and film as noble outcasts replete with punch-perms, extensive tattoos and severed pinkies, the underworld is one of archaic language and secretive rituals and customs as well as extreme violence and intimidation.

The introduction of antigang laws in 1993, however, has made it tougher for the yakuza (known in legal terminology as "boryoku-dan") to operate as openly as they once did. Nevertheless, through legitimate businesses and ever more sophisticated extortion methods, the mob continues to thrive.

Though it has now subsided, a recent war in Tokyo between the two largest crime syndicates -- the Yamaguchi-gumi and Sumiyoshi-kai -- has returned the yakuza to the spotlight. Following are some basic facts about these organized crime gangs...

Why are yakuza still tolerated in this day and age?

There remains a widespread belief, especially among older Japanese, that despite their occasional violence, the yakuza serve two useful purposes as a "necessary evil."

The first is to engage in businesses that cater to basic human needs in a way that respects the harmony of society far less than would otherwise be the case if the yakuza did not exist. The second reason is a belief that the yakuza provide order, discipline and self-esteem to those individuals who would cause even more trouble if they were not yakuza....more...

[Captain Japan]

Nothing to see here now. Move along.

Some people think there's still a story...
Cover Story: Turf war
Asahi

The gang war that flared last week in Tokyo was rooted in a turf battle over protection rackets in the Roppongi entertainment district, yakuza sources say.

On one side is the Kobayashi-kai, which is affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai.

Facing off against the Kobayashi-kai is the Kokusui-kai, which is affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi.

The Yamaguchi-gumi and the Sumiyoshi-kai are the nation's two biggest crime syndicates.

Bosses from the two sides met last Thursday and reached an agreement that police officials hope will end the spate of shootings between the two rival crime syndicates. No civilians were injured, although a senior member of the Kobayashi-kai was gunned down in broad daylight.

The Kobayashi-kai, according to sources, controls the collection of protection money from bars and restaurants in Roppongi.

Police sources said the collection of protection money was originally in the hands of the Kokusui-kai. However, in exchange for a percentage of the cut, the Kokusui-kai is said to have "lent" the rights to the protection racket to the Kobayashi-kai....more...

[Captain Japan]

Nothing to see here now. Move along.

Looks this story has sprouted legs...
Gang boss found shot dead at home in apparent suicide
Mainichi

The boss of a gang affiliated with Japan's largest crime syndicate was found dead at his home in Tokyo's Taito-ku on Thursday, apparently after committing suicide by shooting himself, police said.

Kazuyoshi Kudo, head of the Kokusui-kai, a gang affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate, was found dead at his home when police arrived at about 9:20 a.m. on Thursday.

A handgun was found near Kudo's body. Based on evidence found at the scene, police suspect Kudo used the weapon to kill himself.

Investigators said Kudo was lying dead on a sofa in the second-floor living room of his home, bleeding from the head. A gang member who found him reported his death to Asakusa Police Station....more...

[Catoneinutica]

Looks this story has sprouted legs...
Gang boss found shot dead at home in apparent suicide
Mainichi

One wonders if this was a jump-before-you're-pushed thing. Perhaps this guy's death was one of the prerequisites for the "truce".

[Greji]

One wonders if this was a jump-before-you're-pushed thing. Perhaps this guy's death was one of the prerequisites for the "truce".

Naw, it is a cultural thing. It is traditional for a gang member in a situation like this to commit suicide by whipping out his pistol and shooting himself in the head....37 times.

[Captain Japan]

Police raid Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters over shooting death of rival gangster
Mainichi

KOBE -- Police raided the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi gang on Monday over the shooting death of a senior member of a rival affiliate of the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate, investigators said.

This is the second raid that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has conducted over the incident following its search of the headquarters of the Kokusui-kai, an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Investigators suspect that at least one organization under the umbrella of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the nation's largest crime syndicate, was involved in the killing even though the MPD says it has not identified the suspect.

Before 10 a.m. on Monday, 100 riot police officers armed with shields surrounded the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters in Nada-ku, Kobe. An investigator showed a search warrant issued by a court to a gang member and entered the facility with some 130 colleagues....more...

On Friday night I walked by the area where the shooting took place. There's a make-shift shrine there: flowers and bottles of tea collected at the edge of the curb.

[Captain Japan]

Part of right leg found in Tokyo river
Kyodo

(Kyodo) _ A severed human right leg was found in the Nihombashi River in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday afternoon, police said.
Investigators are trying to identify the person to whom the body part -- the portion below the knee -- belongs, suspecting the person may have been the victim of a crime, the police said.

The naked leg is believed to be that of an adult. However, the sex of the person and other details remain unknown as the body part has been blackened by sludge, they said.

There is a small cut on the leg, but no major external wounds. As the cut surface is partly decomposed, it is likely that several days have passed since the leg was severed, the police said.

It was discovered by workers who were on a boat cleaning the river and collecting trash on its surface.

[IkemenTommy]

Part of right leg found in Tokyo river
Kyodo

It won't be long before someone claims it's theirs.

[Greji]

Part of right leg found in Tokyo river
Kyodo"....
Investigators are trying to identify the person to whom the body part -- the portion below the knee -- belongs, suspecting the person may have been the victim of a crime, the police said....."

Is there something I'm missing here? What on earth could possibly make the police suspect the owner of a sawed off leg might be the victim of a crime?

[Captain Japan]

I would say this is a candidate for the autopsy thread...
Human leg picked out of downtown river belongs to man found in Tokyo Bay

A human leg found in a river in downtown Tokyo in mid-May has been confirmed to be that of a man whose body was found in Tokyo Bay late last month, police said.

A DNA test conducted on the right leg found in the Nihonbashi River in the Hitotsubashi district of the capital's Chiyoda-ku on May 14 matched the DNA of a man's body found floating in Tokyo Bay off the Daiba district of Minato-ku on April 26, Tokyo police said.

The man is believed to have hanged himself, investigators said, noting that a necktie was tied around his neck and there was no sign that he resisted an assailant.

Police suspect that his right leg was severed by a boat propeller while his body was drifting in the river and that the other part of his body was washed away into Tokyo Bay.

The man appeared to be aged between 40 and 60, and was less than 160 centimeters tall. He had been dead for about a month, according to investigators. (Mainichi)

[Captain Japan]

This wasn't a mob hit but it fits the theme of the thread...or I guess I could have picked any of a number of NHK threads...
Dismembered body of woman found in Adachi

ADACHI — Parts of a female body were found in a house in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday, police said, adding that they have arrested two other occupants of the house. According to police, NHK bill collector Koji Shiga, 47, and his common-law wife Tomoko Hitomi, 34, allegedly killed Shiga's ex-wife, Miho Shiga, 40, earlier this month and cut up her body.

Shiga and Hitomi turned themselves in to police early Thursday morning. Upon inspecting the house, police found an amputated neck, arm, leg and torso in a plastic bag in the living room on the second floor. Shiga and Hitomi shared the house with the victim, police said. According to NHK, Shiga has taken several days off from work since late May due to injury. Police said the suspects have so far given no motive for the crime.

[Greji]

"....police found an amputated neck, arm, leg and torso in a plastic bag...."

I'd like to see a picture of that amputated neck! Never seen one of them!

[IkemenTommy]

I'd like to see a picture of that amputated neck! Never seen one of them!

Try rotten.com. I warn you that the contents are pretty gory.