By all means, any incidents in which organized crime syndicates' feuds cause ordinary citizens to be caught up in them must be prevented.
The public safety commissions of six prefectures, including Hyogo, Aichi and Osaka, have decided to designate on the basis of the Antigang Law the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi as organized crime groups engaged in a specific conflict as the yakuza power struggle between the two has been escalating.
Ten cities in the six prefectures have been established as being within an "area in need of vigilance," with a combined total of 130 offices related to the syndicates within the areas forbidden to be visited. Such acts as the gathering of five or more members of the group and the loitering of members near the office of their rival group will also be prohibited.
The distinctive feature of the designation is that it allows the police to be able to arrest anyone on the spot should any violation be determined. This will perhaps greatly restrict the activities of the yakuza members.
The latest designation marks the second of its kind since it was first applied against the Dojin-kai and the then Kyushu Seido-kai in Fukuoka Prefecture in 2012. In this previous case, there were no incidents of conflict following the designation, which was lifted 1-1/2 years later. A certain deterrent effect can be expected.
Since a splinter group from the Yamaguchi-gumi formed the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi in 2015, there have been 120 incidents of conflict between the two. Lying behind the split was the opposition of those member groups based in the Kansai region, including the Yamaken-gumi, against the growing control within the syndicate exercised by the Kodo-kai, a Nagoya-based core organization of the Yamaguchi-gumi.
Yakuza conflicts have notably intensified since August this year, with four people killed or injured in three shooting incidents. In a case when a senior member of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi was shot dead last month, an automatic rifle was used and 15 shots were fired.
The two rival syndicates are large, with their sphere of influence extending over a wide area. It is also feared that they may increase their activities in places outside the areas not covered by the restriction. The police must not fail to keep tabs on them stringently.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that a residential area and a shopping quarter have become the scenes of their feud. In Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, where a yakuza incident took place, local elementary schools reinforced their activities to keep watch over students on their way to and from school. Restlessness among those who live in the vicinity of the syndicates' offices can easily be imagined.
In shooting incidents in the past, there was a case in which ordinary citizens fell victim during an indiscriminate shooting at a "snack" bar in Maebashi in 2003. Three customers died. Such a tragic incident must not be repeated.
In addition to the surveillance of yakuza, the aggressive uncovering of firearms-linked crimes is called for. In recent years, the number of guns confiscated has been declining, which, as some experts have pointed out, has been due to the ever-ingenious techniques used in hiding them. The police must find the channels through which guns are obtained.
Yakuza are procuring their funds through such modi operandi as the trafficking of stimulants and the so-called special frauds preying on elderly people. Through thorough investigations, the police must block their sources of funding.
Help encourage members of the yakuza to leave these organized crime syndicates and assist them in rehabilitating into society with the cooperation of companies and the like. Such steady endeavors toward weakening the syndicates are also vital.
-- This article appeared in the print version of The Yomiuri Shimbun on Dec. 30, 2019.
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