Sep 13 (tokyoreporter.com) - Aichi Prefectural Police on Monday arrested the chairman of the key affiliate gang of the Yamaguchi-gumi and five others in the extortion of a restaurant in Nagoya's Naka Ward, reports Jiji Press
Between December of last year and January, Teruaki Takeuchi, the chairman of the Kodo-kai, and five other persons allegedly received a total of 180,000 yen in mikajimeryo ("protection money") and yojimbo-dai ("bodyguard fees") from the manager of the restaurant.
The suspects have also been accused of extorting 400,000 yen from a commercial sex parlor in Nagoya in April.
Of the suspects, who have been accused of violating a prefectural anti-organized crime law, four are members of the Kodo-kai. Takeuchi denies the allegations. Four other suspects partially deny the accusations while the sixth suspect has declined to comment.
Co-founded by Shinobu Tsukasa
The Nagoya-based Kodo-kai was co-founded by Shinobu Tsukasa, the current head of the Yamaguchi-gumi, in 1984. According to police, the heart of Nagoya is key are for the gang's money-making operations. This arrest is part of an effort to sever funding for the gang, police said.
Source: ANNnewsCH
