Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

May 21, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Those arrested on suspicion of violating Tokyo's anti-organized crime ordinance include 78-year-old Yoshiyuki Tanigawa, a senior figure in an organization under the Sumiyoshi-kai-affiliated Kohei-ikka.

Under the ordinance, gang offices are prohibited within 200 meters of facilities such as schools, libraries, and nursery schools. Police suspect Tanigawa and the others maintained an office in a room of an apartment building located about 100 meters from a nursery school in Itabashi Ward between October last year and last month.

According to police, Tanigawa has admitted the allegation, saying, "It cannot be helped if it is described as a gang office." Three of the six suspects have reportedly admitted to the charge, while the remaining three have denied the allegation, saying they believed the site was an office for a construction company.

Source: 日テレNEWS

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