Wanted Yakuza Arrested in 2017 Kobe Gangland Killing

Jun 24, 2026 | News On Japan

KOBE - A 50-year-old member of an organization affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate has been arrested in Yamaguchi Prefecture after nearly nine years on the run over the 2017 fatal shooting of a bodyguard for the leader of a rival group in Kobe.

The suspect, Tatsumi Hishikawa, was seen sitting in the back seat of a car without changing his expression after his arrest.

The case dates back to 2017, when a vehicle carrying the head of the rival Ninkyo Yamaguchi-gumi was attacked on a street in Nagata Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture.

Hishikawa is suspected of shooting and killing a gang member believed to have been serving as a bodyguard.

Police had been investigating the case as an organized attack and placed Hishikawa on a nationwide wanted list as a suspected perpetrator who had fled after the shooting.

The case moved forward on June 23, 2026, nearly nine years after the killing, when Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested Hishikawa in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, at 6:39 a.m. on suspicion of murder and violating the firearms and swords control law, according to Noriaki Adachi, head of the prefectural police organized crime division.

Hishikawa was arrested at an apartment in Yamaguchi Prefecture, about 300 kilometers from the scene of the shooting.

The apartment room had been rented under another person’s name, according to police.

Police plan to continue their investigation, believing that others were also involved in the case.

Source: FNN

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.