May 31 2008
Two Japanese mafia dons who jumped a long queue to get liver transplants in the United States each made donations of £50,000 to the Californian hospital that operated on them. Continue Reading »
Dec 10 2007
TOKYO — A Japanese mafia boss was Monday sentenced to death over the killing of five people, including three bystanders, in shootings at a bar and a Tokyo hospital.
The Tokyo District Court found Osamu Yano, 58, guilty of ordering the shooting of a rival gang member in 2003 in a bar in Maebashi, 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Tokyo, in which three bystanders were killed. Continue Reading »
Sep 30 2007
Police hunting the killer of English teacher Lindsay Hawker are scouring Tokyo’s red-light district amid claims he is being hidden by the Japanese mafia. Continue Reading »
Sep 14 2007
With her dyed-brown long hair and tight designer jeans, Shoko Tendo looks like any other stylish young Japanese woman - until she removes her shirt to reveal the vivid tattoos covering her back and most of her body.
The elaborate dragons, phoenix and a medieval courtesan with one breast bared and a knife between her teeth are a symbol of Tendo’s childhood as the daughter of a “yakuza” gangster and her youth as a drug-using gang member. Continue Reading »
Mar 18 2007
The leader of a Japanese mafia group, specializing on racketeering and money recuperation – who was wanted by the Interpol since 2004 – was arrested in Romania. He was extradited this week to Japanese authorities, said the Ministry of Administration and Interior, or MAI. Continue Reading »
Feb 15 2007
The body of Kazuyoshi Kudo, head of the Kokusui-kai, was discovered at his home in Tokyo this morning, police said.
Kudo, 70, was found with head injuries lying on a sofa in an upstairs room when fellow gang members brought him breakfast shortly after 9am, the Kyodo news agency reported.
A gun was found by his side and police suspect he committed suicide, although they refused to give details. Continue Reading »
