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is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization.
It is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Estimates put the number of active members at just over 39,000, with thousands more having strong associations. It is, by far, the largest of the boryokudan groups, and its membership encompasses roughly 45% of the 87,000 yakuza in the Japanese underworld.
Formal members of the Yamaguchi-gumi are 102 total people; 1 ''kumicho'', 15 ''shatei'' (younger brother) and 86 ''wakachu'' (child) as of November 2005.
The Yamaguchi-gumi are among the world's wealthiest gangsters, bringing in billions of dollars a year from extortion, gambling, the sex industry, guns, drugs, and real estate and construction kickback schemes. They are also involved in stock market manipulation and Internet pornography.
The Yamaguchi-gumi has its headquarters in Kobe, Japan, but it operates all across Japan and has overseas operations in Asia and the United States. Despite more than a decade of police crackdowns, their numbers have been growing. Its current ''kumicho'' (godfather), Shinobu Tsukasa, has declared an expansionist policy -- even making inroads into Tokyo, traditionally not Yamaguchi turf.^[1][2]

Contents

Leadership

Assassination of Iccho Itoh

References

External Reference

Leadership

★ 1st ''kumicho'' (1915-1925): Harukichi Yamaguchi

★ 2nd ''kumicho'' (1925-1942): Noboru Yamaguchi — son of Harukichi Yamaguchi

★ 3rd ''kumicho'' (1946-1981): Kazuo Taoka
When Taoka inherited the title of kumicho, it was merely a local family with only dozens of members. It was Taoka who made Yamaguchi-gumi the world's largest criminal organization. He urged his underlings to have legitimate businesses and allowed them to have their own family, which became a kind of subsidiary family of Yamaguchi-gumi. He also created a structural system in the family. ''Wakagashira'' were elected as underbosses to the kumicho and some of powerful members were elected as ''wakagashira-hosa'' (deputy underbosses).

★ 4th ''kumicho'' (1984-1985): Masahisa Takenaka
After the death of Taoka, the heir apparent ''wakagashira'' Kenichi Yamamoto (kumicho of the Yamaken-gumi) was serving a prison sentence. He died of liver failure shortly afterward. Fumiko Taoka, Kazuo Taoka's wife, stepped forward to fill the leadership void until a new kumicho could be selected by a council of eight top-level bosses.
In 1984, the elders chose Masahisa Takenaka (kumicho of the Takenaka-gumi) to be the fourth kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi. One of the other contenders, Hiroshi Yamamoto (''kumicho'' of the Yamahiro-gumi), broke away from Yamaguchi-gumi with many of its powerful members and more than 3,000 of its soldiers to form the Ichiwa-kai. A bitter rivalry existed between the two groups, which led to an all-out war (the Yama-Ichi War) after the Ichiwa-kai's 1985 assassination of Takenaka and ''wakahashira'' Katsumasa Nakayama. During the war, acting-''kumicho'' Kazuo Nakanishi (''kumicho'' of the Nakanishi-gumi) and ''wakagashira'' Yoshinori Watanabe (''kumicho'' of the Yamaken-gumi) briefly took the leadership role until 1989.

★ 5th ''kumicho'' (1989-2005): Yoshinori Watanabe
The Yama-Ichi War ended with retirement of Hiroshi Yamamoto which was arbitrated by one of the most respected bosses Seijo Inagawa. After that, the clan elected ''wakagashira'' Yoshinori Watanabe as 5th ''kumicho'' of the organization. Masaru Takumi (''kumicho'' of Takumi-gumi) was elected as ''wakagashira''. He was so powerful and respected within the organization that his influence overshadowed that of ''kumicho'' to some extent.

★ 6th ''kumicho'' (2005-present): Shinobu Tsukasa (real name: Kenichi Shinoda)
In 1997, then powerful ''wakagashira'' Masaru Takumi was assassinated by underlings of then ''wakagashira-hosa'' (deputy underboss) Taro Nakano. After this assassination, they were unable to choose a new ''wakagashira'' for more than eight years. As a result, leadership of organization became weaker. Finally, in 2005, ''wakagashira-hosa'' Shinobu Tsukasa (then ''kumicho'' of Hirota-gumi) was chosen as new ''wakagashira'' and shortly afterward, in August 2005, Tsukasa inherited the position of the 6th ''kumicho'' of the Yamaguchi-gumi.
Watanabe has retired to private life — rather uncommon in their world, as bosses usually do not retire until their death.^[3] Under Tsukasa's leadership, the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi has resumed expansion. Seiji Takayama, ''kumicho'' of Kodokai, was elected as ''wakagashira''. They absorbed the Tokyo-based gang Kokusui-kai, thus acquiring lucrative turf in the capital. Tsukasa was imprisoned in December 2005, and is serving a six-year sentence.^[4]

Assassination of Iccho Itoh

On April 17, 2007, Tetsuya Shiroo, a senior ranking member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, allegedly assassinated Iccho Itoh, the mayor of Nagasaki, over an apparent dispute over damage done to Shiroo's car at a public works construction site. Shiroo has been taken into custody and an investigation is pending. The Japanese Prime Minister has vowed to rigorously investigate the slaying.

References

External Reference

NHK Documentary of 4th Kumicho