
Yazuka members concealed gang affiliations for hotel party in Yamanashi
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five men, including a senior member of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate, for staying at a hotel while concealing their gang affiliations.
In March 2023, Sumiyoshi-kai executive Kazuyuki Tajima, 53, Utaro Shirai, a 53-year-old member of the quasi-criminal ring Chinese Dragon, and three others are suspected of conspiring with their comrades to make reservations to stay at the hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture.
In Yamanashi, gang members are prohibited from staying at hotels. Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to allegations of fraud. Kazuyuki Tajima of the Sumiyoshi-kai (X)
According to police, Tajima and his accomplices also rented out a hotel restaurant for a 'sake ceremony' to form an alliance with individuals believed to be members of the Chinese mafia group 14K. About 30 persons attended.
Video footage of the party showed Shirai and other members of Chinese Dragon acting as intermediaries between the gangsters from the two countries.
Police are currently investigating the relationship between the two Japanese criminal organizations and the Chinese mafia.
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