Japanese media reported Thursday that country's largest organized crime syndicate, Yamaguchi-gumi, may be splitting up, triggering fears of a bloody gang war across the country.
The possible split within Yamaguchi-gumi came after an August 27 meeting. Yamaguchi-gumi's godfather, Kenichi Shinoda, known as Shinobu Tsukasa, removed thirteen gangs out from the syndicate after their leaders skipped the meeting, reported Asahi Shimbun.
Seventy three year old Tsukasa wanted to move the syndicate's headquarters from Kobe to his nativeNagoya. Tsukasa's decision to shift headquarters reportedly angered leaders of some affiliated gangs.
The police are placed on alert because a gang war could take place following the likely split within notorious and powerful yakuza syndicate, investigative sources said, according to Kyodo news agency.
"Yamaguchi-gumi had 10,300 members in 44 prefectures around Japan as of the end of 2014. The number expanded to 23,400 when quasi-members are included, accounting for 43.7 percent of all organized crime members in Japan," National Police Agency figures revealed, according to Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
More than thirty gangs in Japan are affiliated with the Kobe headquartered yakuza crime conglomerate, founded in 1915. Yamaguchi-gumi's revenues in 2014 touched $80 billion, making it the world's richest crime syndicate, according to Russia Today.
