yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...
group based in
Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is .
The city is ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
bakuto
''Bakuto'' (博徒) were itinerant gamblers active in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of two forerunners (the other being ''tekiya'', or peddlers) to modern Japanese organized crime syndicates called ''yakuza''. ...
organization named the by Kunio Oyama. The group restarted as the Asano-gumi with the head of Shin'ichi Asano in April 1952 following Oyama's retirement. Yoshiaki Kushida succeeded as president in September 1983."1993 Police White Paper Chapter 1 : The Actual Condition of the Boryokudan" 1993, ''
National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: Cuban National Police
*East Timor: National Police of E ...
''
Condition
The Asano-gumi has been based in
Kasaoka, Okayama
is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952. The municipal district also includes 31 outlying islands including seven inhabited islands in the Kasaoka Islands group.
As of February 28, 2017, the city h ...
ever since its formation.
The Asano-gumi caused conflicts with the
Yamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest ''yakuza'' organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.
It is one of the largest criminal organizations i ...
and the Kyodo-kai in the late 20th century. In one notable case, Asano member(s) shot and murdered two Yamaguchi members in
Kurashiki
is a historic city located in western Okayama Prefecture, Japan, sitting on the Takahashi River, on the coast of the Inland Sea. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 483,576 and a population density of 1,400 persons per ...
in 1987, as a retaliation for an earlier attack by Yamaguchi member(s) involving carving knives against two Asano members.
Since 1996, the Asano-gumi has been a member of an anti- Yamaguchi federation named the Gosha-kai, along with three other Chugoku-based organizations, the
Kyosei-kai
The is a yakuza group based in Hiroshima, Japan.
History
The Kyosei-kai was formed in May 1964 from seven yakuza clans united by bakuto Tatsuo Yamamura.Kyodo-kai, the
Goda-ikka
The is a yakuza group based in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yamaguchi, Japan. It is a Yakuza#Designated boryokudan, designated yakuza group and Yamaguchi Prefecture's largest, with an estimated 60 members.
History
The group was formed in 1948 as the i ...
, and the
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...