, also known as , is a Japanese
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 ter ...
, the sixth and current ''kumicho'' (supreme
kingpin
Kingpin or king pin may refer to:
Vehicular part
* Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism
** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
, or chairman) of 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 longshoreman, dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.
It is one of the largest organized c ...
,
Japan's largest yakuza organization.
Career
Shinoda was born in
ÅŒita,
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
.
["Pre-Notification For Upcoming Designation Of Transnational Organized Criminal Elements : Identifying Information : Yakuza : Entry 1 : Yamaguchi-gumi : Person 1 : Kenichã¯ã•i Shinoda" ]
''Malta Financial Services Authority
The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) is a financial regulator of Malta. The MFSA was founded in 2002 when it assumed the responsibilities of the Central Bank of Malta, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Malta Financial Services Centre. ...
''
After graduating from Oita Prefectural Fisheries High School (currently Oita Prefectural High School of Marine Science), he got a job at a major local fisheries company.
He began his Yakuza career in 1962 when he joined the Hirota-gumi, a
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most p ...
-based Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate. Following the disbanding of the Hirota-gumi, he founded the
Kodo-kai The Kodo-kai ( ''KÅdÅ-kai'', ''Koh-doh-kai'') is a yakuza criminal organization based in Nagoya, Japan. It is a secondary organization of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan. With an estimated membership of 4,0 ...
[Jeffrey Hays]
Major Yakuza groups and leaders: Yamaguchi-Gumi, Yoshio Kodama, Kenichi Shinoda, Tadamasa Goto
''Factsanddetails.com'', 2009 (accessed on 18 July 2019) with
Kiyoshi Takayama
is a yakuza best known as the second-in-command (''wakagashira'') of the 6th-generation Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan, and the president of its ruling affiliate, Kodo-kai, based in Nagoya.
Takayama has been consider ...
among others in 1984 as the successor to the Hirota-gumi.
Under Shinoda and his long-term partner Takayama, the Kodo-kai was a successful branch of the Yamaguchi-Gumi, establishing branches in 18 prefectures—including expansion into the
KantÅ region, traditionally not Yamaguchi territory.
Shinoda took control of the 40,000-strong gang on July 29, 2005 after the retirement of previous don
Yoshinori Watanabe
was a yakuza, the fifth ''kumicho'' (chairman or Godfather) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. He became kumicho in 1989. He was known for a more low-key approach than his predecessors, partly due to an anti-gang law pas ...
.
Under Shinoda, the
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of HyÅgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...
-based Yamaguchi-gumi is expected to continue that expansion into
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, æ±äº¬, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, æ±äº¬éƒ½, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and Eastern Japan.
According to both yakuza and police, this movement would inevitably create conflict between the Yamaguchi-gumi and the
Kanto-Hatsukakai, a federation of Tokyo-based yakuza groups including the
Inagawa-kai
The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 3,100 members. It is based in the KantÅ region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.
History
The Inagawa-kai was founded in Atami, Shiz ...
and the
Sumiyoshi-kai
The , sometimes referred to as the , is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 4,000 members.
Outline
Their territories mainly consist of upscale districts such as KabukichÅ and Ginza. Shops operating in these territories ...
.
Shinoda is the first Yamaguchi-gumi ''kumicho'' not to hail from the
Kansai
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island HonshÅ«. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, HyÅgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolitan ...
region. He also eschews the "supreme Godfather" image, at least in public; after his appointment as ''kumicho'', he insisted on taking the
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often k ...
to his induction ceremony instead of a chauffeured
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pro ...
. He also reportedly stopped in a street
ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dis ...
noodle restaurant on the way to the lavish yakuza banquet arranged in his honor.
Arrests
In the early 1970s, Shinoda was convicted of murdering a rival yakuza boss with a
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
, and spent 13 years in prison. He was also involved, as the head of the
Kodo-kai The Kodo-kai ( ''KÅdÅ-kai'', ''Koh-doh-kai'') is a yakuza criminal organization based in Nagoya, Japan. It is a secondary organization of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan. With an estimated membership of 4,0 ...
, in the Yamaguchi-gumi's numerous historic yakuza wars. Notably his achievements at the ''
Yama-Ichi War'' in the late 1980s was a major reason for his entrance into the Yamaguchi-gumi's
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of HyÅgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...
headquarters.
On December 4, 2005, only four months after being named ''kumicho'', Shinoda began serving a six-year prison sentence for gun possession after the
Japanese Supreme Court
The , located in HayabusachÅ, Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It has the power of judicial review, which allows it t ...
finally rejected his appeal of a 1997 conviction. In the 1997 case, one of his bodyguards was caught with an illegal pistol, and Shinoda was convicted of "conspiring" with the bodyguard.
After release
In September of 2011, Shinoda responded to an interview with a Sankei newspaper and criticized the police authorities for the gang exclusion ordinance.
In 2012, it was reported that he and his executives had visited Kobe Gokoku Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture, HQ early on New Year's Day, which was closed to the general public.
3At midnight on January 1, 2016, he visited Kobe Gokuni Shrine for the first time since the Yamaguchi-Gumi split.
U.S. sanctions in 2012
In 2012, the
Obama administration of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
imposed sanctions on him as the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, along with his second-in-command
Kiyoshi Takayama
is a yakuza best known as the second-in-command (''wakagashira'') of the 6th-generation Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan, and the president of its ruling affiliate, Kodo-kai, based in Nagoya.
Takayama has been consider ...
. The sanctions also targeted several individuals linked to three other
transnational organized crime
Transnational organized crime (TOC) is organized crime coordinated across national borders, involving groups or markets of individuals working in more than one country to plan and execute illegal business ventures. In order to achieve their ...
groups, the
Brothers' Circle
The Brothers' Circle or Bratski Krug ( rus, БратÑкий круг) is a term used to refer to Russian organized crime, commonly the Russian mafia. It is a loose translation of the Russian term "Bratva" (Russian: Братва), which can also be ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
, the
of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and
Los Zetas
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican organized crime, criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as Decapitation#Mex ...
of
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
.
"US moves to isolate Russian, Japanese crime groups"
23 February 2012, ''AFP
AFP most often refers to:
* Agence France-Presse, an international news agency
* Australian Federal Police
AFP or afp may also refer to:
Media
*Advertiser-funded programming, a television funding model
*American Family Publishers, a magazine s ...
''
References
External links
The Guardian - Japan's new godfather sets his sights on Tokyo
BBC News - Japanese yakuza boss goes to jail
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinoda, Kenichi
Yakuza members
Japanese crime bosses
1942 births
Living people
People from ÅŒita Prefecture
Yamaguchi-gumi