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A yakuza gang has asked the local education board not to show schoolchildren an anti-gang video local police are producing for fear it will lead to discrimination of gangsters' children, it was learned Saturday.
The Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education is wondering how to respond to the request.
"The video is still being produced, and we haven't decided whether to distribute them to schools. We'll consult with police and other relevant organizations before deciding how to respond to the request," a board official said.
Fukuoka Prefectural Police's Kitakyushu regional anti-gang headquarters denied that it would constitute discrimination. "If you see the video, you will understand it will not cause any discrimination," an official of the headquarters said.
On June 29, the board received a letter titled, "Petition," signed by Takeo Hayashi, supreme adviser to the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, and its secretary-general, Mitsuhide Honda.
"If the video is shown at schools, children of crime syndicate members will be bullied. It would constitute discrimination," the letter partly reads.
The video tells the story of a lower-ranking gangster who joined a crime syndicate because he adored money and power but regrets having been only exploited by the organization.
The anti-gang headquarters is expected to complete production of the video sometime between late July and early August. (Mainichi) |