Yesterday morning at 10am in the well-to-do area of TokyoÂ’s Nishi Azabu, a member of one Yakuza gang (the Yamaguchi-gumi) shot and killed a very senior member (a kanbu, which roughly translates to "director") of another Yakuza gang (the Sumiyoshi-kai) on the side of the main road between Roppongi and Shibuya, all in broad daylight.
This has lit a match of dangerous and lethal proportions, escalating a rift that has been brewing in Tokyo for some time now, starting the much feared "Yakuza war" in central Tokyo, that many have been predicting since the end of 2005.
This is directly relevant for a few of us who write for stippy, because it has all happened literally right on our doorstep. One of the things we all like and respect about Japan - it's shiny reputation as a "safe" country - seems to have become tarnished and is somewhat crumbling at the sides. |