Nishi-Azabu Blood Struggle Record--Record of Tokyo's Dark Struggle in 2007

Nishi-Azabu Blood Struggle Record--Record of Tokyo's Dark Struggle in 2007

In February 2007, a gang leader was shot and killed in Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo. This incident occurred amidst tensions between the Yamaguchigumi, a designated gang based in the Kansai region, and the Sumiyoshi-kai, a leading organization in the Kanto region, as the latter was attempting to expand into Tokyo. Yamaguchigumi was expanding its power in the Kanto region by adding Kokushikai, a Tokyo-based gangster organization, under its umbrella. This led to friction with Sumiyoshi-kai over territory and interests, and the conflict was intensifying.

Late at night on February 5, 2007, a gunshot rang out in the vicinity of a high-class club in Nishiazabu. The shooter was a Yamaguchigumi-affiliated Kokushikai executive, who died on the spot. The attack was seen as retaliation by members of the Sumiyoshi-kai gang and caused a major stir in Tokyo's underworld.

About ten days after the incident, Kazuyoshi Kudo, the Kokushikai chairman, shot himself in his home. His death is said to have been caused by the complicated power relations between the organizations and internal conflicts that accompanied the Yamaguchigumi's entry into Tokyo. As the bargaining over territory in Tokyo continued, Kudo's death had an impact on the course of Yamaguchigumi's expansion of power.

In response to this series of incidents, the Metropolitan Police Department stepped up its crackdown on those involved in an effort to calm the gang's power. Although the various organizations moved cautiously, the balance in Tokyo's underworld remained precarious. The shootout in Nishiazabu was not just a localized war, but a symbolic incident that marked a time when the power structure of Japan's gangs was undergoing major changes.