Gang warfare surges as senior yakuza gunned down in Nagoya

NAGOYA, JAPAN--A senior yakuza member was gunned down here July 15, signaling an escalation of gang warfare between the nation's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, and a splinter group.

After being alerted to the sounds of gunfire, police rushed to an apartment building in the city’s Naka Ward around 4:40 p.m. and found the man in one unit with bullet wounds to his head and other parts of his body.

The victim, Tatsuo Saiki, was confirmed dead about an hour and half later. Saiki, 64, was with a member of a gang affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.

Police, who are searching for two men seen driving away from scene, say the slaying appears to mark a surge in a violent power play between the two groups.

According to the Aichi prefectural police, the two men entered the unit and opened fire.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201607160028.html