Goto-gumi
Encyclopedia
The was a Japanese
yakuza
organization founded by Tadamasa Goto
. The gang was originally formed in Fujinomiya
, Shizuoka Prefecture
, but moved its activities east in 1991 when it merged with a gang in Hachiōji
, Tokyo
. The Goto-gumi, as an affiliate of Japan's largest yakuza organization, the Kobe
-based Yamaguchi-gumi
, was seen as a vanguard for Yamaguchi expansion into the Kantō region
.
The gang achieved notoriety the following year when five of its members assaulted and seriously injured Japanese filmmaker Jūzō Itami
. The attack was in retaliation for Itami's negative portrayal of the yakuza in his film Minbo no Onna.
On October 14, 2008 Goto was expelled from the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Goto-gumi was split into two parts, headed by Mr. Rachi and Mr. Tsukamoto, two of Goto's chief executives. At the time of the expulsion, the supreme godfather Shinobu Tsukasa was in jail, and the expulsion was officially accepted by the number-two, Kiyoshi Takayama
, the head of the 2nd Kodo-kai
. In April 2009 Tadamasa Goto publicly entered study for Buddhist priesthood.
In 2011 a Japanese man believed to be connected to the Goto-gumi was killed in Thailand.
. Also, the Goto-gumi had allegedly been very influential in the entertainment industry, and aligned with the Soka-Gakkai, Japan's largest known new religion
organization which has its own political party.
mafia, and police reports indicated that the Goto-gumi had smuggled firearms from the Philippines
, where they had connections with some of the country's high-ranking military officers. Members, especially senior members often visited foreign countries to acquire shooting skills.
, then the head of the Goto-gumi, to receive a liver transplant in the United States
in return for a $100,000 donation to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and information about Yamaguchi-gumi operations in the U.S. This was done without prior consultation of the Japanese National Police Agency
. The journalist who uncovered the deal, Jake Adelstein
, received threats from Goto and was given police protection in the US and in Japan.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
organization founded by Tadamasa Goto
Tadamasa Goto
is a retired yakuza. He was the founding head of the Goto-gumi, a Fujinomiya-based affiliate of Japan's largest known yakuza syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi....
. The gang was originally formed in Fujinomiya
Fujinomiya, Shizuoka
is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 122,464 and the density of 389 persons per km². The total area was 314.81 km².-Geography:...
, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, but moved its activities east in 1991 when it merged with a gang in Hachiōji
Hachioji, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan, about 40 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 551,901 and a population density of 2,962.27/km². The total area is 186.31 km². It is the eighth largest city in the...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The Goto-gumi, as an affiliate of Japan's largest yakuza organization, the Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
-based Yamaguchi-gumi
Yamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
, was seen as a vanguard for Yamaguchi expansion into the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
.
The gang achieved notoriety the following year when five of its members assaulted and seriously injured Japanese filmmaker Jūzō Itami
Juzo Itami
, born , was an actor and a popular modern Japanese film director. Many critics came to regard him as Japan's greatest director since Akira Kurosawa. His 10 movies, all of which he wrote himself, are comic satires on elements of Japanese culture....
. The attack was in retaliation for Itami's negative portrayal of the yakuza in his film Minbo no Onna.
On October 14, 2008 Goto was expelled from the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Goto-gumi was split into two parts, headed by Mr. Rachi and Mr. Tsukamoto, two of Goto's chief executives. At the time of the expulsion, the supreme godfather Shinobu Tsukasa was in jail, and the expulsion was officially accepted by the number-two, Kiyoshi Takayama
Kiyoshi Takayama
is a yakuza, the founding head of the Nagoya-based Takayama-gumi, the president of the 2nd Kodo-kai, and the number-two boss of the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan....
, the head of the 2nd Kodo-kai
Kodo-kai
The Kodo-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...
. In April 2009 Tadamasa Goto publicly entered study for Buddhist priesthood.
In 2011 a Japanese man believed to be connected to the Goto-gumi was killed in Thailand.
Activities
The Goto-gumi was active in various fields of business, such as the financial industry, real estate industry, construction industry, and in the political worldPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. Also, the Goto-gumi had allegedly been very influential in the entertainment industry, and aligned with the Soka-Gakkai, Japan's largest known new religion
Shinshukyo
is a Japanese term used to describe domestic new religious movements. They are also known as in Japanese, and are most often called simply Japanese new religions in English. Japanese theologians classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as Shinshūkyō. Thus,...
organization which has its own political party.
Foreign connections
The Goto-gumi had allegedly been connected to the Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
mafia, and police reports indicated that the Goto-gumi had smuggled firearms from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, where they had connections with some of the country's high-ranking military officers. Members, especially senior members often visited foreign countries to acquire shooting skills.
Goto's FBI scandal
In 2001 the FBI's representative in Tokyo arranged for Tadamasa GotoTadamasa Goto
is a retired yakuza. He was the founding head of the Goto-gumi, a Fujinomiya-based affiliate of Japan's largest known yakuza syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi....
, then the head of the Goto-gumi, to receive a liver transplant in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in return for a $100,000 donation to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and information about Yamaguchi-gumi operations in the U.S. This was done without prior consultation of the Japanese National Police Agency
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
. The journalist who uncovered the deal, Jake Adelstein
Jake Adelstein
Joshua "Jake" Adelstein is an American journalist and writer who has spent much of his career in Japan covering vice and organised crime. For 12 years, Adelstein was a crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun and was the first American to work for a Japanese newspaper as a Japanese language reporter...
, received threats from Goto and was given police protection in the US and in Japan.