The is a 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...

 group based in Hiroshima

Hiroshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...

, 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...

. The Kyodo-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 180 active members and 300 semi-active members, and is the second largest yakuza group in the Chugoku region after the Kyosei-kai

Kyosei-kai

The is a yakuza group based in Hiroshima, Japan, with an estimated 280 active members and 470 semi-active members. The Kyosei-kai is the largest yakuza organization in the Chugoku region.-History:...

.

History

The Kyodo-kai was formed immediately after the World War II as a bakuto

Bakuto

Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 organization named the in Onomichi, Hiroshima

Onomichi, Hiroshima

is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, facing the Inland Sea.As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 148,085 and a population density of 520 persons per km². The total area is 284.85 km²...

 by Tokujiro Takahashi. Kokichi Morita, then the highest-ranked senior member of the Takahashi-gumi, formed the Kyodo-kai in January 1969 following the Takahashi-gumi's disbanding. Kokichi Morita's younger brother Kazuo Morita succeeded as president in November 1989. The Kyodo-kai was registered as a designated yakuza group under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law in 1993.

Condition

Based in Onomichi, Hiroshima

Onomichi, Hiroshima

is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, facing the Inland Sea.As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 148,085 and a population density of 520 persons per km². The total area is 284.85 km²...

, the Kyodo-kai has its known offices in five other prefectures including Okayama

Okayama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...

 and Kagawa

Kagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...

.

Since 1996, the Kyodo-kai has been a member of an anti-Yamaguchi

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....

 federation named the Gosha-kai, along with three other Chugoku-based organizations, the Kyosei-kai

Kyosei-kai

The is a yakuza group based in Hiroshima, Japan, with an estimated 280 active members and 470 semi-active members. The Kyosei-kai is the largest yakuza organization in the Chugoku region.-History:...

, the Asano-gumi

Asano-gumi

The is a yakuza group based in Okayama, Japan. The Asano-gumi is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 130 active members.-History:The Asano-gumi was formed in 1945 as a bakuto organization named the by Kunio Oyama. The group restarted as the Asano-gumi with the head of Shin'ichi Asano in...

, the Goda-ikka

Goda-ikka

The is a yakuza group based in Yamaguchi, Japan. The Goda-ikka is a designated yakuza group and Yamaguchi Prefecture's largest yakuza group with an estimated 440 members.-History:...

, and the Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

-based Shinwa-kai.

Involvement in Politics

The founder Tokujiro Takahashi was also a politician. He was elected to Onomichi City Council in April 1951 and allegedly later became Onomichi's most influential figure. He was eventually elected to Hiroshima Prefectural Council in December 1955, and had been a member of the council until December 1967 when he was arrested for illegal baseball-gambling.

Presidents

• 1st (1969–1989): Kokichi Morita
• 2nd (1989–2001): Kazuo Morita
• 3rd (2001-): Nozomu Ikezawa