NAGASAKI, Jan 23 (News On Japan) –
A senior yakuza member and three others have been arrested by Osaka Prefectural Police on suspicion of extorting road-use charges from residents of a subdivision in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The suspects, together with a 55-year-old yakuza chief, have been apprehended for violating Japan’s Organized Crime Punishment Act.
In 2019, the chief and his accomplices allegedly positioned barricades marked “No Entry” on a personal street in a residential space of Aoyama-cho, Nagasaki City. The street had been an important a part of native residents’ lives for almost 50 years. Investigators imagine the suspects bought the street with the intent to intimidate residents and extort charges.
According to police, the group distributed written notices to residents, demanding a month-to-month toll of 10,000 yen per family for street use.
Authorities haven’t disclosed whether or not the suspects have admitted to the fees.
Source: KTV NEWS