Mr Takumi, in any case, had a reputation for being something of a moderate among yakuza. The victim, who died in hospital of wounds to the head, was Masaru Takumi, second in command of the Yamaguchi-gumi.Even between gangsters, open gun battles in Japan are generally seen only in yakuza films, and the attack was made all the more shocking by the fact that an innocent bystander, a 69-year-old dentist, was also mortally wounded. “It is a good opportunity to dissolve and demolish the Yamaguchi-gumi.”The shootings began two weeks ago when four men in overalls appeared in Kobe’s grandest hotel, the Oriental, and fired 10 pistol shots at a 61-year-old man who was drinking coffee in the lounge. “We are concerned about the possibility of the power struggle being prolonged,” the deputy superintendent of the Tokyo police, Koji Takito, said.
Since then there have been half a dozen shootings all over Japan, although no more casualties.
At a meeting in Tokyo yesterday, the metropolitan police department decided to mobilise 2,000 officers to prevent further trouble. Eighty offices were raided, including the Kobe headquarters of the biggest yakuza syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, whose second-in-command was murdered last month by rival gangsters. Tokyo – Six hundred police raided gangster premises all over Japan yesterday in a show of force designed to calm fears of a violent mob war which appears to be escalating between the members of the country’s yakuza crime syndicates. Television viewers were glued to their screens as they watched police surround and eventually shoot one of those accused of the Pai Hsiao-yen murder.While the anti-gang operations are blasting away, the gang bosses have ordered their men to make themselves scarce, but no one seriously believes that they will go away.. The triad leaders from mainland China fled with their political allies to Taiwan after the triumph of the Communist revolution in 1949.Indeed, their influence is so blatant that the so called “spiritual leader” of the notorious Heavenly Way gang, Lo Fu-chu, was appointed as chairman of the Judicial Affairs Committee, which supervises both police and judicial budgets.The government is excruciatingly embarrassed about gang activity and is making a great show of tracking down gang members. Fortunately for the victims, the thugs tend to favour soft-soled trainers.Although gangster chic may be regarded as harmless fun, it is perhaps unsurprising in a society where Triad gangs have exerted an unusually profound influence on public life.Taiwan’s ruling party, the Kuomintang, had strong ties to triad gangs, especially in Shanghai. Cigarette smoking, is, of course, mandatory.Below the neck the first telltale sign of gangster chic is a gleaming gold chain, the heavier the better.
The gold is displayed for maximum effect above an open-neck shirt worn loose and several sizes too big. Trousers also need to be baggy and come in two colours: black and green.They are worn above white socks, presumably for easy night-time identification at floor level for the unfortunate victims who get in their way or end up prone on the ground while engaged in vigorous discussion about protection money. Most obvious is their predilection for chewing betel- nut, leaving their mouths smeared in vicious-looking red. But at street level, where the enforcers are carrying out their work, the gangsters have a distinctive appearance.It is sufficient to ensure that they, and their emulators, stand out from the crowd. Yet the mystique of the gangs and their seeming ability to operate beyond the law exerts a compelling attraction over the young who, according to a slightly tongue-in-cheek report in the China News, are turning to gangster chic.The big-league crime bosses are indistinguishable from the men in suits who run Taiwan’s big corporations – indeed, some of them run big corporations themselves. On the wall behind are the scalps of the past two premiers.The joke is not intended to raise a belly laugh; it produces more of a sigh. It shows an unkempt gangster, roaring with laughter, hanging out of a open window with a powerful rifle trained on the new prime minister, Vincent Siew.
The kidnap and murder of 17-year old Pai Hsiao-yen, daughter of the well-known entertainer Pai Ping-ping, and the murders of two high-profile politicians, have highlighted a sense of public revulsion.
More than anything else, this led to the downfall of the last government and its replacement by a new administration, which is stressing its commitment to law and order while trying to get the public to focus its attention on economic matters.A cartoon in the Chinese language political weekly, The Journalist sums up popular cynicism about these developments. Having literally got away with murder in front of a seemingly powerless police force, they now face the wrath of public opinion demanding retribution
In recent months the gangs have gone too far. Taipei – Taiwan’s gangsters are keeping their heads down. The six were Robert McErlean, Matthew Morrison, Gabriel Megahey, Brian Pearson, Noel Gaynor and Gerald McDade.. Janet Reno, the US Attorney General, responded to a formal request from Madeleine Albright, the Secretary of State, who said suspension of the proceedings could advance the peace process in Northern Ireland. This means the most likely arrangement will be one of proximity talks, with discussions going on at one remove.The Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis last night condemned a decision by the United States to stop deportation proceedings against six Irish nationals suspected of acting on behalf of the IRA. We want a total demilitarisation of the situation and we want all prisoners released.” He said he was disappointed that Unionist leaders were absent, and hoped that they would resume their role in talks.The general assumption among talks participants is that the Ulster Unionists will not walk away from the negotiations, but will probably not sit down face to face with Sinn Fein.
