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is Japan's largest 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 before World War II.〔http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/yamaguchi-gumi Yamaguchi-gumi: Japan's largest organized crime group | Japan Visitor〕 It is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. According to the National Police Agency, it had 20,400 active members and 18,600 associated members in 2007. It is, by far, the largest of the boryokudan groups, and its membership encompasses roughly 45% of the 86,300 yakuza in the Japanese underworld. Leading members of the Yamaguchi-gumi number 102 people in total; 1 ''kumichō'' (組長) (boss), 15 ''shatei'' (舎弟) (younger brother) and 86 ''wakachū'' (若中) (child) as of November 2005. The Yamaguchi-gumi are among the world's wealthiest gangsters, bringing in billions of dollars a year from extortion, gambling, the sex industry, arms and drug trafficking, and real estate and construction kickback schemes. They are also involved in stock market manipulation and Internet pornography. The Yamaguchi-gumi has its headquarters in Kobe, Japan, but it operates all across Japan and has overseas operations in Asia and the United States. Despite more than a decade of police crackdowns, their numbers have been growing. Its current ''kumicho'' (Boss), Shinobu Tsukasa, has declared an expansionist policy—even making inroads into Tokyo, traditionally not Yamaguchi turf. They also have multiple groups working overseas.〔http://www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au/region.php?id=136356®ion=2〕 ==Leadership== *1st ''kumicho'' (1915–1925): Harukichi Yamaguchi〔 *2nd ''kumicho'' (1925–1942): Noboru Yamaguchi—son of Harukichi Yamaguchi *3rd ''kumicho'' (1946–1981): Kazuo Taoka When Taoka inherited the title of kumicho, it was merely a local family with only a few dozen members. It was Taoka who made Yamaguchi-gumi the world's largest criminal organization. He urged his underlings to have legitimate businesses and allowed them to have their own family, which became a kind of subsidiary family of Yamaguchi-gumi. He also created a structural system in the family. ''Wakagashira'' were elected as underbosses to the kumicho and some of powerful members were elected as ''wakagashira-hosa'' (deputy underbosses). *4th ''kumicho'' (1984–1985): Masahisa Takenaka After the death of Taoka, the heir apparent ''wakagashira'' Kenichi Yamamoto (kumicho of the Yamaken-gumi) was serving a prison sentence. He died of liver failure shortly afterward. Fumiko Taoka, Kazuo Taoka's wife, stepped forward to fill the leadership void until a new kumicho could be selected by a council of eight top-level bosses. In 1984, the elders chose Masahisa Takenaka (kumicho of the Takenaka-gumi) to be the fourth kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi. One of the other contenders, Hiroshi Yamamoto (''kumicho'' of the Yamahiro-gumi), broke away from Yamaguchi-gumi with many of its powerful members and more than 3,000 of its soldiers to form the Ichiwa-kai. A bitter rivalry existed between the two groups, which led to an all-out war (the Yama-Ichi War) after the Ichiwa-kai's 1985 assassination of Takenaka and ''wakahashira'' Katsumasa Nakayama. During the war, acting-''kumicho'' Kazuo Nakanishi (''kumicho'' of the Nakanishi-gumi) and ''wakagashira'' Yoshinori Watanabe (''kumicho'' of the Yamaken-gumi) briefly took the leadership role until 1989. *5th ''kumicho'' (1989–2005): Yoshinori Watanabe The Yama-Ichi War ended with retirement of Hiroshi Yamamoto which was arbitrated by one of the most respected bosses Seijo Inagawa. After that, the clan elected ''wakagashira'' Yoshinori Watanabe as 5th ''kumicho'' of the organization. Masaru Takumi (''kumicho'' of Takumi-gumi) was elected as ''wakagashira''. He was so powerful and respected within the organization that his influence overshadowed that of ''kumicho'' to some extent. *6th ''kumicho'' (2005–present): Shinobu Tsukasa (real name: Kenichi Shinoda)〔 In 1997, then powerful ''wakagashira'' Masaru Takumi was assassinated by underlings of then ''wakagashira-hosa'' (deputy underboss) Taro Nakano. After this assassination, they were unable to choose a new ''wakagashira'' for more than eight years. As a result, leadership of the organization became weaker. Finally, in 2005, ''wakagashira-hosa'' Shinobu Tsukasa (then ''kumicho'' of the Hirota-gumi) was chosen as new ''wakagashira'' and shortly afterward, in August 2005, Tsukasa inherited the position of the 6th ''kumicho'' of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Watanabe retired to private life—rather uncommon in Yakuza circles, as bosses usually do not retire until their death.〔(Mainichi Daily News ends its partnership with MSN, takes on new Web address )〕 Under Tsukasa's leadership, the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi has resumed expansion. Kiyoshi Takayama, ''kumicho'' of the Kodo-kai, was elected as ''wakagashira''. They absorbed the Tokyo-based gang Kokusui-kai, thus acquiring lucrative turf in the capital. Tsukasa was imprisoned in December 2005 for illegal gun possession, and was released in April 2011 after serving nearly six years in jail.〔(Police wary as Yamaguchi-gumi prepares to fete sixth don | The Japan Times Online )〕〔(Japan frees Yamaguchi-gumi crime boss Kenichi Shinoda | BBC News )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yamaguchi-gumi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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