Kiyoshi Takayama

Japanese mob boss

Takayama Kiyoshi

髙山 清司

Born|  (1947-09-05) September 5, 1947 (age 77)

Tsushima, Aichi, Japan

Nationality| Japanese
Occupation| Yakuza
Years active| 1967-Present
Known for| The number-two position (Wakagashira) of Yamaguchi-gumi
Allegiance|  Yamaguchi-gumi
Criminal charge| Blackmail
Penalty| 6 years' imprisonment (2014)

Kiyoshi Takayama (髙山 清司, Takayama Kiyoshi, born September 5, 1947[1] in Tsushima, Aichi[1]) is a yakuza best known as the second-in-command (wakagashira) of the 6th-generation Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan, and the president of its ruling affiliate, Kodo-kai, based in Nagoya.[2]

Takayama has been considered the key person in the entire history of the Kodo-kai and behind the sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, being kept under close surveillance by the National Police Agency. The National Police Agency once distributed a report on its operations against the Yamaguchi-gumi to every police department across the country, which had a special section devoted to him and even made reference to his personality.[3]

In 2012, the Obama administration of the United States imposed sanctions on him as the second-in-command of the Yamaguchi-gumi.[4] The sanctions also targeted Kenichi Shinoda as the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, along with several individuals linked to three other transnational organized crime groups, the Brothers' Circle of Russia, the Camorra of Italy, and the Los Zetas of Mexico.[5]

## Career

[edit]

Takayama entered the underworld in his teenage years,[6] and his career as a yakuza officially began at the age of 20 when he joined the Sasaki-gumi, a Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate based in Nagoya. The Sasaki-gumi was a sub organization of the Nagoya-based Hirota-gumi (later known as the Kodo-kai), and in 1969, four members of a Hirota-affiliated organization were murdered by a Kobe-based yakuza syndicate. Along with two other Hirota members (one being Shinobu Tsukasa), he was convicted of murdering the boss of a clan of the syndicate. After spending 4 years in prison, he was released in 1973,[7] becoming the number-two boss (wakagashira) of the Sasaki-gumi in 1975.[6] In 1976 when he was promoted to the managing director (rijicho) of the Sasaki-gumi, he founded his own organization, the Takayama-gumi.[7]

### Road to the Kobe

[edit]

Shinobu Tsukasa formed the Kodo-kai as the successor to the Hirota-gumi in 1984 after the Hirota-gumi disbanded due to its boss' retirement. Following this, Takayama became the number-three (wakagashira-hosa) of the Kodo-kai, and after his achievements at the Yama-Ichi War, he became the number-two (wakagashira) in 1989, starting a radical reform of the Kodo-kai and forcing many "unwelcome" members including the senior managers into retirement.[7] He succeeded Tsukasa as president (kaicho) of the Kodo-kai in March 2005 when Tsukasa was promoted to the Yamaguchi-gumi's provisional number-two (wakagashira), entering the Kobe headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi, as a senior manager (jikisan).[8]

### The sixth wakagashira

[edit]

Takayama had rapidly been promoted in the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and following Tsukasa's assumption of the leadership of the Yamaguchi-gumi, in 2005, he flew the number-two position (wakagashira) at the largest known yakuza syndicate only four months after his entrance into its headquarters.[8] The wakagashira post had been vacant since 1997 when the fifth wakagashira, Masaru Takumi, was assassinated.[9] In 2008, under his dominating influence, the headquarters purged a total of nine "big names" from the syndicate, including Tadamasa Goto as the head of the Goto-gumi, and forced two into temporary suspension, resulting in causing some serious controversies in the entire Yamaguchi-gumi community.[7]

Also in 2008, it was noted that Takayama, as the Yamaguchi-gumi's wakagashira, attended the funeral of Hideo Mizoshita, the third president of the Kudo-kai. The Kudo-kai was a Kyushu-based independent syndicate known as the leading member of an anti-Yamaguchi federation, and he attended this historic funeral as the deputy leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi while the actual leader Tsukasa was in prison.[10]

Meanwhile, in Nagoya, by late 2009, the Kodo-kai's membership had reached 4,000. Originally started with just 25 members, the clan grew to an exceedingly powerful, 4,000-member organization within only 26 years, as noted in the National Police Agency's anti-Yamaguchi strategy report distributed in 2009, and this rapid growth, as an "astounding success", was largely attributed to Takayama.[3]

### 2010 arrest

[edit]

In November 2010, Takayama, as the "de facto leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi",[11] was arrested on suspicion of extorting more than US$400,000 from a businessman in the construction industry.[12] "If Takayama is successfully prosecuted it will be devastating for the Yamaguchi-gumi, and could even spark a war for control of the organisation," said Jake Adelstein.[13] This arrest came shortly before the top, Shinobu Tsukasa, was due to be released from prison,[14] and soon after this, in December, the number-three boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Tadashi Irie, was also arrested.[15]

#### Controversy

[edit]

At the time of the arrest, the victim was reported to be just a 65-year-old man engaged in the construction business.[16] However several doubts had been cast about his true identity, as he did not seem to be a "decent civilian" (katagi); he was reported to be an influential figure in Kyoto's raw concrete industry, and a senior manager of a buraku organization based in Kyoto, who allegedly had a connection with the Yamaken-gumi or even been a member of this Yamaguchi-gumi clan. Yamaken-gumi had been a major internal rival of the Kodo-kai especially since Takayama and Tsukasa joined the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Also, the person had allegedly worked as a corporate blackmailer, besides, he had at least one blatant criminal record; he had been convicted of murdering some Korean person in a conflict in his young years.[17] The person's name was later revealed to be Tohbeh Ueda by himself. He was the president of the Kyoto-based buraku organization "Liberal Dowa Association Kyoto", who had been considered a "tycoon" in Kyoto's buraku community.[18] One theory suggests that there was an internal conflict in the Yamaguchi-gumi over the "Kyoto concession(s)" behind the arrest.[19] Many believe that it was highly unlikely for Takayama to make such a "cheap blunder" like that, for a relatively small amount of money (for Takayama). Many believe the Yamaken conspiracy theory, but Takayama has kept silent about the situation.

#### Release

[edit]

Takayama was released on bail of 1.5 billion yen (US$19 million) in June 2012.[20]

## In prison

[edit]

Takayama was held in Fuchū Prison from 2014 but was released in 2019.[21][22][23][24]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Pre-Notification For Upcoming Designation Of Transnational Organized Criminal Elements : Identifying Information : Yakuza : Entity 1 : Yamaguchi-gumi : Person 2 : Kiyoshi Takayama" (p. 2) Malta Financial Services Authority
2. ^ "Yamaguchi-gumi's No. 2 to go free on ¥1.5 billion bail during extortion trial" Archived 2012-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, 13 June 2012, The Japan Times
3. ^ a b "The "Top Operations" for destroying the Yamaguchi-gumi Kodo-kai, arresting from the kumicho to the number 3" Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, December 17, 2010, Weekly Friday (in Japanese)
4. ^ "US steps up offensive against Japan's yakuza gangs", 24 February 2012, The Guardian
5. ^ "US moves to isolate Russian, Japanese crime groups", 23 February 2012, AFP
6. ^ a b "Police's 'Yamaguchi-gumi Cleanup Operation' behind the O-zumo's 'Baseball Gambling'", July 1, 2010, Gendai Business (in Japanese)
7. ^ a b c d "Kiyoshi Takayama" Archived 2017-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, Yakuza Wiki (in Japanese)
8. ^ a b The Outline of the Yamaguchi-gumi, p. 230, Kenji Ino, December 2008, Chikumashobo Ltd., ISBN 978-4-480-06463-9 (in Japanese)
9. ^ "Into the Yamaguchi-gumi's 'total domination' of the underworld" Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, September 10, 2008, Monthly Central Journal, Central News Bank (in Japanese)
10. ^ The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi Complete Databook 2008 Edition : "The funeral of the Fourth Kudo-kai Honorary Adviser Hideo Mizoshita" (p.192–197), 1 February 2009, Mediax, ISBN 978-4-86201-358-3 (in Japanese)
11. ^ "Osaka Police Nab Another Yakuza Boss as Crackdown Continues", December 1, 2010, The Wall Street Journal
12. ^ "'Top gangster' arrested in Japan", November 18, 2010, BBC
13. ^ "Yakuza chief arrested in Japan", November 18, 2010, The Guardian
14. ^ "Top Yakuza crime boss arrested in Japan", November 18, 2010, The Daily Telegraph
15. ^ "Police anti-gang drive in trouble", December 11, 2010, Asahi Shimbun
16. ^ "Japan arrests number two crime boss", November 18, 2010, Sydney Morning Herald
17. ^ "Increasing dangerousness of the Yamaguchi-gumi's internal conflicts after the Elimination Strategy (The Commissioner General)" 2/2, Atsushi Mizoguchi, December 19, 2010, Gendai Business (in Japanese)
18. ^ "The reason why the buraku organization president Tohbeh Ueda accused the Yamaguchi-gumi wakagashira", Hirotoshi Ito, December 16, 2010, Gendai Business (in Japanese)
19. ^ "The background of the arrest of the wakagashira Kiyoshi Takayama, is a fierce conflict for the 'Kyoto concession'!", November 25, 2010, Gendai Business (in Japanese)
20. ^ "Yakuza leader offered $19m bail", 13 June 2012, Herald Sun
21. ^ Tokyo Reporter (2019-10-18). "Yamaguchi-gumi number-two boss released from prison". Retrieved 2020-02-10.
22. ^ Day Day News (2019-10-19). "Kiyoshi Takayama, the second in command of the Yamaguchi gang in Japan, was released from prison and spent five years in jail". Retrieved 2020-02-10.
23. ^ Nippon.com (2019-10-18). "Yamaguchi-gumi Second-in-Command Released from Tokyo Prison". Retrieved 2020-02-10.
24. ^ Thet, Nyi Nyi (2019-10-21). "Largest Yakuza group's 2nd-in-command steps out of jail with S$10,134 jacket & S$1,656 shirt". Retrieved 2021-02-10.

## See also

[edit]

* List of crime bosses convicted in the 21st century

Preceded by

Shinobu Tsukasa

|  President of Kodo-kai
2005–2013  | Succeeded by

Teruaki Takeuchi

|
|