Japan Police Arrest Senior Yakuza Member Over Baseball Gambling Charges

(AsiaGameHub) –   Japanese police have taken into custody a man recognized as a high-ranking member of a Yakuza gang linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate on allegations of illegal gambling.

According to Japan’s Kobe Shimbun newspaper, the individual—who remains unnamed due to legal constraints—is a 62-year-old resident of Takarazuka, a city in Hyogo Prefecture.

The Hyogo Prefectural Police Organized Crime Division and Amagasaki South Police Station stated that the defendant “ran an unlawful gambling ring allowing local residents to wager on the results of professional baseball games.”

In Japan, most forms of sports betting are prohibited. Exceptions include bets placed at licensed horse and boat racing venues.

Hyogo law enforcement officials noted they also apprehended a 31-year-old Amagasaki resident on related charges. This demolition worker has been charged by detectives with habitual gambling.

The Yakuza member is accused of offering betting odds for 34 games, including Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and Major League Baseball regular-season matches.

Authorities report the demolition worker placed a total of 114 bets, amounting to 1.14 million yen (approximately $7,160).

Crackdown on Yakuza Gambling Activities

The Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated gang member is said to have fully confessed during police interrogation.

The demolition worker, however, reportedly denied all charges against him.

Yamaguchi-gumi is Japan’s largest Yakuza syndicate. Its roots are deeply tied to underground gambling, though in recent years it has expanded into legitimate businesses in construction and finance.

Police, however, believe underground gambling rings remain a key income source for both Yamaguchi-gumi and its affiliate gangs.

This Hyogo development comes just weeks after the Yonago branch of the Tottori District Public Prosecutor’s Office announced it would not indict a 55-year-old Yamaguchi-gumi-linked gang “senior executive” on gambling-related charges.

Authorities had arrested the man on suspicion of organizing bets on last summer’s Koshien High School Baseball Tournament outcomes.

But prosecution officials said the executive, along with six other men aged 24 to 44 arrested in February as part of the same probe, were released due to insufficient evidence.

Earlier last month, Aichi Prefecture police launched another Yakuza-related gambling investigation.

This probe involved Aichi officers raiding an office building they believe served as an operating hub for a slots center.

The offices belong to Inagawa-kai, another major Yakuza syndicate with around 1,600 members operating in the Tokyo-Yokohama area.