August 24 marks one year since the death sentences were handed down to the two leaders of the Kudo-kai, a designated dangerous crime organization. A veteran former Fukuoka Prefectural Police investigator spoke about the shock of the death sentences and the unknown inner workings of the Kudo-kai. Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police investigator A: "Most of the gang members were probably so driven that they thought, 'We can't exist unless the Kudo-kai is dissolved.' Back then, it was unthinkable that the Kudo-kai would have declined." Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police investigator A (76) is surprised by the weakening of the designated dangerous crime organization, the Kudo-kai. He has spent almost all of his 40-year career as a police officer dedicated to investigating organized crime. A was in charge of the so-called "malicious crime organization" in the 1970s. At the time, the Kitakyushu area was in a particularly tense state. ◆News on air in February 1981 Reporter: "Currently, there are 42 gangs and 640 people in Kitakyushu. These gangs are divided into Yamaguchi-gumi affiliates and anti-Yamaguchi-gumi affiliates, and are engaged in repeated conflicts, with the conflict between the two factions gradually escalating." At the time, the city of Kokura was in conflict between the Kudo-kai and the emerging Kusano-ikka. In October 1979, the so-called Kitakyushu War broke out when Mizoshita Hideo, chairman of the Gokusei-kai, a powerful member of the Kusano-ikka, was attacked by the Tanaka-gumi, a core group of the Kudo-kai. Two months later... ◆Press conference by Fukuoka Prefectural Police (December 1979) "Kudo-kai Tanaka-gumi boss Tanaka Shintaro, age 39. He was hit three times and died instantly." An incident occurred in which Tanaka Shintaro, boss of the Kudo-kai and Tanaka-gumi, was shot and killed by the Kusano-ikka and Gokusei-kai. The conflict between the two became a quagmire. During the conflict, Mr. A met Mr. Mizoshita of the Gokusei-kai for the first time and was involved in the investigation. Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator Mr. AQ: "How did you meet Hideo Mizoshita?" Mr. A: "The month after the Tanaka Shintaro incident." Q: "What was your first impression?" Mr. A: "I didn't have a bad impression of him. He admitted to the crime and had a straightforward attitude. I don't know why, but I just got carried away with that kind of atmosphere." After that, Mr. A began to meet Mr. Mizoshita for the investigation. In February 1981, the conflict between the Kudo-kai and the Kusano-ikka was resolved with the intervention of the Inagawa-kai and others. In 1987, the Kusano-ikka and the Kudo-kai merged to form the Kudo Rengo Kusano-ikka. ◆Mr. A, a former investigator for the Fukuoka Prefectural Police, said, "As far as I know, after the murder of Boss Tanaka Shintaro, there were many people connected to the Kudo-kai who said, 'We're going to kill Mizoshita.' Over the years, they all came together. When they met with members of the old Kudo-kai, none of them were able to resist him at all - I guess Mizoshita's charisma was strong." Three years after the new organisation was formed (1990), Mr. Mizoshita rose to become the second head of the "Kudo Alliance Kusano Ikka". At that time, the defendant Nomura Satoru, who was then the boss of the "Third Generation Tanaka-gumi" and who exchanged a cup of sake with Mr. Mizoshita, became the number two man in the organisation. ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator A-sanQ: "The head of the gang that murdered his former boss, Shintaro Tanaka, is this a complicated relationship? A-san: "I've wondered about that too, but he said, 'I talked to Nomura about it and agreed to become his son.' Nomura himself is a 'branch son' (a gang member of a tertiary group). That's why Mizoshita probably believed Nomura's story that '(Shintaro Tanaka) is not his father.' As far as I can see, Nomura was really infatuated with Mizoshita. His way of speaking, his attitude, you really can't go against this guy." And so, the defendant Nomura strengthened his foothold within the organization. In 1999, the Kudo Rengo Kusano Ikka was renamed the Kudo-kai. Mizoshita became the third chairman. During this period, Mizoshita is said to have confided the following to A-san. ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator A: "'I handed everything about Kitakyushu over to Nomura,' and 'I had nothing to do with it.' I guess he gained Nomura's trust by supporting Mizoshita." In 2000, Mizoshita (then 53) appointed Nomura as the fourth chairman of the Kudo-kai for health reasons. Around the time he became fourth chairman, Nomura is said to have had some shochu made. The 5-go bottle in a golden box has the words 'The legendary shochu - Nomura' and 'Kitakyushu - Kokura' written on it. ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police investigator A-san (Q): "Mizoshita Hideo was a charismatic man who held the organization together. What is the source of Nomura Satoru's power to hold the organization together?" A-san (Q): "Fear, I think." ◆Club attack incident ('Boulder Incident', August 2003) Reporter: "It seems that something like an explosive was thrown into a high-class club in the downtown area of ​​Kitakyushu." In August 2003, the Kudo-kai threw a grenade into a club run by a man who was at the forefront of the anti-gang movement. Starting with this incident, the Kudo-kai began to attack companies and other organizations that had made efforts to eliminate gangs. ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police investigator A-san (Q): "When was the last time you saw Mizoshita?" A-san (Q): "A few years before he died. The prefectural police asked us to check his condition. He got naked and showed us his (surgical) wounds and said, 'I'm fine now.'" Mizoshita died in July 2008 at the age of 61. The funeral of Mr. Mizoshita was held under the strict security of the police, and gang members from all over the country rushed to the scene. According to Mr. A, a few days after Mr. Mizoshita's funeral, the defendant Nomura visited the grave of Mr. "Tanaka Shintaro." Former Investigator A of Fukuoka Prefectural PoliceMr. A: "I heard that he took his old members of the Tanaka-gumi with him. They said they were there to report their revenge." Q: "You didn't show any resentment about Tanaka Shintaro's murder, but did you still have that feeling in your heart?" Mr. A: "But I hid it all behind the fear in front of me, the big shadow of Mizoshita. When I saw my dead boss, I thought, 'I'm now the boss of Kitakyushu,' and I really disappeared from this world, and my true self was revealed." Shooting at the home of the boss of the group, Suematsu Katsumi (August 2008) Reporter: "This is the gate where the bullet was fired. It didn't penetrate, but it's badly dented." After Mr. Mizoshita's death, the Kudo-kai became active in activities that could be interpreted as a purge of the "Mizoshita faction." Former boss Shinozaki Kazuo (then 66), who was close to Mizoshita, was shot dead by the Kudo-kai. Furthermore, former boss Eto Masamasa (then 65), who was a close aide to Mizoshita, was shot dead by unknown assailants after being forced into retirement. *Kudo-kai's fifth generation succession ceremony (July 2011, Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu City) "Osu! Osu! Osu!" Three years after Mizoshita passed away. Defendant Nomura took the position of president of the Kudo-kai, and appointed his confidant Tagami Fumio as number two chairman, and defendant Kikuchi Keigo as number three director. Defendant Nomura's dictatorial system was established, with the top three Kudo-kai members all from the Tanaka-gumi. The Kudo-kai continues to run wild. ◆ Former police inspector shooting incident (April 2012) Announcer: "A former police officer was shot in Kokuraminami, Kitakyushu." In 2012, Nomura ordered his subordinates to shoot a former police inspector from Fukuoka Prefectural Police. In the same year, the Kudo-kai also committed a series of attacks on people connected to restaurants that displayed signs prohibiting gang members from entering. According to investigators, since 2000, when Nomura took control of the organization, there have been "113" attacks believed to be perpetrated by the Kudo-kai. Of these, there were nine murders, 19 attempted murders, 46 shootings, 17 arson, and five using explosives. Most of the targets were ordinary people. ◆ Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator A: "If Mizoshita had remained the boss, I don't think incidents like that would have happened, like slashing the face of a small bar hostess in town. I don't think Kitakyushu has changed this much." The government took the situation seriously and revised the Anti-Boryokudan Act. The Kudo-kai was designated as a "designated dangerous gang" as it is a particularly vicious organization among the designated gangs nationwide. And finally... ◆Search of President Nomura's home (September 2014) Reporter: "The police will conduct a forced search of the home of President Nomura, the head of the Kudo-kai." In September 2014, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police began their summit operation. Defendant Nomura and other top Kudo-kai executives were arrested one after another. ◆Sentencing hearing for defendant Nomura (Fukuoka District Court, August 24, 2021) Reporter: "Defendant Nomura was sentenced to the death penalty." On August 24, 2021, the Fukuoka District Court found Nomura guilty of involvement in four attacks on citizens. Defendant Nomura was sentenced to death and number two, defendant Tagami, to life imprisonment. One year after the verdict, Mr. A talks about the impact that the death sentence for defendant Nomura had on the gang society. ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator AA: "The bosses of other gangs around the world are also saying that this ruling is a big deal. They are being held accountable for their bosses' employer liability, conspiracy and joint principal liability, and presumption of responsibility. The impact it has had on yakuza organizations across the country is enormous." And about the impact it has had on the Kudo-kai: ◆Former Fukuoka Prefectural Police Investigator AA: "I think that most of the Kudo-kai members are probably thinking, 'I want to quit now.' I think deep down, they all feel a certain amount of relief." Q: "What do you mean by relieved?" A: "There are no further instructions, so it's about people. But even if you've received a ruling, I think it's very difficult to escape. Once the fear of your boss is instilled in you, it's hard to erase. Even after time has passed." Q: "Can't you escape from Chairman Nomura?" A: "That's right. If you aim to destroy the Kudo-kai, I think it will also be in the interest of the younger members. If you leave them, they will be tied down by it. I want them to do their best to destroy it somehow."