Iwakuni gang shooting arrest

A man is in custody connected with the shooting of a gang leader in Iwakuni on the night of Sunday, August 15.

The man, who appears to be in is 30s, turned himself in at Iwakuni Police Station on the morning of August 17, reportedly saying that he, “I’m here about the Maehara incident”.

52 year old Maehara Junichi, leader of the Iwakuni based Kiryukai, a gang affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group, was shot 3 times on Sunday night in a quiet neighborhood near Waki Station in Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

The man who turned himself in was carrying a revolver in a bag without bullets. He is reportedly refusing to answer any questions and was carrying no form of ID. The man has been charged under for possession of a firearm in violation of the gun and sword law.

Residents in the area where Maehara was shot have expressed relief, but it is reported that some wonder if the suspect that has come forward to really the person who committed the shooting. There have been several shootings in the region since the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi broke away from the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi in 2015. and police believe that further violent incidents are possible.

Sources: Chugoku Shinbun, Mainichi Shinbun, NHK News