A police investigation into alleged organised crime activity in Japan has uncovered what experts say could be signs of cooperation between a domestic yakuza faction and Hong Kong’s 14K triad, one of Asia’s most powerful criminal networks.
The concern centres around a video found on a mobile phone seized during an arrest in September last year, which shows individuals sharing glasses of sake – a traditional ritual that experts say can symbolise an oath of loyalty or alliance.
According to Jiji Press, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said the footage depicted members of the yakuza taking part in the ritual with individuals believed to be part of Hong Kong’s 14K triad. The meeting was said to have taken place at a hotel in Yamanashi prefecture in March 2024.
Police said the footage was discovered six months later during an unrelated investigation into the illegal resale of mobile phones. However, five of the Japanese men involved in the March hotel meeting were subsequently arrested on a separate charge: failing to declare their alleged affiliations with banned organised crime groups when checking in – an offence under legislation introduced to restrict gang movements and activities.
Among those arrested was Kajiro Shirai, 51, who officers identified as a member of the Chinese Dragon gang – a group largely composed of descendants of Japanese nationals who were left in China after World War II and later repatriated.
Also detained was Kazuyuki Tajima, 53, who police described as a senior member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, one of Japan’s largest yakuza syndicates.
