I don't think that the yakuza are to blame in this case (unless there's more behind all this than we know about) - The guy just held a grudge against the city for something that had happend to his car.
Shiroo has told the police, "I could not stand the response by the city and was infuriated." He referred to a 2003 incident in which his car was allegedly damaged by a cave-in at a construction site of the project ordered by the city.
Shiroo is also known to have sent postal mail to broadcaster TV Asahi Corp that said "I cannot forgive Mayor Itcho Ito."
Shiroo had visited the city office more than 30 times in protest after the office tried to arbitrate a dispute over the 2003 incident.
Although the only damage the vehicle sustained was to its fender, Shiroo initially demanded 600,000 yen and ended up claiming more than 2 million yen, at which point the city broke off negotiations with him in January 2005 after consulting with police.
But this trouble was reported up to the level of a deputy mayor, not to the mayor, the sources said.
That he's a yakuza is rather coincidental IMO...
EDIT:
I've found a more complete version of the story. Looks like my first guess was wrong.
Maybe he did do it for his group.... I give up....
NAGASAKI - The gangster held in connection with the recent shooting to death of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito had apparently never met the mayor, sources familiar with the investigation said Thursday.
Nagasaki police believe that the suspect, Tetsuya Shiroo, 59, has harbored a one-sided grudge against the mayor as he made repeated complaints over the city.
Shiroo has told the police, "I could not stand the response by the city and was infuriated." He referred to a 2003 incident in which his car was allegedly damaged by a cave-in at a construction site of the project ordered by the city.
Shiroo is also known to have sent postal mail to broadcaster TV Asahi Corp that said "I cannot forgive Mayor Itcho Ito."
Shiroo had visited the city office more than 30 times in protest after the office tried to arbitrate a dispute over the 2003 incident.
Although the only damage the vehicle sustained was to its fender, Shiroo initially demanded 600,000 yen and ended up claiming more than 2 million yen, at which point the city broke off negotiations with him in January 2005 after consulting with police.
But this trouble was reported up to the level of a deputy mayor, not to the mayor, the sources said.
Senior city officials and relatives of the mayor say, "There is no chance Shiroo held a personal grudge against the mayor because he had never met him."
Meanwhile, Shiroo was involved in a separate dispute with the city around 2003 over a construction company to which he used to provide a large amount of funding.
Sources said the construction company, which had tried to use the city's lending system for small and midsize companies, was not eligible for a loan after it failed to pass screening by a financial institution.
The lack of funds drove Shiroo into a financial trouble. It also affected the operation of the Suishin-kai gangster group, with which Shiroo is an acting leader, the sources said, adding that he bitterly complained about the city.
Another source said the Suishin-kai, which is affiliated with Japan's biggest organized crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, has been outperformed by its rival in recent years. The gangster group has been financially squeezed by its contribution to higher-level organizations, he said.
Sources close to Shiroo said the declining influence of his gangster group may have driven him into a series of rash, short-sighted acts.
But police have yet to determine the suspect's exact motive and are carrying out the investigation with great caution.
Topic: Japanese mayor killed by yakuza (Read 4266 times)