A senior member of a splinter group from Japan's largest crime syndicate was arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting a member of the parent group in the western Japan city of Kobe in August amid a gang feud, police said.
Hiroji Nakata, a leader within the splinter group, is suspected of shooting a 51-year-old man affiliated with the main yakuza organization, Yamaguchi-gumi, on Aug. 21 in Kobe's Chuo Ward, leaving him with serious injuries.
The police did not reveal whether Nakata, 60, admits to the charge of attempted murder.
According to the police, Nakata rode up on a moped and allegedly shot the man who was in a vehicle in front of his group's office. Nakata himself is thought to be the gunman despite his high rank in the crime syndicate.
Police are on high alert as the feud between Yamaguchi-gumi and the splinter group, Kobe-yamaguchi-gumi, appears to be escalating.
A member of the smaller faction was stabbed and seriously injured in Kobe in April, resulting in the arrests of two members of Yamaguchi-gumi.
In October, two members of the splinter group were fatally shot in the ongoing feud with the parent group. A senior member of Yamaguchi-gumi was also shot dead last week in a nearby city in Hyogo Prefecture.
