A succession ceremony for a new leadership structure was held within the designated high-risk organised crime group Kudo-kai, and speculation is mounting that a sixth chairman has taken office. Attention is focused on the background to the change at the top as the organisation weakens following a crackdown by the Fukuoka Prefectural Police.
In September 2014, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police launched a crackdown known as the "top-down operation" aimed at destroying the Kudo-kai, arresting and indicting then-president Satoru Nomura (野村悟), then-chairman Fumio Tagami (田上不美夫) and others. The organisation has shrunk substantially from its peak, with total membership, including associate members, falling to approximately 210 people.
In July, the Fukuoka Prefectural Public Safety Commission announced in the Official Gazette that the Kudo-kai's representative had changed from the defendant Fumio Tagami (田上不美夫) to the fifth chairman, effectively recognising the change at the top. On 31 October, a succession ceremony was held, and Yasushi Goto (後藤靖), 51, is believed to have taken office as the sixth chairman.
Yoshinobu Onoe (尾上芳信), former head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police, said the new leadership structure appeared to be an effort to survive. He explained that there was an intention to rebuild the organisation by transferring authority to local operatives. The prefectural police said it would continue efforts to destroy the organisation.
The situation has prompted debate over whether the change in chairmanship, amid the organisation's continuing decline, is part of an effort to expand its influence.