Shooting match - Gang-related killings surge in Japan

Japan witnessed an upsurge in gang-related shootings in the first half of 2007. The violence is a result of organised crime syndicates seeking new ways to generate income as traditional revenue sources from bid-rigging in the construction industry dry up.

The use of guns is being driven by an increased access to weapons from Russia from links forged between organised crime groups in the two countries over the profitable trade in black market seafood in the Russian Far East.

By June, 28 shooting incidents had occurred, which was twice the number at the same period last year. These shootings included a number of high-profile incidents such as the shooting of the mayor of Nagasaki in April by an alleged organised crime group member, the death of a leading organised crime figure in central Tokyo in February and a stand-off in May between the police and a former gangster resulting in a police officer being killed.

Underlying all these incidents has been the involvement of members, or former members, of Japanese organised crime groups (yakuza). National Police Agency claims members of organised crime groups are typically responsible for about two thirds of all shootings.

Overall gun crime is still at very low levels and official statistics seem to point to a declining trend in gun crime over the years from an already low base. Organised crime-linked shootings fell to 36 incidents in 2006 from 112 cases back in 2002, according to the National Police Agency. Indeed, shootings tumbled to a record low of 53 in 2006 against a peak of 200 in 2001 and police seized just 458 firearms last year as compared to 1,880 back in 1995.

However, official statistics may be misleading. The 1995 benchmark often given as the recent high in seizures may be a distorted figure owing to the possibility of police financing gun purchases or acquiring firearms for yakuza, apparently in a bid to boost firearm seizure statistics.

There is also the possibility that criminal organisations have become better at hiding weapons. A 1992 law made it possible for gang leaders to be prosecuted for crimes committed by their foot soldiers, if the percentage of members with criminal records surpassed a threshold level, and a 1993 law making gun possession a serious crime, has made criminal organisations more adept at hiding weapons. 387 of 1,864 words