More than a year has passed since the country's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two. More than a dozen gangs defected from the Yamaguchi-gumi on Aug. 27, 2015, to form the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, headed by Kunio Inoue, as a rival syndicate and, even now, the reasons for the breakup remain unclear.
Although the first few months of what police have called a "turf war" remained relatively calm, the violence has escalated in more recent times. Both syndicates have been accused of throwing molotov cocktails into their rival's offices and at least one senior figure has been gunned down in an assassination-style hit. The two gangs have been trying to negotiate a truce for months.
As the anniversary drew closer, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi launched what appears to be a PR offensive, with 49-year-old Yoshinori Oda acting as its spokesman. Oda has been featured in a variety of magazines and books, presenting the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi's version of events.
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