The is a

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

group based in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The Kyodo-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 60 active members.and is the second largest yakuza group in the Chugoku region after the Kyosei-kai."The Second Kyodo-kai"
20 February 2008, ''Matsue Joho Center''

History

The Kyodo-kai was formed immediately after the World War II as a

bakuto ''Bakuto'' (博徒) were itinerant gamblers active in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of two forerunners (the other being ''tekiya'', or peddlers) to modern Japanese organized crime syndicates called ''yakuza'' ...

organization named the in

Onomichi, Hiroshima is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 129,314 in 64055 households and a population density of 450 people per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Onomichi is loca ...

by Tokujiro Takahashi. Kokichi Morita, then the highest-ranked senior member of the Takahashi-gumi, formed the Kyodo-kai in January 1969 following the Takahashi-gumi's disbanding. Kokichi Morita's younger brother Kazuo Morita succeeded as president in November 1989."1993 Police White Paper Chapter 1 : The Actual Condition of the Boryokudan"
1993, ''

National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: National Revolut ...

'' The Kyodo-kai was registered as a designated yakuza group under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law in 1993.

Condition

Based in

, the Kyodo-kai has its known offices in five other

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

including

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

and Kagawa. Tenneiji Onomichi01s3872

Since 1996, the Kyodo-kai has been a member of an anti- Yamaguchi federation named the Gosha-kai, along with three other Chugoku-based organizations, the Kyosei-kai, the Asano-gumi, the Goda-ikka, and the

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

-based

Shinwa-kai The is a yakuza group based in Takamatsu, Kagawa on Shikoku, Japan.

."The Fourth Kyosei-kai"
20 February 2008, ''Matsue Joho Center''

Involvement in Politics

The founder Tokujiro Takahashi was also a politician. He was elected to Onomichi City Council in April 1951 and allegedly later became

Onomichi is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 129,314 in 64055 households and a population density of 450 people per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Onomichi is loca ...

's most influential figure. He was eventually elected to Hiroshima Prefectural Council in December 1955, and had been a member of the council until December 1967 when he was arrested for illegal baseball-gambling.

References

{{Designated Boryokudan Organizations established in 1945 1945 establishments in Japan Yakuza groups