Japanese police on Monday set up a special unit to oversee efforts to stem what they are describing as a full-fledged “war” between rival organised crime groups, media reported.
Officers have made a series of raids and arrests since late last year after a split in the country’s biggest crime syndicate fuelled fears of the worst gang conflict in decades.
The Yamaguchi-gumi gang based in the western city of Kobe has been rocked by internal strife since late last year following the defection of several top leaders who formed a rival splinter group.
The split in Japan’s biggest organised crime, or yakuza, organisation has prompted police warnings of a possible repeat of a 1980s gangland bloodbath.
On Monday, the National Police Agency declared that the two groups were in a state of “war against each other” and established a special headquarters to “intensify” their response, Jiji Press reported.
An agency spokesman could not immediately confirm the report, though it came as officers are investigating a spike in suspected violence involving the groups.