Tokyo cops arrest yakuza for extortion in Shibuya

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Saturday announced the arrest of an organized crime member for extorting a restaurant in Shibuya Ward, reports TV Asahi (April 11).

Officers took Motohiko Suzuki, a 32-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, into custody for demanding payment — specifically mikajimeryo, or protection money — from a tout for the establishment’s street tout in a business district near the Shibuya Mark City complex on Thursday evening.

According to police, Suzuki had previously to offer “problem-solving” services for the restaurant.

Suzuki has reportedly denied the allegations. “I didn’t make a verbal request for money,” the suspect is quoted by police.