What’s a yakuza headquarters worth?

FUKUOKA (TR) – For a number of reasons, properties connected to criminal syndicates — such as the TSK.CCC site in Tokyo’s Roppongi district — can remain dormant for extended periods.

Such a scenario is unlikely to transpire, however, regarding the headquarters of the Kudo-kai criminal syndicate. Over the past several, victims of crimes carried out by the gang have been awarded about 200 million yen in compensation by courts.

A means of raising the funds is through the sale of assets seized from the gang due to non-payment of taxes. One of those assets includes its headquarters in Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu City.

On February 18, about 10 persons, including staff members from Kitakyushu City, real estate appraisers and members of the gang, examined the four-floor, 1,752-square-meter structure over a two-hour period in preparing it for sale, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 18).

“I would like to sell the headquarters, including the land, and apply [the proceeds] to compensation awarded in the lawsuits,” a lawyer for the gang was quoted.

Number of crimes

Over the past several years, police have accused Satoru Nomura, the 72-year-old boss of the Kudo-kai, over a number of crimes, including murder, attempted murder and tax evasion.

In some of those cases, Nomura is currently being targeted through the courts for large compensation payments. A payment of 84 million yen is sought over the stabbing of a dentist in 2014. In another case, a payment of 30 million yen is sought for the shooting of a former detective in 2012.

A court already awarded a payment of 78 million for the murder of a fishery cooperative president in Kitakyushu in 1998.

Earlier this month, the Fukuoka District Court permitted the seizure of 75 million yen inside Nomura’s bank accounts — including a postal account — to cover a compensation claim of 79.73 million yen by a “snack” hostess who was slashed in the face by a knife-wielding assailant in 2012.

Since November, 2014, the Fukuoka Prefectural Public Safety Commission has prohibited gang members from entering the headquarters. The process to prepare the site for sale is expected to take about one month, according to the city.