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In
an unprecedented move, Japanese courts have sentenced Satoru Nomura, the
74-year-old head of the ‘Kudo-kai’ crime syndicate, to death. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/RTnews/photos/a.10150144237704411/10160350816489411/....
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'Resistance to evil by
force and by the sword is permissible not when it is possible, but when it is
necessary because there are no other means available’; in that case it is not
only a man’s right but his duty to enter that path even though it may lead to
the malefactor’s death. – Ivan Ilyin [PHOTO SOURCE: https://quozio.com/quote/6sxb834whz9p/1197/resistance-to-evil-by-force-and-by-the-sword-is-permissible] |
On this date, August 24, 2021, Yakuza Boss, Satoru Nomura was sentenced to death by hanging in the Fukuoka District Court. He was the first senior member of the Yakuza to be given the death penalty.
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If an offender has
committed murder, he must die. In this case, no possible substitute
can satisfy justice. For there is no parallel between death and even
the most miserable life, so that there is no equality of crime and
retribution unless the perpetrator is judicially put to death. – Immanuel Kant [PHOTO SOURCE: http://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2015/02/immanuel-kants-pro-death-penalty-quote.html] |
Yakuza boss is first ever to be
sentenced to death in Japan: Senior crime clan member tells judge 'You will
regret this for the rest of your life' after being found guilty of ordering a
murder and violent attacks
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Satoru Nomura, 74, is the head of the violent Kudo-kai
yakuza crime syndicate
·
He was sentenced to death by Fukuoka District Court in west
Japan on Tuesday
·
Prosecutors argued he ordered three violent assaults and
one murder
·
Nomura denies the accusations and his lawyers said he
intends to appeal
·
Believed to be first time a senior yakuza member has
received death sentence
A
yakuza boss has been sentenced to death in Japan in what is
believed to be a first after his criminal organisation murdered and attacked
other citizens.
Satoru Nomura, 74, told the judge Fukuoka District Court, in western Japan, on Tuesday: 'I asked for a fair decision... You will regret this for the rest of your life,' Nishinippon Shimbun newspaper reported.
It is believed to be the first time a senior yakuza member has been sentenced to death, the BBC reported.
Nomura, the head of the 'Kudo-kai' crime syndicate in southwest Japan, denied accusations he had masterminded the violent assaults. Kudo-kai is often described as Japan's 'most violent' yakuza gang.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, there was no direct evidence that Nomura had ordered the attacks.
However, in handing down the sentence, the judge said that the gang operated under such strict rules that it was unthinkable that attacks could have been carried out without its leader's authorisation.
The trial revolved around attacks carried out by Kudo-kai members between 1998 and 2014. During that time, a former head of a fishing cooperative was shot and killed, and three others - including a nurse and former police officer - were injured by shooting or stabbing.
Satoru Nomura, 74,
(pictured) is the head of the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, often described as
Japan's 'most violent' yakuza gang
Defence
lawyers for Nomura plan to appeal the ruling, according to Kyodo news
agency. Nomura's number two, Fumio Tanoue, was jailed for life on Tuesday,
the court said.
The yakuza mafia were long tolerated in Japan as a necessary evil for ensuring order on the streets and getting things done quickly, however dubious the means.
But in recent decades, stiffer anti-gang regulations, waning social tolerance and a weak economy have resulted in steadily falling yakuza memberships.
Nomura was found guilty of ordering the fatal 1998 shooting of an ex-boss of a fisheries cooperative who exerted influence over port construction projects, major media outlets said.
He was also behind a 2014 attack on a relative of the murder victim, and a 2013 knife attack against a nurse at a clinic where Nomura was seeking treatment, the court reportedly said.
The 2012 shooting of a former police official who had investigated the Kudo-kai was also deemed Nomura's responsibility. The official survived with serious injuries to his waist and legs, media said.
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Pictured: Police
officers enter Nomura's Kitakyushu house in September 2014 to arrest him [File
photo]
The
yakuza grew from the chaos of post-war Japan into multi-billion-dollar criminal
organisations, involved in everything from drugs and prostitution to protection
rackets and white-collar crime.
Unlike the Italian Mafia or Chinese triads, yakuza have long occupied a grey area in Japanese society - they are not illegal, and each group has its own headquarters in full view of police.
With more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of few developed nations to retain the death penalty.
Public support for capital punishment remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups.
INTERNET
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“There
is one other consideration which I believe should never be overlooked. If the
criminal law of this country is to be respected, it must be in accordance with
public opinion, and public opinion must support it. That goes very nearly to
the root of this question of capital punishment. I cannot believe or the public
opinion (or would I rather call it the public conscience) of this country will
tolerate that persons who deliberately condemn others to painful and, it may
be, lingering deaths should be allow to live…”
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If the death penalty was
not imposed then "wrong really has finally totally triumphed over right
and all civilised society, all we hold dear, is the loser." - John
Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington
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[PHOTO SOURCE: https://quozio.com/quote/hwwv7bcchftj/1092/if-the-death-penalty-was-not-imposed-then-wrong-really-has] |
Satoru Nomura on the
cover of Jitsuwa Jiho in 2012
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[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/yakuza/fukuoka-cops-arrest-yakuza-boss-in-attempted-murder-of-ex-detectie/] |
Don of yakuza gang dealt unprecedented death sentence
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 24, 2021 at 19:25 JST
FUKUOKA--In a high-profile trial, the head of an organized crime syndicate often described as the most violent in Japan was sentenced to death at the Fukuoka District Court on Aug. 24.
Satoru Nomura, 74, the head of the Kudo-kai gang based in Kita-Kyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, was handed the death penalty for his involvement in four violent incidents, one of which an individual died.
Presiding Judge Ben Adachi also handed down a life sentence to Nomura’s second-in-command, Fumio Tanoue, 65.
The court said in the ruling that Nomura and Tanoue conspired to carry out the four attacks. Nomura gave an order in the murder case, and the other three crimes were carried out under a chain-in-command structure headed by Nomura, the court said.
The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office had sought the death penalty for Nomura, and a life sentence for Tanoue along with a fine of 20 million yen ($182,200).
There was no clear direct evidence to connect Nomura and Tanoue to the four cases, while those who actually carried out the crimes have been convicted.
Both Nomura and Tanoue have denied their involvement and claimed their innocence.
Nomura was displeased with the court’s sentence and seemingly threated the presiding judge.
After the court was vacated, Nomura told Adachi, “I asked you for a fair judgment. But this is not fair at all. You will regret this for the rest of your life.”
Tanoue also said, “You are awful, Mr. Adachi,” as he left the courtroom.
It was apparently the first time for prosecutors to seek a death penalty for a head of a gang recognized by the Prevention of Wrongful Acts by Members of Organized Crime Groups Law.
The court’s decision to grant the prosecution’s demand is expected to impact future investigations of organized crime groups.
CRIMES DATED BACK MORE THAN 20 YEARS
The first of the four assaults occurred in 1998. A former leader of a local fishery cooperative, who was 70, was gunned down and killed on the streets of Kita-Kyushu.
The second occurred in 2012. A former Fukuoka prefectural police officer was shot in Kita-Kyushu.
The third occurred in 2013 in Fukuoka, in which a female nurse at a medical clinic where Nomura was seeking treatment was stabbed.
The fourth took place in 2014, in which a male dentist who happened to be a relative of the former fishery cooperative leader was stabbed in Kita-Kyushu.
Prosecutors argued that each of the four incidents was a coordinated attack by the Kudo-kai, and both Nomura as the mastermind and Tanoue as the group’s No. 2 sanctioned the acts through the gang’s chain-of-command structure.
While gang underlings may have been the ones who actually carried out the attacks, as the head of an organization in which the boss’s orders were absolute, Nomura and Tanoue held the ultimate responsibility, prosecutors argued.
The two were charged with murder, a coordinated attempt to murder and weapons violation.
Prosecutors
argued that the first and fourth crimes stemmed from Nomura’s desire to get his
hands on economic interests held by a fishery cooperative. But the former
leader rebuffed Nomura’s overtures.
The shooting and the stabbing, occurring 16 years apart, were attempts to intimidate family members who controlled the economic interests and force them into submission.
The second attack was an obvious attempt to put pressure on local law enforcement that had launched a crackdown on the Kudo-kai.
The third assault was triggered by Nomura’s dissatisfaction with the nurse who treated him at a clinic, prosecutors said.
Those who actually carried out the crimes have already been convicted. In all trials except the one for the murder of the former fishery cooperative head, the courts recognized the existence of a chain-in-command system headed by Nomura and Tanoue.
One of the major points in dispute in the latest trial was whether both Nomura and Tanoue gave direct orders to commit the violent acts, as there is no solid evidence directly linking both to the court cases.
The active resistance
against the villain’s evil designs on others, and against the villain himself
is not evil, but good. And therefore it can and must be the work of a pious
love. – Ivan Ilyin
Prosecutors argued Nomura deserved the harshest sentence because none of the victims in the four incidents had connections to rival gangs.
“Ordinary citizens became a target in all of the incidents, repeatedly posing a direct threat to society,” prosecutors said.
These incidents were “unprecedented in the extremely egregious nature of the crimes carried out by organized gangs,” they said.
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Satoru Nomura, left of center, goes outside during a house search by
Fukuoka prefectural police on April 1, 2010, in Kita-Kyushu’s Kokura-Kita Ward.
(Asahi Shimbun file photo)
DEFENDANTS PROCLAIMED THEIR
INNOCENCE
Defense lawyers, on the other hand, denied Nomura’s involvement in the first and fourth incident, by saying that he “never had an interest in the cooperative.”
As for the shooting of a police officer, the defense argued that it would only backfire to strike against law enforcement, as it would prompt police to launch a tougher crackdown on the Kudo-kai.
For the stabbing of a nurse, Nomura’s displeasure with her was only temporary, defense argued.
Nomura “had no motivation to attack” in all four cases, the defense argued.
Defense also criticized prosecutors and said their “evaluation of circumstantial evidence is extremely arbitrary.”
Prosecutors “have not taken other hypotheses into consideration because they want to forcibly tie (Nomura and Tanoue) with the incidents,” and they “are entirely focused on their self-righteous speculations,” defense said.
Nomura in his final statement said, “I am innocent.”
Tanoue said, “I have never been involved, not even in the slightest.”
Both have maintained their innocence.
http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com/2017/07/national-police-agency-japan-aka.html
LAW ENFORCEMENT MOVE AGAINST KUDO-KAI
Fukuoka prefectural police launched a massive operation in September 2014 to destroy the Kudo-kai and made arrests of senior members, including Nomura and Tanoue.
As of the end of 2020, there were about 430 members and quasi-members of the Kudo-kai. At the end of 2008, when the group reached its peak, there were about 1,210 gang members, about three times more than the current membership.
The trial of Nomura and Tanoue began in October 2019.
Out of safety concerns, the Fukuoka District Court decided to exclude the trial from a lay judge system where ordinary citizens are involved alongside professional judges.
A total of 62 hearings were held until March this year, and a total of 91 people including former gang members and police officers gave testimony.
Kudo-kai has been based in Kita-Kyushu, a major port city in the prefecture near its capital, Fukuoka, and a gateway to the Kyushu region, while extending its influence in areas around Tokyo with umbrella organizations.
Because the group had repeatedly violently attacked citizens, it has been named as a special-designated dangerous crime organization under the anti-organized crime law. Kudo-kai is the only organization designated as such in Japan.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=169743928574938&id=101692122046786 …. …. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14424860
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A drawing of Satoru Nomura, left, and Fumio Tanoue at the Fukuoka
District Court on Aug. 24 (The Asahi Shimbun)
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[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/photo/40398926] |
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A nation is like a
person though it does not have a tangible body. Lawless and vicious individuals
are like illnesses that attack the body. Police powers can be likened to daily
treatments to keep the body healthy. A judge is a doctor, while law is
medicine. In cases where the police cannot prevent a crime despite its efforts
to that effect, it catches the criminal and hands him over to a judge. This is
like entrusting an ill person with a doctor. A trial is a process to cure an ill
person by administering appropriate medicine. As petty offenses are minor
illnesses, police officers themselves treat them. This is like a home remedy.
Japan police to protect judges, witnesses after yakuza head sentenced to death
Fukuoka Prefectural Police on Aug. 25 ordered officers to protect related judges and witnesses after a local court handed a death sentence to the head of the feared Kudo-kai crime syndicate the previous day.
The notice came in response to a remark made by 74-year-old Kudo-kai head Satoru Nomura to the presiding judge immediately after the Fukuoka District Court ruling on Aug. 24: "You'll regret this for the rest of your life."
The Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture-based group is the only designated dangerous crime syndicate in Japan. The prefectural police are poised to beef up security measures once again against the gang.
In connection with the public hearings of Nomura's case, a member of a Kudo-kai-affiliated gang was arrested and indicted for allegedly intimidating a male witness when they met as well as talked over the phone, in violation of Japan's organized crime law.
The prefectural police headquarters has led the response to the Kudo-kai threat with about 100 officers at its organized crime division's protective measures office, keeping a close eye on the gang's moves following the court decision. The headquarters will also share information with other police departments to ensure the safety of those under protection in and outside Fukuoka Prefecture.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/japan-police-to-protect-judges-witnesses-after-yakuza-head-sentenced-to-death/ar-AANMTYv
RELATED LINKS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoru_Nomura
https://www.rt.com/news/532947-japan-yakuza-boss-sentenced-death/
