U.S. Sanctions Firms Linked to Yamaguchi-gumi Crime Group

October 3, 2018

Washington- The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday took action to sanction two companies and four individuals linked to the major Japanese yakuza crime syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi.

The new targets of the sanctions are real estate companies Yamaki K.K. and Toyo Shinyo Jitsugyo K.K., both based in the western Japan city of Kobe, as well as four Yamaguchi-gumi senior members.

The sanctions include a freeze on their assets in the United States and a ban on transactions with U.S. citizens.

"By exposing this broad network of front companies and individuals supporting the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza syndicate, we intend to disrupt the global financial infrastructure of this illicit transnational criminal organization," Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

In 2011, President Barack Obama issued an executive order to impose financial sanctions on transnational criminal organizations.

The sanctions now target 21 individuals, five criminal syndicates, two subsidiary gangs and two companies associated with yakuza groups. Jiji Press