The Inagawa-kai is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 3,400 members. It is based in the Kantō region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.
History
The Inagawa-kai was founded in Atami, Shizuoka in 1949 as the Inagawa-gumi by Kakuji Inagawa. Most of its members were drawn from the bakuto, and illegal gambling has long been the clan's main source of income. It has also expanded into such fields as drug trafficking, blackmail, extortion, and prostitution. The Inagawa-gumi was renamed the Inagawa-kai in 1972. After Kakuji Inagawa, the gang was led by Susumu Ishii, who led it to unprecedented financial prosperity during the 1980s Japanese bubble economy. At one point the clan's assets were estimated to be over $1.5 billion. After Ishii's death in 1990, Inagawa's son Toi Inagawa took over as kumicho and led the clan until his death in May 2005. Yoshio Tsunoda took up the mantle in 2006, heading the clan until his death in February 2010. Kazuo Uchibori may be next in line to lead the clan, but his status as a kyodaibun to Takeuchi Teruaki, a senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, may complicate things. February 2009saw the Inagawa-kai 'Honbu' relocate from the Roppongi district of Tokyo to Akasaka. There is currently strong resistance from the localpolitical groups and residents of Akasaka meaning that the location of the new Honbu may change yet again. The Inagawa-kai quietly helped to provide relief in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami by sending supplies to affected areas. As a whole, the group shipped over 100 tons of supplies, including instant ramen, bean sprouts, paper diapers, batteries, flashlights, tea and drinking water, to the Tōhoku region.
Key persons
Inagawa-kai's renowned figures in the 20th century include Tatsuo Deguchi, Kingo Yoshimizu, Kijin Inoue, Takamasa Ishii, Haruki Sho, and Kiichiro Hayashi. Haruki Sho, known as "Gotenba boss", was originally a Chinese national who moved to Japan as a forced laborer with his family. He was best known as the Grand Advisor for the third-generation Inagawa-kai and was one of the most respected godfathers in Inagawa history.
