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The new personnel appointment of the Yamaguchigumi VI was announced. The “aim” behind it is unraveled from the viewpoints of a person related to the gang and a police executive respectively.
Japan’s largest yakuza syndicate, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, has suddenly taken action.
The organization’s number two, Wakagashira Kiyoshi Takayama, has assumed the newly created position of advisor, while his successor will be Teruaki Takeuchi, who has been promoted from Wakagashira-hosa. This top-level personnel decision was communicated to affiliated groups by the executive leadership on April 18.
The Sixth Generation regime marks its 20th year since its formation in 2005. Kumicho Shinobu Tsukasa is now 83 years old, and Wakagashira Takayama is 77, so this move is seen as part of a generational shift toward 65-year-old Takeuchi. On the 7th of this month, the group also submitted a written declaration to the Hyogo Prefectural Police that has been interpreted as a one-sided announcement of the end of its conflict with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. Authorities are closely watching both the personnel changes and the implications for the ongoing gang conflict.
【衝撃】六代目山口組・竹内照明若頭と後続車両に乗り込む四代目弘道会・野内正博会長 この光景に「車選びのセンスはいいね」「ほとんど小指がない、薬指も」などの声が寄せられた。 迫力が凄いわ。 https://t.co/0M0WgFxxyW
— いくら🐟 ˙˚. (@boilerplat3) November 13, 2026
Since the beginning of the split conflict in August 2015, dozens have been killed or injured on both sides—between the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. At the time of the split, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi had about 6,000 members, and the Kobe faction had about 2,800—roughly a 2-to-1 power balance. However, according to data compiled by the National Police Agency as of the end of 2024, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi now has about 3,300 members, while the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has shrunk to around 120, indicating a large shift in influence.
A senior executive of a designated crime syndicate based in the Tokyo metropolitan area, who has been monitoring the conflict, noted: “Recently, there’s been no reaction from the Kobe side. It’s essentially already settled.”
He added the following perspective on the motive behind the personnel changes and the declaration of conflict resolution:
“Kumicho Tsukasa likely wants to step down due to his age. In other words, this is a move intended to position Takeuchi as the new Seventh Kumicho. However, unless the conflict is fully resolved—including the disbandment of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi and the retirement of its leader, Kunio Inoue (76)—any transition to a new regime would acknowledge the continued existence of the Kobe faction in this unresolved state. That’s likely why they issued a one-sided declaration, to bring a formal end to the conflict.”
