The is a yakuza

Yakuza

, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

 syndicate based in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 with a predominantly Korean Japanese membership. Originally named the , with its historic leader Hisayuki Machii

Hisayuki Machii

, nicknamed the , was the founder of one of Japan's most notorious yakuza gangs, the Tosei-Kai.A Korean, Machii was born Jeong Geon Yeong in 1923 when Korea was under Japanese occupation. After World War II, Machii settled in Tokyo and became involved in postwar Japan's thriving black market...

, the Toa-kai was deeply involved in the history of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

's South Korean community and Japan's anti-communist circles in the 20th century

20th century

Many people define the 20th century as running from January 1, 1901 to December 31, 2000, others would rather define it as beginning on January 1, 1900....

. It is the fifth largest Yakuza clan.

History

The group was formed by Hisayuki Machii

Hisayuki Machii

, nicknamed the , was the founder of one of Japan's most notorious yakuza gangs, the Tosei-Kai.A Korean, Machii was born Jeong Geon Yeong in 1923 when Korea was under Japanese occupation. After World War II, Machii settled in Tokyo and became involved in postwar Japan's thriving black market...

, a Korean Japanese

Zainichi Korean

Koreans in Japan are the ethnic Korean residents of Japan. They currently constitute the second largest ethnic minority group in Japan. The majority of Koreans in Japan are Zainichi Koreans, also often known as Zainichi for short, who are the permanent ethnic Korean residents of Japan...

 mob boss, as the Tosei-kai in 1948. The Tosei-kai was originally a reported right-wing organization of anti-communist activism led by Machii as a sympathizer of Kanji Ishiwara, which was in conflict with the North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

-associated General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.

The Tosei-kai quickly became one of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

's most powerful gangs, and had significantly expanded during the time of the post-war economic growth

Japanese post-war economic miracle

The Japanese post-war economic miracle is the name given to the historical phenomenon of Japan's record period of economic growth following World War II, spurred mainly by Japanese economic policy, in particular through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry...

. Membership reached 1,500 in the 1960s. As the leader of the syndicate, Machii became an essential "fixer" between Japan and South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

Increasing police crackdowns by 1965 forced Machii to disband the Tosei-kai and establish a new gang, the , or "East Asia Friendship Enterprise Association". He also formed a "legitimate" company called the , or East Asia Enterprises Company, with the famous Yoshio Kodama

Yoshio Kodama

was a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous 'kuromaku', or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1950s to the early 1970s....

 as Chairman of the Board. Afterwards, the Toa Yuai Jigyo Kumiai changed the name as and Toa-kai.

The founder Machii retired in the 1980s, and died of heart failure on September 14, 2002 in Tokyo. Also known as a successful businessman, he was 79.

Condition

The Toa-kai is a member of a bakuto

Bakuto

Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 fraternal federation named the Kanto Hatsuka-kai, along with four other Kanto-based yakuza syndicates, the Sumiyoshi-kai

Sumiyoshi-kai

The , sometimes referred to as the , is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 20,000 members.The Sumiyoshi-kai is a confederation of smaller gangs. Its current sosai, or president, is Shigeo Nishiguchi. Structurally, the Sumiyoshi-kai differs from its main rival, the...

, the Inagawa-kai

Inagawa-kai

The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 15,000 members. It is based in the Kanto region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.-History:...

, the Matsuba-kai

Matsuba-kai

The is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan. The Matsuba-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 1,500 active members and 600 semi-active members.-History:...

, and the Soai-kai

Soai-kai

The is a yakuza organization based in Chiba, Japan. The Soai-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 230 active members.-History:The Soai-kai was formed in 1945 by Toramatsu Takahashi, then a member of a Yokohama-based bakuto group named the Sasada-ikka...

. The Toa-kai has aligned itself with the largest known Yamaguchi-gumi

Yamaguchi-gumi

is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....

 syndicate since the syndicate's Taoka

Kazuo Taoka

was one of the most prominent yakuza Godfathers.Known as the "Godfather of Godfathers", Taoka was third kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization, from 1946 to 1981....

 era in the 20th century, and has been closely supported by Shinobu Tsukasa, the sixth-generation godfather of the Yamaguchi-gumi, since 2005 when the sixth era of the Yamaguchi-gumi officially started.

Territories

The Toa-kai has its headquarters in Ginza

Ginza

is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 ever since its formation. The Toa-kai has its five branch organizations in Tokyo, and one branch organization outside of Tokyo.

Okinawa

The Toa-kai's notable branch organizations include the . The Yoshimi-kogyo is the Toa-kai's only branch organization based outside of Tokyo. Based on the Okinawa island, the Yoshimi-kogyo is one of the three major yakuza groups in the Okinawa region, along with the Kyokuryu-kai

Kyokuryu-kai

The is a yakuza criminal organization based on the Okinawa island of Japan, with an estimated membership of 210–270.Headquartered in Naha, Okinawa, the Kyokuryu-kai is one of the two designated yakuza groups in Okinawa Prefecture along with its splinter group Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai, and had been...

 and the Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai

Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai

The is a yakuza criminal organization based on the Okinawa island of Japan. A designated yakuza group with an estimated 523 active members and 145 semi-active members, the Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai is the largest yakuza organization in Okinawa Prefecture.-History:...

.

The origin of the Yoshimi-kogyo reportedly traces back to the late 20th century, when Toshio Gibo, an ethnic Okinawan

Ryukyuans

The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...

 mobster, formed an anti-left nationalist organization named the Makoto-kai in Okinawa under influence of Yoshio Kodama

Yoshio Kodama

was a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous 'kuromaku', or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1950s to the early 1970s....

. Gibo met with Machii through Kodama, founding an affiliate of the Tosei-kai in Okinawa.

Okinawa's underworld has been known for its exclusiveness since the 20th century, where the dominating Kyokuryu-kai

Kyokuryu-kai

The is a yakuza criminal organization based on the Okinawa island of Japan, with an estimated membership of 210–270.Headquartered in Naha, Okinawa, the Kyokuryu-kai is one of the two designated yakuza groups in Okinawa Prefecture along with its splinter group Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai, and had been...

 has persistently attacked and violently expelled any yakuza syndicate attempting to enter the island. The reason why the Toa-kai has been able to active on the island may be because the group has historically been more oriented to legitimate businesses, and of its gentle stance, in contrast to other yakuza syndicates which have attempted to expand their influences into Okinawa with heavy violence, such as the Yamaguchi-gumi

Yamaguchi-gumi

is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....

 and especially the Dojin-kai

Dojin-kai

The is a yakuza organization headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka on the Kyushu island of Japan, a designated yakuza syndicate, with approximately at least 850 members....

.

For example in 2002 in Okinawa, only one Yoshimi member was arrested, while 56 Kyokuryu-kai members and 95 Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai members were arrested.http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-119248-storytopic-86.html

Leadership

• Tosei-kai era

President: Hisayuki Machii

Hisayuki Machii

, nicknamed the , was the founder of one of Japan's most notorious yakuza gangs, the Tosei-Kai.A Korean, Machii was born Jeong Geon Yeong in 1923 when Korea was under Japanese occupation. After World War II, Machii settled in Tokyo and became involved in postwar Japan's thriving black market...

• Toa Yuai Jigyo Kumiai era

1st president: Fujimatsu Hirano

2nd president: Morihiro Okita

• Toa Yuai era

President: Shohei Futamura

• Toa-kai era

1st president: Shohei Futamura

2nd president: Yoshio Kaneumi