Aging Yakuza gangster arrested in Lopburi had Thai wife

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Police have discovered that the old Yakuza gangster arrested yesterday in Lopburi after being in Thailand for 13 years has a Thai wife and was regularly receiving money from Japan.

 

Shigeharu Shirai, now said to be 72 by Sanook, is wanted in Japan over the death in 2003 of a gang rival in Takasucho district of Tsu City.

 

Yesterday deputy national police chief Wirachai Songmetta and Japanese officials were interrogating the heavily tattooed Shirai at Lopburi police station.

 

Shirai has admitted to being in charge of a division of the Yamaguch Gumi one of the biggest divisions of the Yakuza with 200,000 plus members. He was involved in illegal gambling operations.

 

Sanook reported that he had received funds two or three times a year from a Japanese friend.

 

Police are trying to find out who that person is as well as see if Shirai has committed any crimes in Thailand before they extradite him to Japan.

 

Wikipedia says that the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi is Japan's largest 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 before World War II. It is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world.

 

Sanook did not give any further information about the suspect's life in Thailand.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-01-12

It always intrigued me why the Yakuza gangsters have to be heavily tattooed as it sort of gives the game away when the police arrest them. They immediately become people of interest. 

I wonder how he got past the rigorous Thai visa checks!!! 

3 minutes ago, TConthePC said:

I wonder how he got past the rigorous Thai visa checks!!! 

They didn't take his shirt off.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

Police are trying to find out who that person is as well as see if Shirai has committed any crimes in Thailand before they extradite him to Japan.

He won't tell them a thing.

From Thai news: He had shown his tattoos to some youths who took photos posted  them on social media. Somebody recognised the tattoos then informed Japanese authorities who then contacted the Thai police.

Edited January 12, 20188 yr by SABloke

Another person caught thanks to facebook. Yahoo!

Geezer

He probably would have been fine if he had just tattooed a collar on his skin shirt.