crime

Ex-gangster held after beating customer to death in Thai restaurant in Tokyo

46 Comments

A 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday for manslaughter, after he allegedly punched a man more than 10 times in his face causing his death, police said.

Toshiyuki Kanazawa, an unemployed resident of Fussa City, was drinking with a group of about 10 people in a Thai restaurant at around 9 a.m. on Sept 26, when the group began having an argument. A 60-year-old male customer at a nearby table told them to quiet down, and Kanazawa got angry and punched the man repeatedly in the face.

The manager of the restaurant looked after the man but his condition deteriorated in the evening, and the manager called for an ambulance. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead later that night, police said.

Kanazawa, who told police he was a former member of an organized crime syndicate, said he was a regular at the restaurant but has denied assaulting the man.

© Wire reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

46 Comments
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Once again, somebody is described as and "ex-gangster".

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Actually once in Sakai City I asked an extremely noisy yakuza to quiet down. (Had I known he was a yakuza I would have just used earplugs.) He was high as a kite on speed at the time. I managed to fend him off by dashing behind a locked door and attaching the chain until he calmed down. Later he apologized and gave me his meishi, on which his gang name and logo appeared. I've still got it around here somewhere, and brandish it whenever it's time to tell war stories.

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something will happen to the owner and his business if talks more about it.

"Toshiyuki Kanazawa, an unemployed resident of Fussa City" ? he is employed but not declared by the crime syndicate.

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K.O.

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Beelzebub-- Wow, that IS a war story, haha. Terrifying.

Ex-gangster, huh? Pfft. 10 times? I'm sure there were plenty of witnesses, so I don't know why he bothers denying it. Granted, if he's not really completely out of the crime syndicate, maybe people will be too afraid.

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the attack happened at 9 a.m.? and the owner looked after him for the evening? Surely there's a misprint, otherwise the victim was seriously injured and held against his will for the whole day.

Moderator: The original Japanese story says it was in the morning.

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Yakuza and their ilk are all scum. They really are lower "people".

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wow in Fussa City and the article never mentioned Americans or US Military personnel! I guess if it's not "okinawa" related, it doesn't matter.

btw, that Thai resturaunt is REALLY good!

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The manager of the restaurant looked after the man but his condition deteriorated in the evening, and the manager called for an ambulance.

maybe he should have called that ambulance a bit sooner rather than play Dr Kildare himself. poor guy

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denied assaulting the man???? his hands would look like the guys face. If his knuckles aren't bleeding and bone isn't sticking out the guy is innocent. And why in the world did the manager not call police and an ambulance IMMEDIATELY. "well the guys face was caved in, but I thought I could nurse him back to health. When I noticed he was cold, I thought it might be time to call for help" that was an omitted quote from the true story.

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The manager of the restaurant looked after the man but his condition deteriorated in the evening, and the manager called for an ambulance.

Unbelievable....!

WTF...?

How about calling the police the very instant a man gets punched in your restaurant...?

This Restaurant owner should be held liable! It happened in his his restaurant and he had a responsibility to at least call the cops, the very instant this elderly man was assaulted!

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It makes me wonder if the man was still coherent before they finally took him to the hospital. I agree it was careless to keep him there if he was seriously in bad shape (obviously bad enough to DIE from), but maybe there was a reason they didn't go right away. I agree though, he should have at least called the cops. If someone's getting beat down in your restaurant, you should call the police... Though then again, maybe the owner knew about the "ex-gangster"'s connections.

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come on. at the very least, surely the guy had a broken nose. they break like eggs shells. If someone had a broken nose, hell, even a cut that MIGHT need stitches I am racing you to the hospital RIGHT now!!! I will throw a towel at you, that's the only nursing i would do. Getting to the hospital is priority number 1. of course given the severity, I would call an ambulance if appropriate.

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yeah why didnt the guy call the police and doctors straight away, surely he also partly to blame for the mans death. As for the guy denying the assult, how is that going to work when there are eye witnesses and your own hands are the evidence.

crazy

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A guy gets beat in your restaurant, and you "look after" the guy?

Why didn't he just call an ambulance or the cops straight away? usually a bar brawl that ends with somebody injured, you call the cops.

WTF is wrong with these people?

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why all the secrets about the restaurant name, even where in "tokyo" it is...

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It must have been the one near Shin Okubo station. It has really good food but any given night you might have gangsters, prostitutes and civilians all together. I saw Kid Yamato come through there once.

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Wow ex-gangster beats up 60 years old man......how tough!!!! Lets throw this critter into the room full of rattlesnakes....we can only wish!

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He may have mentioned that he is an ex-gangster to intimidate potential witnesses. Maybe he just knows some gangsters.

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References to "ex" Yakuza always strike me as amusing. It is a well-known fact that all members are made to submit undated resignations to their groups in advance. If they then do something stupid that draws the attention of police, these documents are submitted by the gang to the police as proof that members are "ex." This is to get the gangs out of having any responsibility for the actions of members. Although this might sound rather childish, a loop hole in the relevant laws allows gangs to get away with such actions.

Anyway, here is my own mob story, which involves me, the deputy chairman of our local residents association (a semi-retired mobster who still finds time to walk to school with his grandson every morning), four young hoods in a car, and the larger of my two dogs.

Anyway, early one Sunday morning I was out walking the dog (about 6.30am). We had just come out of a side street and my dog was sniffing the tires of a car that was parked in a convenience store car park. On the other side of the car park was a car with 4 young men inside. Unfortunately, our eyes met for a second and these young toughs thought they would beat up a foreigner (there was nobody around). Anyway, they came charging across the car park. When about half way across, I jerked my dog's leash. He popped his head out from behind the car he was sniffing and immediately put himself between me and these young chaps. Let's just say these young chaps were surprised to be confronted with about 125kg of pure, unadulterated, canine muscle in the form of a male English Mastiff. Moreover, the first guy (leading the charge) was even more shocked when my dog reared up showing his rather impressive dental work (in a mouth that can close while holding a soccer ball). My dog knocked this chap to the ground and then wanted to offer some free plastic surgery to the guy's face, all the while looking at me for the command with those big droopy eyes of his. Let's just say I was tempted. Meanwhile the other 3 heroes scuttled back to their car and drove off. I got the chap who was collapsed on the ground and walked with him to the home of the deputy chairman of our resident's association (the old mobster). He listened to what I had to say and made a couple of phone calls to resolve the "misunderstanding". Being a "friend" of mine through the local residents association, he even offered to have the young chap's legs broken for the inconvenience caused to me. Again, I have to admit that I was tempted.

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PepinGalarga at 09:36 AM JST - 10th November why all the secrets about the restaurant name, even where in "tokyo" it is...

it's not secret, it says "Fussa city". That is in west Tokyo (Tama) and it's the city that Yokota Air Base is in. (US Air Force base) The Thai resturaunt is just outside the main gate of Yokota.

The translation of the original article is kind of misleading, the manager stayed with the victim, but ambulance came right away. The hospital is a few hundred meters from the resturaunt.

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What a sickening story, but this is real life in "beautiful" Japan, folks. Ok this "ex" scumbag gangster lowlife has been "held" for the vicious attak on an elderly man - but will he be taken to the Courts and put in jail for this heinous crime? In my area, ordinary people are harrassed by the J cops every day while scumbags like this do what they like. We even have a street called "Yakuza dori" because the Yakuza are in control there - and the police just turn a blind eye to their activities. Japan is a very scary place.

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"drinking with a group of about 10 people in a Thai restaurant at around 9 a.m."

Kinda early for a drink, ain't it?

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pls provide name and location so we can avoid the place

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9 am drinking and loaded. I bet they were up all night long.

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Yeah, 9am....not a big deal. Probably just had the booze munchies after a big night.

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This restaurant probably isn't your typical thai restaurant, probably a place these types hang out and the owner probably wanted less trouble so the coward kept the guy there.

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Nothing wrong with a few breakfast beers to wash down a nice spicy breakfast curry.

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I'd also appreciate if JT would post the name and address of this restaurant - a Thai place that's open for breakfast would be a real find!

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Lack of care caused this man to die. Not being punched in the face. The bar owner should be sued. As for the man who beat the old guy. Old men in Japan are freaking rude. I can understand. Any old man that starts his day with a drink are the kind of old men who make rude comments.

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Realist:

In my area, ordinary people are harrassed by the J cops every day while scumbags like this do what they like. We even have a street called "Yakuza dori" because the Yakuza are in control there - and the police just turn a blind eye to their activities. Japan is a very scary place.

No, WHERE YOU LIVE is a scary place. I am quite safe and content where I am in Japan.

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I know Fussa, and well, it is full of scummy, lower class Japanese, so this gangster fits right in and nobody goes to Thai restaurants at 9am! Unless they have been drinking out all night, or in this case, this Japanese yakuza was also maybe doing drugs, went nuts on the 60 year old and ended up killing him. I really hope they close down this Thai restaurant to teach the owner a lesson, if you let yakuza beat people up in your establishments and do not call the police, you are also liable to this murder. Now Yokota Airforce base does not allow any of it military nor non military folk hang around bar row there in Fussa after 9 pm from Friday to Sunday, to try and keep the airforce guys from getting into fights with idiots like this Japanese yakuza.

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No respect for a 32 year old guy with 10 friends that beats on a 60 year old. And he's a murderer. Scum.

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Poor old man....

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Coward! Punches a 60 year old man 10 times. This Gangsta should roll up on a real man who will fight back. Hm!

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Chunks of information missing and too many unanswered questions. First, this happened September 26 so why was this guy just arrested Monday? Why were they drinking at a Thai restaurant at 9am? And the obvious question many people have already pointed out: Why did the manager wait so long to call an ambulance? Were there other customers in the restaurant at the time? Anyway, I hope this 'ex'-gangster doesn't get away with this.

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And the restaurant owner? This guy witnesses the whole thing and keeps the old guy there until evening when he starts to die. I suppose if pop stars can get away with criminal negligence so can the owner of the Thai restaurant.

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He beat up an elderly person, whom possibly was on an oygen tank and needs a walker to get around. Yes, he is definitely a "gangsta." I am guessing he he hit the old man from behind and caught him off guard or else there would have been a struggle for the "Ex-Gangsta."

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This ex-yak can deny it because he knows there will be no witnesses. The witnesses all know they will have no future if they are not super careful to say they saw nothing.

Another reason they say "ex-gang member" is that Yakuza gangs are illegal now, so they are all technically ex-members.

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The guy may have recovered fine if he had gone to hospital. But the manager tried to take care of it himself so we wouldn't get into trouble, and the guy died. Hope the manager gets the book thrown at him too.

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It sounds like the whole noisy group in the above restaurant was Yak, so any foregn intervention would have been extremely unwise, IMHO.

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Methinks 9AM is a typo and it should be 9PM.

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nandakandamanda at 02:08 PM JST - 10th November Another reason they say "ex-gang member" is that Yakuza gangs are illegal now, so they are all technically ex-members.

It's pretty funny that the gangs were once legal entities but, at this point wouldn't the individual yaks just be considered members of an illegal orgination, instead of ex-members of a formerly legal orginization? Whether or not they admit to membership is irrelevant, of course.

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thanks mike for the clarification. It said that the guy lived in Fussa, but i guess the restaurat is near there. Not easy to find good thai food, even if risks getting one's face bashed in.

If the ambulance did arrve quickly, i wonder why they waited so long. If the guy had internal bleeding, or a concussion with internal hemorrhage of the brain, emergency surgery is neccesary to remove any accumulation of fluid or blood and patch up those broken blood vessels. That's what hospitals are there for.

I pray that no one i know has a serious accident or illness while in Japan. Medicine here is medieval.

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timorborder

On the other side of the car park was a car with 4 young men inside. Unfortunately, our eyes met for a second and these young toughs thought they would beat up a foreigner (there was nobody around). Anyway, they came charging across the car park.

Man, you are so lucky!!!

I wish I could run into a car load of scum bags like that at 6:30 in the morning! You are soooo lucky! I would pay good money for that kind of opportunity... Usually they just bow their head's after I turn around and run after them.... Only one time, did I have to back off, after about 15 or 20, came out from around the corner, I almost followed them into the elevator, but my there were just too many of them, and my ASP is only the 16-inch model.... Real Bummer....

Never take crap from a bunch of 2-bit punks...Keep your whits about you, and always be ready!

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Death penalty.

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