Police drive 'gyoza king' murder suspect 500 km to avoid yakuza public transport attack

Utterly ridiculous. The Japanese Police Department has no access to Helicopters?

A Eurocopter EC145 costs about $1600 per hour to fly. An EC 135 costs over $1300 per hour to fly. Even the small AS350B is around $800 an hour to fly. Ground transport is always less expensive. And as a former helicopter pilot I am not sure I want to share a cabin with a hardened criminal unless the dude is well and truly restrained.

The internet shows Fukuoka is about 320 miles from Kyoto. I don't know where the prison is so it could be more or it could be less. Most helos cruise at 120 knots, so figure a 2.5 to 3 hour trip each way. For the AS350B depending on where the prison is that might be further than the helo can go without a stop to refuel. Fly almost to the prison, stop to refuel, fly to the prison and make the passenger pick up, fly back to the airport and refuel again, then fly to Kyoto. 7 hours on the Hobbs meter? Even at $800 and hour for an AS350 you just racked up a $5,600 bill. And that doesn't count pilot labor.

Or, you know, you could just... shut down the mafia, them being an illegal crime syndicate and what not.

"The vehicle carrying Tanaka, a senior member of a gangster group linked with the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, arrived at the police station in Kyoto shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday as a swarm of reporters and photographers awaited his arrival outside the building."

Lot's of leaks in the Police Force.

Seems bizarre they didn't transferr him by plane.

""They (Kudo-kai) don't care at all about harming bystanders" to achieve their objective, the source said."

"The vehicle carrying Tanaka, a senior member of a gangster group linked with the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, arrived at the police station in Kyoto shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday as a swarm of reporters and photographers awaited his arrival outside the building."

If this gang of thugs truly didn't care about harming bystanders, then what was stopping them from whacking this guy from among the "swarm of reporters"?

outrage (the movie)

It took a convoy of police cars around 11 hours to transport Yukio Tanaka, 56, to Kyoto from the prison where he was serving time for an assault in 2018.

Utterly ridiculous. The Japanese Police Department has no access to Helicopters?

Why didn't police just travel to Fukuoka to question him at the prison instead? 

That's procedure for all arrests here in Japan. Police love home advantage.

There were concerns among police officials about Kudo-kai members staging an attack during Tanaka's transfer in an attempt to "eliminate" him before he reveals Kudo-kai's involvement, an investigative source said.

Seems scary that there are out of control crime syndicates in Japan ?

No other news to tell ? Is it that special ? In most countries, they deliver all the perps by truck . And an escort of cars and motorcyclists is dispatched for all VIPs at risk (not only jailed ones, even politicians and other useless celebs).

I know in Japan that seems more low profile, with Prime Ministers taking the train with you, then picking a taxi at the station... and Abe killed because he was not protected. But I found it there was never what it seems. They have lots of security staff that look like business men and the "taxi" is usually a high security car, with an escort that looks like normal traffic.

tax dollars 

You think Americans are paying ? Seriously, the police is payed anyway, so when they don't transport perps, they are paid snoring or having fun in the koban.

I think Tanaka won’t say a word…

No problem as the prosecution can speak for him. If he dies too soon, the trial stops, that's what they fear now.

Do they seriously think other gangsters will sacrifice their lives 

YES. I don't say it's rational, but look at that hit man. He's wasted his life, no ? He was already rotting in jail for the sake of the holy yakuza.

@lamilly

They have DNA evidence on a cigarette butt found near the location...

Did du daaaa

If the yakuza sang like canaries on every occasion then they’d soon murder all their number.

I think Tanaka won’t say a word…

Those asking why protect him, or says why would other gangsters risk going after him.

Look up Kudo-kai look up the documentary Japan's most dangerous gang.

The police want to finally shut the remaining part of the gang down and perhaps this guy knows stuff.

Kudo-kai are fanatics so if ordered to kill this guy including police and bystanders they will.

In the past the launched grenade attacks and automatic weapons.

The leader was sentenced to death the second in command got life but unfortunately others are still running things.

I support the prosecution of this crim - and justice for the legendary Gyoza King.

Why waste all the manpower and tax dollars to transport this criminal?

To get justice for a good, innocent man - The Gyoza King.

Do they seriously think other gangsters will sacrifice their lives by attacking a large group of police in public to try to kill this guy?

You may need to research a bit mire.

These gangsters are not trying to kill this criminal. The rusk is they are pientisllu trying to get at the police - andvthen release the crim.

I s

What ever happened to web cams and online meetings, even world leaders do it all the time, why not in this case???

The Yakuza are, a mixed bunch, seriously avoid getting into any trouble with them as you'll regret it.

Oh those wacky yakuza. Just like real gangsters!

Why waste all the manpower and tax dollars to transport this criminal? Just stick him in a locked car and let his old yakuza friends come and kill him.

It's likely to happen anyway. He won't live to sing like a canary - the yaks have police connections and likely active police officers.

This is Japan.

A place where common sense doesn’t always prevail.

Just look at the security measures taken when Abe was assassinated.

Why didn't police just travel to Fukuoka to question him at the prison instead? Seems strange to use all the resources and take any risk driving him from Fukuoka to Kyoto.

@rzadigi

Just stick him in a locked car and let his old yakuza friends come and kill him.

So you would sacrifice the police officers transporting him?

Why waste all the manpower and tax dollars to transport this criminal? Just stick him in a locked car and let his old yakuza friends come and kill him. Then arrest those guys and follow the same procedure. Repeat as necessary and soon enough all the yakuza will be gone!!