Japan's Crime Ring Responsible for Mayor's Death

A popular mayor in Japan was killed recently by a person linked the Japan's underworld. Mayor Kazunaga Ito, who went by the name of Itcho Ito in public life, was killed in a brazen attack in front of crowds of commuters at the city's main train station. The motive for the slaying is still under investigation, but the shooter, 59 year-old Tetsuya Shiroo, is said to be a member of Suishinkai, a local branch of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest organized crime group.
It is still unclear what caused Mr. Shiroo to kill the mayor, but rumors have been circulating that the killing was money-related and had to deal with a car accident. From 2003 to 2005, Mr Shiroo had visited City Hall almost 30 times demanding up to 2,7 million yen ($23,000) for damages to his car that he claimed were from an accident at a city construction site.
Lawyers have said such requests for reimbursement are a typical form of extortion. Yet, the fact that Mr. Shiroo hasnt mentioned the matter in two years has left people wondering whether this was his true motive.
Public outcry over the killing has lead to people demanding that the police do something about the organized, underground crime syndicates. Japan is said to have the largest population of organized crime members in the world.