Yakuza hitman accused of gunning down ‘Gyoza King’ president denies charges ahead of verdict

KYOTO (TR) – Thirteen years after the brazen, gangland-style execution of the president of a nationwide restaurant chain, the trial of the yakuza hitman accused of pulling the trigger has concluded with the defendant maintaining his innocence to the bitter end, reports NHK (Oct. 9).

Yukio Tanaka, a senior member of the Kudo-kai — a notoriously violent designated yakuza syndicate based in Kyushu — is facing a life sentence for the 2013 assassination of the 72-year-old president of Gyoza no Ohsho (“Gyoza King”), a company operating over 500 Chinese diners across Japan.

With the verdict scheduled for October 16, the Kyoto District Court trial has been defined by unprecedented security, emotional outbursts, and a prosecution case built entirely on circumstantial evidence.

Due to the Kudo-kai’s reputation for targeting civilians, the trial was held without a jury to prevent potential retaliation against lay judges. Spectators passed through metal detectors to enter a courtroom where bulletproof glass separated the gallery from the trial proceedings.

Six-Second Execution

The assassination took place in the early hours of December 19, 2013. At around 5:46 a.m., 72-year-old president Takayuki Ohigashi arrived at the company’s headquarters in Yamashina Ward, Kyoto, to perform his daily routine of sweeping the premises before employees arrived.

In a span of just six seconds, an assailant approached and fired four shots into the executive’s chest and abdomen at point-blank range, killing him instantly. A large amount of cash left untouched in the victim’s car immediately ruled out robbery, leading police to suspect a highly planned hit by a professional who knew the president’s daily routine.

In 2015, DNA from a seemingly minor piece of evidence at the crime scene was matched to Tanaka, who was already serving time in prison for a separate offense. Tanaka was arrested in 2022, seven years after the release of DNA testing results.

Takayuki Ohigashi was gunned down in Kyoto City on December 19, 2013

“I am absolutely not the culprit”

When the trial finally commenced in November 2025, Tanaka stared straight ahead and flatly denied the charges.

“I am absolutely not the culprit,” the yakuza boss declared. “As a man aspiring to the yakuza code of chivalry, I can accept a false accusation or two, but I absolutely cannot accept being tied to such a sensational crime.”

His defiance sparked an immediate, heart-wrenching reaction from the gallery.

“What do you mean ‘not guilty’? You targeted a civilian! You killed our precious father!” a female relative of the victim screamed, weeping as her outburst forced the judge to temporarily suspend the proceedings.

Later in the trial, during victim impact statements, family members pleaded for answers. “My father was devoted to his work… He did nothing wrong. Why did he have to be shot to death with a handgun?” one relative asked.

However, the courtroom proceedings would offer them few answers regarding why the hit was ordered.

Smoking Gun or Planted Evidence?

With Tanaka refusing to answer questions during the defendant interrogation phase, the trial became a grueling battle over circumstantial evidence—specifically, two cigarette butts left on the wet asphalt at the crime scene.

Forensic experts testified that the cigarette paper was fresh and unwrinkled, indicating it was smoked at the scene right before the murder and could not have been transported from elsewhere. The DNA on the butts was a direct match to Tanaka.

Prosecutors argued that Tanaka left them behind while lying in wait. They further asserted that a third party planting the cigarette butts to frame Tanaka was highly illogical, as framing a senior Kudo-kai executive would invite horrific yakuza retaliation. The prosecution also presented complex evidence linking Tanaka to a white mini-car seen near the theft of a getaway scooter, and a stolen motorcycle later found with gunshot residue.

The defense fired back, pointing out the lack of cigarette ash at the scene and questioning whether a highly trained hitman would casually smoke two cigarettes right before an assassination. They argued the butts were planted and suggested Tanaka might have been at his home in Fukuoka Prefecture on the day of the murder — though testimony from his wife was hazy due to the 13 years that have passed.

While police previously hinted at a vast, organized conspiracy, prosecutors spent 11 hearings over several months focused solely on proving Tanaka was the triggerman. They entirely avoided delving into the motive or the shadowy background of the crime.

A third-party investigative committee previously revealed that when the victim took over “Gyoza no Ohsho” in 2000, the company was drowning in debt and engaged in inappropriate dealings with sketchy corporate groups. The president was reportedly killed while attempting to clean up the company and sever those dark ties.

During closing arguments in June, prosecutors demanded life in prison, stating Tanaka carried out a “meticulously prepared, organized, and premeditated crime.” The defense maintained that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Tanaka fired the gun, demanding a full acquittal.

Given a final chance to speak, Tanaka addressed the court in his regional dialect.

“I am truly not the culprit,” he said. “If I were allowed, I’d grab everyone in this courtroom by the shoulders and tell them, ‘I didn’t do it!'”

The Kyoto District Court will deliver its highly anticipated ruling on October 16.

Published in Crime , News and Yakuza

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京都（TR）——据NHK（10月9日）报道，在全国连锁餐厅社长被公然以黑帮手法处决13年后，被控扣动扳机的黑帮杀手的审判已经结束，被告至死都坚称自己无罪。

九州臭名昭著的暴力黑帮组织工藤会的高级成员田中幸雄，因在 2013 年暗杀了 72 岁的饺子王商社长而面临终身监禁。饺子王商是一家在日本各地经营 500 多家中式餐馆的公司。

京都地方法院将于 10 月 16 日宣判，此次审判的特点是前所未有的安保措施、情绪激动的场面，以及检方完全基于间接证据的指控。

由于工藤会素有袭击平民的恶名，为了防止陪审团对非专业法官进行报复，审判采取了无陪审团审判的方式。旁听者需通过金属探测器才能进入法庭，法庭内设有防弹玻璃，将旁听席与审判室隔开。

六秒处决

暗杀事件发生在 2013 年 12 月 19 日凌晨。当天早上 5 点 46 分左右，72 岁的社长大东隆之来到位于京都山科区的公司总部，像往常一样在员工上班前打扫办公场所。

短短六秒钟内，一名袭击者走近这位高管，近距离朝他的胸部和腹部连开四枪，致其当场死亡。受害者车内大量未动过的现金立即排除了抢劫的可能性，警方因此怀疑这是一起精心策划的职业杀手所为，此人熟知总统的日常作息。

2015年，犯罪现场一件看似不起眼的物证上的DNA与田中（Tanaka）的DNA相符，而田中当时已因另一项罪行服刑。田中于2022年被捕，距离DNA检测结果公布已过去了七年。

大东隆之于2013年12月19日在京都市遭枪击身亡。

“我绝对不是罪魁祸首。”

2025 年 11 月，审判终于开始，田中直视前方，断然否认了所有指控。

“我绝对不是罪犯，”黑道老大宣称。“作为一个崇尚黑道骑士精神的人，我可以接受一两次冤枉，但我绝对不能接受与如此轰动一时的罪案扯上关系。”

他的反抗立即在画廊中引发了令人心碎的反应。

“什么叫‘无罪’？你袭击的是平民！你杀死了我们亲爱的父亲！”受害者的一位女性亲属哭喊着，她的情绪爆发迫使法官暂时中止了审理。

在庭审后期，受害者家属在陈述受害人影响时恳求法庭给出解释。“我父亲工作非常认真……他没有做错任何事。为什么他要被手枪射杀？”一位亲属问道。

然而，法庭审理过程并没有给他们提供多少关于为何下令行凶的答案。

确凿证据还是栽赃陷害？

由于田中在被告审讯阶段拒绝回答问题，审判变成了一场围绕间接证据的艰苦斗争——具体来说，就是犯罪现场湿沥青路面上留下的两个烟头。

法医专家作证称，烟纸新鲜平整，表明它是在谋杀案发生前不久在现场吸食的，不可能是从其他地方运来的。烟头上的DNA与田中DNA完全吻合。

检方认为田中埋伏时留下了这些烟头。他们还指出，由第三方栽赃陷害田中的说法极不合逻辑，因为陷害工藤会的高层会招致黑帮的残酷报复。检方还出示了复杂的证据，将田中与一辆出现在作案摩托车附近、后被发现的被盗摩托车（车内有枪击残留物）以及一辆被盗摩托车联系起来。

辩方反驳道，现场没有烟灰，并质疑一名训练有素的杀手是否会在行刺前随意抽两支烟。他们辩称烟头是栽赃陷害，并暗示田中案发当天可能在福冈县的家中——尽管由于时隔13年，他妻子的证词已有些模糊。

虽然警方此前暗示存在一个庞大的、有组织的阴谋，但检方在几个月的时间里举行了11次听证会，却只专注于证明田中是枪手。他们完全回避了探究作案动机或犯罪的复杂背景。

第三方调查委员会此前披露，受害者于2000年接管“饺子王商”时，该公司负债累累，并与一些背景可疑的企业集团存在不正当交易。据报道，社长在试图整顿公司、切断这些不正当关系时遇害。

在六月份的结案陈词中，检方要求判处田中终身监禁，称其实施了一起“精心准备、组织周密、预谋已久的犯罪”。辩方则坚持认为检方未能排除合理怀疑地证明田中开了枪，并要求判其无罪。

在获得最后一次发言机会时，田中用他的方言向法庭发表了讲话。

“我真的不是罪犯，”他说。“如果可以的话，我会抓住法庭里每个人的肩膀，告诉他们，‘我没有做这件事！’”

京都地方法院将于10月16日作出备受瞩目的判决。

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