Yakuza who sold Soda is Arrested for extorting Ninja who Distributes flyers

May 16, 2024 Crazy 0 Comments 2 min read

It seems that the area they were in wasn’t big enough for both of them. Yet another day with a crazy story from Japan, this incident occurred in Asakusa, one of the most popular tourist areas in Tokyo due to its connection with Japan’s history.

Due to tourism, it’s quite common to see various street vendors ready to profit from different items, and one of these vendors is a man named Atsushi Ogawa, who has been in Asakusa for 15 years. He sells Ramune Sodas near the Sensoji Temple and is so famous that people take photos with him.

Because of the tourist flow, he can make up to $200 a day. However, the 56-year-old man is a Katayama, meaning a high-ranking Yakuza from the Yaneya family, affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai.

Yakuza who sold Soda is Arrested for extorting Ninja who Distributes flyers

Being a member of a Yakuza group is a great reason not to upset him, right? But on September 29, something happened. A 39-year-old man dressed as a ninja was distributing flyers when he arrived in Ogawa’s area.

According to reports, when Ogawa saw the ninja distributing the flyers, the Yakuza approached him and said, ‘Uhh, Mr. Ninja, this area is where I work. If you want to do this here, you’ll have to pay me 10,000 yen a month. I am a Katayama of the Yaneya Family.’

It’s not very clear what happened after Ogawa said this to the man dressed as a ninja, but Ogawa ended up being arrested on February 8 by the police. He is currently facing extortion charges, which he denies. In his defense, Ogawa says, ‘I was just giving him a warning because he was being rude.’

The news made waves and sparked some comments:

‘Are Yakuzas still managing to get by?’

‘I’d be pretty worried if I were Mr. Ninja.’

‘10,000 a month is pretty chill, it used to be 30,000.’

‘How did we get to the point of having Yakuza selling drinks?’

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