The arrest of Takayama coincides with a nationwide attempt to clampdown on organised crime groups in Japan Photo: GETTY
Kiyoshi Takayama, a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate – the largest in Japan - was detained by police on alleged extortion charges.
With the official head of the Yamaguchi-gumi already in prison, Takayama, 63, is believed to be the number one operating member of Japan's most powerful organised crime group.
Takayama, from Kobe, was arrested in Kyoto for allegedly extorting protection money totalling around £302,000 (40 million yen) from a man engaged in construction business between 2005 and 2006, according to police.
The arrest of Takayama, who is head of the syndicate's Kodokai gang, coincides with a nationwide attempt to clampdown on organised crime groups in Japan, according to Kyodo News reports.
It also comes shortly before Kenichi Shinoda, the official head of the Yamaguchi-gumi group, is due to be released from prison next spring following his detention in 2005 for violating gun control laws.
Dubbed the Walmart of crime syndicates, the Yamaguchi-gumi is the largest organised crime group in Japan with its roots in the Kobe region and active membership estimated by some reports as high as 45,000.
Extortion, real estate, sex industry, gambling and stock market manipulation are among a raft of activities that have been tied to the activities of the powerful crime syndicate.
Government legislation has increasingly attempted to stem the powers of the crime groups, while financial institutions have also joined forces in a growing movement to close down the accounts of yakuza members.
The Japanese Bankers Association announced last year that it was asking its member banks to refuse the creation of new accounts for customers with yakuza ties.
Earlier this month, there were reports that a bank in Tokyo had taken steps to terminate the account of a high-ranking yakuza boss.
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