A gang leader and two others were arrested Monday on suspicion of murdering another yakuza boss in police custody at Nippon Medical School Hospital in Tokyo in February 2002, police officials said.
The suspects were identified as Osamu Yano, 54, leader of a yakuza group tied to the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate; Masao Tatsuriki, 54, head of a subgroup in Yano's organization; and Kumio Arai, 56, an acquaintance of Tatsuriki.
Yano and Tatsuriki have earlier been indicted on a separate charge of conspiring to commit arson, while Arai is currently in prison for violating the Employment Security Law.